The 18 Most Amazing Peaks in West Dorset

If you’ve hauled yourself up to the ramparts of Lambert’s Castle, congratulations! You are currently standing on an Iron Age "penthouse" with a view that makes most postcards look like blurry thumbprints. Looking south toward the coast, the landscape does a dramatic drop-and-roll toward the English Channel. Here is the lowdown on the two big celebrities you’re staring at: 1. Golden Cap: The Gilded Giant Dominating the horizon is Golden Cap, the highest point on the South Coast of England. The Look: It’s basically a massive, flat-topped wedge of rock that looks like nature tried to bake a giant loaf of bread and then gave it a glowing, golden crust. The Vibe: From Lambert’s Castle, you can see exactly why it got its name. When the sun hits that upper layer of Greensand, it glows like a pirate’s treasure chest. Fun Fact: At 191 meters (627 feet), if you were standing on top of it, you’d be higher than any other cliff-dweller in southern England. From up here on the hill, it looks like the ultimate finish line. 2. Thorncombe Beacon: The Dramatic Sidekick Just to the east of Golden Cap sits its slightly shorter, but equally moody sibling, Thorncombe Beacon. The Look: It’s got that classic "dinosaur spine" silhouette. It’s part of the same rollercoaster of cliffs that makes the Jurassic Coast look like it’s trying to jump into the sea. The Vibe: It feels a bit more "wild and windy." Historically, this was part of a chain of fire beacons used to warn everyone that the Spanish Armada was coming to ruin the weekend. The Perspective: From your vantage point, you can see the deep "V" of the Seatown valley tucked between the two peaks, looking like a perfect little green cradle.

From the summit of Lambert’s Castle Hill (258m), you are treated to one of the most celebrated panoramas in Dorset. Looking eastward across the sprawling Marshwood Vale, Pilsdon Pen and Lewesdon Hill stand out as the two most prominent landmarks on the horizon. The View of Pilsdon Pen Appearance: From Lambert's Castle, Pilsdon Pen (277m) is easily identified by its distinctive "flat-topped" profile. It is an Iron Age hillfort and was long thought to be the highest point in Dorset. Perspective: It sits approximately 4.7km (just under 3 miles) to the east-northeast. Because the Marshwood Vale drops away between the two hills, Pilsdon Pen appears as a massive, brooding green rampart rising sharply from the valley floor. Detail: On a clear day, you can clearly see the triple-dyked earthworks that ring its summit. The View of Lewesdon HillAppearance: Located just slightly south of Pilsdon Pen, Lewesdon Hill (279m) is the true "County Top" (the highest point in Dorset). Unlike the open, grassy summit of Pilsdon, Lewesdon is heavily wooded with ancient oak and beech trees.Perspective: From your vantage point at Lambert's Castle, Lewesdon appears as a dark, rounded, tree-covered dome. It lacks the sharp architectural lines of the hillforts but provides a lush, textured contrast to the surrounding fields.Context: Because it is so close to Pilsdon Pen (separated only by a small saddle), they are often referred to as "twin peaks" of the Marshwood Vale.

The highest point on the south coast of England. quite the lung opener and leg burner to reach. well worth it with the views though. Just be careful near the cliff edge. Constantly eroding away.

Quite the climb up, regardless of which side you choose. Experts now believe people lived on Doghouse Hill on the Golden Cap estate up to 10,000 years ago. Finds included a stone hearth, fire pit and pot shards from Bronze Age periods (2,500 to 1,000BC) and others from the Mesolithic Age (10,000 to 4,000BC) Martin Papworth, from the National Trust, said: "Although it's a stunning coastal site now, 6,000 to 8,000 years ago this area would have been over a mile inland. To find ancient pottery decorated with fingernail impressions and touch them with one's own hand, that's real contact with the past Martin Papworth, National Trust "The Mesolithic people who lived on top of Doghouse hill would have pre-dated farming, so would have been hunter-gatherers using these flints to work hides, cut meat and scrape fat from animal skins. "After millennia of erosion, it's at risk of disappearing into the sea itself."

The watering well. Man made well with rocks and piping, I imagine that this is a watering spot for the wildlife in the area. mainly deer. clear and clean water.

Thorncombe Beacon is a hill between Bridport and Charmouth in Dorset, England. It lies about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) west of Eype Mouth and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Seatown. It is in the south-west part of Symondsbury parish close to the parish of Chideock. It is 157 metres (515 ft) high, compared to 191 metres (627 ft) for Golden Cap which lies about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the west. It forms part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site and the South West Coast Path and the Monarch's Way skirt the hilltop. The hill is owned by the National Trust. Three bowl barrows to the north-east of the summit constitute a scheduled monument. In 1588, a chain of beacons was built along the south coast to warn of the approach of the Spanish Armada, which had been sighted off Plymouth, and Thorncombe Beacon was one of these.

3 little things to see on this section. A Smugglers song by Rudyard Kipling IF you wake at midnight, and hear a horse's feet, Don't go drawing back the blind, or looking in the street, Them that ask no questions isn't told a lie. Watch the wall my darling while the Gentlemen go by. Five and twenty ponies, Trotting through the dark - Brandy for the Parson, 'Baccy for the Clerk. Laces for a lady; letters for a spy, Watch the wall my darling while the Gentlemen go by! Running round the woodlump if you chance to find Little barrels, roped and tarred, all full of brandy-wine, Don't you shout to come and look, nor use 'em for your play. Put the brishwood back again - and they'll be gone next day ! If you see the stable-door setting open wide; If you see a tired horse lying down inside; If your mother mends a coat cut about and tore; If the lining's wet and warm - don't you ask no more ! If you meet King George's men, dressed in blue and red, You be careful what you say, and mindful what is said. If they call you " pretty maid," and chuck you 'neath the chin, Don't you tell where no one is, nor yet where no one's been ! Knocks and footsteps round the house - whistles after dark - You've no call for running out till the house-dogs bark. Trusty's here, and Pincher's here, and see how dumb they lie They don't fret to follow when the Gentlemen go by ! 'If You do as you've been told, 'likely there's a chance, You'll be give a dainty doll, all the way from France, With a cap of Valenciennes, and a velvet hood - A present from the Gentlemen, along 'o being good ! Five and twenty ponies, Trotting through the dark - Brandy for the Parson, 'Baccy for the Clerk. Them that asks no questions isn't told a lie - Watch the wall my darling while the Gentlemen go by !

Well worth the climb to the top