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Hod Hill in LiDAR

Hod Hill is an Iron Age hillfort in Dorset. Here it is in the Environment Agency's 1 m LiDAR, shaded so the shape of the ground stands out. Look for the ramparts with their five entrance gaps, earthworks from both the Iron Age and Roman periods, and the circular hollows and ridges across the interior.

What you can see

• The National Trust calls Hod Hill Dorset's largest hillfort, with earthworks from both the Iron Age and Roman periods still visible. (National Trust)
• Five entrances cut through the ramparts: two Iron Age, two Roman and one medieval. (National Trust)
• Inside the fort, circular hollows and ridges mark the remains of buildings and property boundaries. (National Trust)

Visiting

National Trust countryside open dawn to dusk; there is a small car park on Hanford Lane (one steep climb), or a gentler, longer route up from Stourpaine. (National Trust)

Official record: Historic England list entry 1002678: Hod Hill camp and Lydsbury Rings.

Look, don't detect or dig

Hod Hill is a Scheduled Monument, protected by law because it's of national importance. In England it's a criminal offence to use a metal detector on a Scheduled Monument without Historic England's written consent, and to remove any object of archaeological or historical interest found with one. Damaging a scheduled monument is an offence too, and works on one, including digging, need Scheduled Monument Consent first. More on Scheduled Monuments and the rules.

Keep to paths and open access land, and follow the Countryside Code.

More sites in LiDAR

Hambledon Hill · Badbury Rings · Knowlton · Oakley Down · all sites