Cadbury Camp climb
Climb the steep hill behind Tickenham to discover the earthworks of Cadbury Camp Iron Age hill fort. Enjoy the stunning views across the Severn Estuary and the Mendip Hills. Cadbury Camp is an important site for nature conservation; if you're really lucky you may see adders basking on the ramparts of the hill fort.
Map
Start:
Tickenham village hall car park; grid ref ST445715
1
At the front of the hall, turn left onto the Clevedon road (B3130). Turn left at the public footpath sign, through the pedestrian gate, and continue up the footpath which runs along the side of an orchard.
2
Continue through the kissing gate, up the steps and up a very steep hill. Enter National Trust land - Cadbury Camp - over a style and continue up the footpath to a bench.
3
The bench is a great place to stop for a rest and enjoy the view. Continue up the hill towards the ramparts of the Iron Age hill fort, bear right until you reach a gap in the ramparts, continue through into the centre of the camp.
Great views
Ahead you will see stunning views of the Severn Estuary including Steep Holm and Sand Point. To the left are wonderful views of the Mendip Hills. This is a great place to stop for a rest and enjoy the view.
4
Continue straight on through the camp, bear left to exit the camp through its entrance.
Iron Age hill fort
Cadbury Camp is a scheduled monument. The Camp was built in the late Iron Age, by a local community that later became part of the Dobunni Tribe. They dug out ditches and threw back the soil to make high banks for the fortress to protect them from any invading forces. They added a high timber fence on top of the bank and a complicated entrance to make it difficult for anyone to attack. The tribe chose the ridge for their fort because of its high position giving good views over the land below, which would have been boggy marsh.
5
Arrive at the interpretation panel.
Nature conservation
As well as being an Iron Age hill fort, Cadbury Camp is also an important site for nature conservation. Find out more about the site by reading the interpretation panel. You can also use the QR code to download an ID sheet.
6
Continue down the path and exit National Trust land through a metal pedestrian gate.
7
Turn right onto the bridleway (Cadbury Camp Lane), then left next to a wooden fence. Follow the path through the ash woodland, continue downhill. Turn left along the lane towards a house gate, then continue downhill via a steep rocky gully and pass under the M5 motorway.
8
Exit the footpath at The Kennels, turn right then left onto the lane, follow the lane until you reach a public bridleway sign on the left (also signed Fir Tree Bungalow)
9
Turn left onto the bridleway and follow it up the hill, back under the motorway, continue up the rocky gully to some stables.
10
Turn left onto Cadbury Camp Lane, re-enter National Trust land via a stile on the right.
11
Turn right and follow the bottom edge of the site, parallel with the fence line and exit National Trust land over a stile.
12
Continue straight on down the hill, turn right at the fork and continue down the hill, follow the level path behind the fields.
13
Turn right through the kissing gate onto the footpath you started on, continue down past the orchard, exit the footpath through the pedestrian gate onto the Clevedon Road, turn right and return to the village hall car park.
End:
Tickenham village hall car park; grid ref ST445715
