<< Our Photo Pages >> Birdlip Camp - Hillfort in England in Gloucestershire
Submitted by 4clydesdale7 on Friday, 26 March 2004 Page Views: 10585
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Birdlip CampCountry: England County: Gloucestershire Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Cheltenham Nearest Village: Birdlip
Map Ref: SO924150 Landranger Map Number: 163
Latitude: 51.833558N Longitude: 2.111698W
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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External Links:
I have visited· I would like to visit
TheCaptain visited on 8th Jun 2021 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 3 Walking the Cotswold Way north from Birdlip and the sharply pointed headland has slight remnants of a ditch and banks across the neck in these beautiful woodlands.
4clydesdale7 visited on 30th Apr 2013 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 4 The Camp has suffered badly from quarrying - the earthworks are not very prominent - but it is a splendid stroll with some nice views
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2 Ambience: 4 Access: 3.5
Before you visit this site it might be wise to consider:-
(a) the pastscape website for Birdlip Camp aka Peak Camp Causewayed Enclosure - Gloucestershire: Cotswold: Cowley: Birdlip Camp: 117437
(b) the Old Maps/Aerial photograph links from the pastscape website (1:2500 OS - 6in maps are best)
(c) the two reports of T C Darvill's excavations in 1980 and 1981 on the Glevensis (Gloucestershire and District Archaeological Research Group) website Reviews 15 and 16 (search 'Peak' in the contents index)
To gain a realistic impression of what is to be found
If you rely solely upon GF Playne's work 'On the Ancient Camps of Gloucestershire' or the famed George Witts 'Archaeological Handbook of Gloucestershire' then you may miss the sparse earthworks that may currently be found. It is easy to walk about half a mile N up the Cotswold Way from Birdlip but then that will only put you in the correct general area - Peak Plantation.
Although after Darvill's excavations and then a site investigation by EH in 1996 there is excellent confirmation that this site is an Early Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure, the Camp and surrounding area has suffered badly from medieval and modern (probably Victorian) quarrying. Your approach is quite marred by numerous heaps of quarry spoil. Further beyond a fence/stile at the W end of the Camp some 9m (in height) of ground has been lost to the same operations (and that area is still called The Peak!). The view towards the SE suburbs of Gloucester is quite worthwhile.
But both earthworks are difficult to find - the inner bank (75m W of the outer) never rises more the 30cm. The outer (even with its 'four times dug' ditch - part of which is the footpath to Crickley Hill) struggles to 70cm where, at its northern end, it is blighted by spoil heaps and a 10m deep medieval quarry.
By the aforementioned stile is a medieval boundary mark. Darvill's excavations found many flints and potsherds at that end of the site (beneath the roots of trees that had been blown over).
It is certainly a pleasant stroll with quite a fair amount of interest - you will no doubt share the peaceful aspect with many locals walking their dogs.
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
258m S 191° Birdlip standing stones* Modern Stone Circle etc (SO9235214746)
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Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.