Cleeve Toot Camp

Cleeve Toot is an Iron Age hillfort above Goblin Combe in Somerset. It sits on a hilltop with views over the surrounding countryside. The fort is roughly oval, about 125 metres long and 90 metres wide. Nearby, about 150 metres north, lies a smaller settlement thought to have been a satellite community of Cadbury Hill. Excavations have revealed pits where round houses once stood, and a single stone rampart with a shallow outer ditch surrounds the site. Traces of a prehistoric or Roman field system can also be found in the area. Historians debate why hill forts like Cleeve Toot were built. Some suggest they served as military sites responding to invasions or social tensions from a growing population. Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe argues that changes in trade and the rise of iron use shifted power to new groups. He believes the forts acted as defensive strongholds during times of tension rather than constant warfare. Many were attacked and destroyed, but defence was not the only reason for their construction. Visitors to Cleeve Toot walk along grassy paths that follow the old ramparts. The site offers wide views across the Somerset landscape. The remains of round houses and the field system can still be seen. The smaller settlement to the north adds to the sense of a once-living community. The site is recognised as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, protected for its historical importance.