Follow the Buzzard to Bury Ditches

It is impossible to spend much time in Shropshire without becoming aware of the hill forts that have been imposed on the landscape. The south west corner of the county is particularly rich in these impressive monuments, with one of the highest concentrations in England and Wales. The same is true of the neighbouring parts of Herefordshire and Montgomeryshire, so that there is hardly a hilltop in the area that doesn't provide a view of several forts. Some were built in the late Bronze Age, but most were constructed in the Iron Age; that is, after around 600 bc. They were built in stages, often over very long periods of time, possibly as much as 1,000 years in some cases.

This walk takes you to one of the finest of all, Bury Ditches, which crowns Sunnyhill (also called Tangley Hill), above the valleys of the Clun and the Kemp. Elliptical in shape, Bury Ditches is an example of a contour fort, which means that its Celtic builders took advantage of the topography, making the ramparts follow the natural contours of the landscape. Such construction wasn't always possible, but where the natural slope was sufficiently steep, it enabled them to get away with fewer ramparts, or even none at all. On the relatively gentle northern slope of Sunnyhill summit, three substantial ramparts were considered necessary, but there are only two on the south side, below which the slope plunges down with a daunting steepness.

It's possible for archaeologists to tell approximately when a fort was built by the design of the ramparts. Bury Ditches' construction suggests a date somewhere around the 6th century bc (ie early Iron Age). All the local community would have been involved, including young children. Trees would have to be cleared first, using axes made from flint, stone or bronze, and then the ramparts and ditches would be dug with deer-antler picks and shovels made from the shoulder blades of cattle. Earth, turf and stones would have been carried away in hand baskets. It's a task of almost unimaginable proportions, especially when you consider that Bury Ditches covers a larger area than most hamlets and many villages in Shropshire.

It was once believed that hill forts were used only for defence at times of danger, but excavation and other archaeological techniques have revealed that the larger ones were more like defended villages, where people lived and farmed. Did they also appreciate the view, in a purely aesthetic sense, one wonders? The immense panorama visible from the top of Bury Ditches is one of the finest in Shropshire, but it was lost for several years, after the Forestry Commission planted conifers on top of the fort. Fortunately, a timely gale in 1978 flattened many of the alien trees and the Commission took the hint, removing the rest.

What to look for

Here's a challenge - can you identify the entrances to the hill fort? Bury Ditches has two and they're more elaborate than is usual in the Marches. One is in-turned with a straight corridor and indications of two guard houses. The other is out-turned and curving, with a barbican and an overlapping rampart truncated by a forest road. A big clue - one is at the north east, the other at the south west.

Where to eat and drink

Bishop's Castle, Clun and Clunton are all near by. Or there's the Powis Arms at Lydbury North, for traditional pub food or take-away pizzas (no dogs allowed inside). Worth a special journey is the marvellous Harvest Wholefoods at Lydham, north of Bishop's Castle, with a huge range of organic and GM-free goodies.

While you're there

Walcot Hall at Lydbury North was once the home of Robert Clive (Clive of India), and is occasionally open to the public. Clive's son Edward was a keen arboriculturalist and the arboretum he created is open Friday to Monday afternoons, May to October. The lake in the grounds was enlarged by French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars.