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Late Neolithic or early Bronze Age burial barrows lie on the top of Old Winchester Hill, itself the site of a later Iron Age hillfort settlement. The barrows are about 3800 years old and. Covered in heaped chalk, would have been quite outstanding in their day. There are four inside the fort, seven outside the west gate and possibly three more incorporated into the southern rampart. The hillfort was built about 2500 years ago, a univallate fort with a single, very steep, ditch and embankment, entrances on the east and west, and roundhouses and stores inside with a wooden palisade around the whole. The views are magnificent – this was a perfect location for a hillfort. On a clear day, the Isle of Wight can be seen.
Old Winchester Hill is also a 150-acre national reserve, home to many species of plants and wildlife. Spot the small yew wood – great for hide and seek.
East Meon
The polygonal keep of Orford Castle survives in remarkable condition, surrounded by the remains of moats and walls visible as shapes in the grass. The castle was built by Henry II in the 12th century to protect his interests locally. Given that most of the castle has gone, inside the keep there's a surprising amount to see - including Orford Museum - and there are fabulous views from the top of St Bartholomew's church, Orford Ness and the surrounding countryside.
Oh - and don't forget the legendary merman.
Orford Ness is Europe's largest shingle spit, approximately 10 miles long running between the River Alde and the North Sea in Suffolk. It is an internationally important area of shingle habitat, home to a huge variety of wildlife, much of it fragile and precious. It was also used for secret military testing and experimentation, including for aircraft, radio, radar, ballistics and atomic weapons, since the First World War until after the Cold War. Limited access is available via National Trust Ferry from Orford.
Orford
Pevensey Castle is steeped in history. It began life as a Roman fortress, one of several guarding 'the Saxon Shore' against pirates in the 3rd century AD, and its outer walls are still there. In 1066, William the Conqueror landed nearby - not in Normans Bay as many think, because the coastline was wholly different then. William constructed a pre-fabricated fort to secure his beachhead - almost certainly within the old Roman walls - before setting off to defeat the English at the Battle of Hastings. The Normans built a more permanent castle at Pevensey, added to and refurbished over the years, and undergoing four sieges, before finally declining in the 16th century. Joan of Navarre was imprisoned here for witchcraft by her step-son, Henry V. However, Pevensey sprang into use once more, in 1940, when pillboxes and other defences were cunningly constructed within the old ruins, to help defend Britain against the expected German invasion.
There's a great cafe just outside the castle and a nice looking pub too!
Pevensey
Originally a shore fort, built in the 3rd century, Portchester is the most complete Roman walled stronghold in Northern Europe. Subsequently a medieval fortress, palace and prison holding Dutch, French (and possibly American?) captives, it is now a place of recreation with a cricket pitch inside and popular with dog-walkers.
Portsmouth was for generations the most heavily defended town in England. The city, unsurprisingly, developed round its port and naval facilities. Whilst the original harbour and military base was located around Portchester, where the Romans built a fort, by the medieval period the major settlement was at the harbour mouth, the area now known as ‘old Portsmouth’. Here, and at various points eastward along the seafront, are the scattered remains of fortifications, some of which were in use from the 14th century as defence against French attacks, right through the Tudor period, when Henry VIII built Southsea Castle, to the Second World War. Also along the sea front are many memorials that give hints of Portsmouth’s maritime heritage. There is free access to many of these fortifications, possibly best starting off near Portsmouth’s Broad Street, where the 15th century Round and Square Towers are situated. Under parts of the walls, where ammunition was once stored, are cafes and pop-up galleries. There are fine views of the harbour and sea traffic from the walls here - and the Round Tower is the place for front-row views of major ships entering or leaving port.
Old Portsmouth
Though it still manages to look formidable, Raglan is a picturesque castle, built with an eye to comfort and fashion - and built by a Welshman, William Herbert. It began life relatively recently, for a castle, in the 1430s, was besieged and captured by Parliamentary forces in 1646 and then 'slighted' to prevent further defensive use. Set in parkland and once surrounded by gardens, its features include a separate keep surrounded by a moat and a stunning oriel window.
Raglan
Richborough, which the Romans called Rutupiae, is a fascinating, multi-layered, site. Now 2 miles inland, 2,000 years ago it was on the coast where Emperor Claudius’s invading army landed in 43AD. They built a defensive barrier on the site, which then became a supply base, developing into a significant port, town and major point of entry into Britain. A monumental marble-clad arch was built (welcome to Britain!), the foundations of which can still be seen at the start of Watling Street – the Roman road that went through London all the way to the West Midlands. Nearby is the site of the amphitheatre, which could accommodate an audience of up to 5,000 people. The town was large – extending far beyond the existing visible remains of a stone-walled fort, built in the 3rd century as part of the defences of the ‘Saxon Shore’, guarding Britain against the Germanic pirates whose ancestors eventually settled and became the English. Richborough continued to be important right to the very end of the Roman occupation, probably well into the 5th century. The crumbled ruins, excavated outlines (including that of an Anglo-Saxon church) take some understanding, but it is an absolutely intriguing place to visit – right at the heart of Britain’s story.
Ruined castle built by the Barons of Rosslyn between the 13th and 17th centuries, just a short distance from the famous Rosslyn Chapel and allegedly haunted. The Castle was besieged at least twice and ultimately destroyed by one of Cromwell's armies in 1650. It is not open to the public as a visitor attraction, but it is available to rent as a holiday home. Click on the Landmark Trust's website link below.
NB The castle can be viewed externally whilst visiting Rosslyn Chapel or via Roslin Glen.
Lasswade
Rough Castle is the best-preserved of 16 forts that the Romans constructed along the Antonine Wall, built in 140 AD to form the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire, but abandoned after 20 years. It is accessible at the end of a track past an industrial estate, or from the Falkirk Wheel. It's an agreeable spot, much-loved by dog-walkers. The remains of the wall and ditch are clear and it's possible to pick out the outline of the fort's ramparts, ditches and gateways as well as the route of the military road that ran south of the wall. To the north of the fort are the fairly rare remains of defensive lilia pits. There excellent information boards giving general information and markers where the various buildings once stood.
There are no facilities at this site and you will need to walk.
Bonnybridge
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