At the weekend SWMBO and I took at trip to Dyrham Park, a national trust property near Bristol. As it was a stunning day, we decided to also take a short walk to the nearby remains of a hill fort by Hinton village. I've been meaning to go for years, so it was nice to finally get the chance. Although not a lot remains of the fort, you really get a good impression of how hard it would be to attack it, even on a dry and sunny day. Now this is also the likely location for the Battle of Deorham, of which sod all is known other than that 3 British Kings died in the battle. Looking at the fort, I wondered whether they stormed it, whether the defenders came out and gave battle or something else entirely? Sadly I doubt we'll ever know, but seeing the site does allow me to try and have a stab at thinking about what may have happened.
When we get another good day, we plan to visit the nearby site of the Battle of Lansdown. Fortunately quite a bit is known about this battle, so it will be interesting to 'follow the action' so to speak as we walk the area.
Sounds like a fun adventure.
8)
Cheers - Phil
You really can't beat walking a battlefield to understand how the lie of the land really affects the unfolding of a battle. It also gives a greater understanding of how much dead ground there is compared to a flat wargames table.
Couldn't agree more Leman.