<< Our Photo Pages >> Norton Camp (Shropshire) - Hillfort in England in Shropshire
Submitted by TimPrevett on Friday, 12 May 2006 Page Views: 17751
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Norton Camp (Shropshire) Alternative Name: Norton Hill CampCountry: England County: Shropshire Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Craven Arms
Map Ref: SO44728193 Landranger Map Number: 137
Latitude: 52.432538N Longitude: 2.814507W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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TheCaptain TimPrevett have visited here
From Craven Arms station I headed south to the town centre, turning left on the B4368 towards. I left my bike at locked discreetly to a gate at SO444825 and entered the wood from the north at SO445823.
As soon as I did, I could feel a treat was instore in terms of a place teeming with life. Bluebells carpeted the woodland floor in places, and the soft green light of evening sun through the leaves gave an other-wordly ambience to the location. Following the twists and turns of the path, the going was quite steep, and in places the path was extremely and unavoidably muddy.
When I eventually arrived at what I believed to be the circumference of the ramparts, the shocking realisation hit me. The ramparts were totally inaccessible, and overwhelmingly lost in undergrowth. Though the 1890-1891 map shows plantation around the fort, and the aerial picture shows some green grass on the ramparts, I did not expect this. Feeling initially very disappointed, I decided I would make the most of my remaining time by following the footpaths in a clockwise direction around the fort's perimeter.
The fort has two ramparts, each with external ditches. The outer ditch now serves as the track and footpath along which walkers and farm machinery now go about their business.
Not long thereafter, I came to the first entrance on the east side. Knowing that a clear look inside the ramparts would not be possible, I walked next to the tyre tracks up to the open gateway. The enclosure was vast. I could also understand why it would be good farm land. Well drained, good light, and the trees and towering rhododendra (these on the east and south sides) forming a very effective windbreak. In all a microclimate very much like the walled gardens of the Victorians must be generated, benefitting any crop grown therein.
From the gateway of the south east entrance, a depression with trees and undergrowth can be seen. This must be that mentioned on the National Monuments Record as the possible source of an Iron Age spring - an invaluable asset to the community who once lived here.
The aerial picture also shows a large circular crop mark between the dark green depression and the south east rampart. One assumes this is likely to be one of the possible seven hut circles, which likely only survive now as crop marks.
Access is obviously given around the perimeter, though it is not obvious how much access one ought to have.
Given the huge enclosure is now a cultivated field, and what access there is has been negotiated with the landowner, common sense dictates that a visit within the interior is not agreed. It is possible to view from gates on the east, and south east sides, which are also the orginal entrances to the fort.
There are new signposts for circular walking routes which take in much of the outer perimeter of the fort. Where the new posts point away from the fort there are other older posts that appear to make the perimeter circumnavigable.
The straight, west side is the most hazardous. The drop down the hillside is steep, the fence is insubstantial, non-existent in places, and tripping / slipping hazards abound. In worse weather conditions it would be prudent to avoid walking the west perimeter.
As for the most of the ramparts, the undergrowth makes them near impregnable. I was startled by deer on the southern side, and noticed there, and in other places, there were light tracks going into the ramparts where the growth was not too dense.
As for sheer luck, I happened to be visiting in May, to find that much of the northern ramparts are verily covered in bluebells and wild garlic in flower (the odour of the latter being detectable upon entering the wood below). A visit on a bright winter day may yield some more clues about the ramparts where evergreens do not cover.
In all, it was a bitter-sweet discovery for me. This Shropshire hillfort, easily worthy of something like either of the Caer Caradocs, Bury Ditches, or Old Oswestry hillfort, is lost almost completely.
The ambience on the evening of my visit, with warm air, filtered green sunlight, and heavy smells was almost intoxicating. In places it was somewhat sinister, in others, ecstatic. I had not experienced anything quite like this at any other hillfort.
Note: At this time of year, as spring strengthens towards summer, bluebells can carpet some wooded areas. This overgrown hillfort near Craven Arms in Shropshire can make for a particularly satisfying visit, with the right weather. Bluebells and wild garlic carpet the northern ramparts during much of May.
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