Liddington Castle

Crowned by an Iron Age hillfort, this chalk summit stands as a prominent landmark on the Ridgeway National Trail. The steep, grassy ramparts offer a quiet vantage point above the village of Badbury, overlooking the Vale of White Horse and the distant skyline of the Cotswold hills to the north.

• •The name Liddington is thought to derive from the Old English 'Hlydan-tun', signifying a settlement by a 'loud' or 'babbling' stream, likely referring to the watercourses in the valley below.
• •This site is a strong historical candidate for the Battle of Mount Badon, where King Arthur is said to have decisively defeated the Saxons in the late 5th century.
• •Victorian nature writer Richard Jefferies considered this his favourite spot; the hill inspired much of his mystical autobiography, 'The Story of My Heart', where he describes 'the Great Earth' from this summit.
• •From the ramparts, you can clearly spot the ancient hillfort of Barbury Castle to the west and the white horse carvings of the Uffington downs further along the ridge to the east.
• •Despite its elevation and ancient heritage, the summit's proximity to the M4 motorway means the roar of the modern world is often as audible as the wind through the rampart grass.