Pilsdon Pen

At 277 metres, Pilsdon Pen was long thought to be Dorset's highest hill, until a modern survey found neighbouring Lewesdon Hill 2 metres higher. An Iron Age hillfort dominates the summit, but the story runs much further back: flint tools over 10,000 years old and two Bronze Age burial mounds show the hilltop in use long before the ramparts, and excavations in the 1960s uncovered the remains of 14 roundhouses. Abandoned after the Roman conquest, the hill was bequeathed to the National Trust by the Pinney family in 1982. On a clear day the view takes in Marshwood Vale, Golden Cap and the sea to the south, the Hardy Monument to the east, and Exmoor and the Quantocks to the west. Dog walkers are welcome, and the Trust calls a short lead essential around the sheep that graze the hill. Reviewers come for the views and suggest bringing a picnic. Tips from visitors: park in the lay-by on the B3164 at the foot of the hill, and expect a short but steep climb on grassy paths with some steps.