Prehistoric enclosed settlement, Iron Age hillfort and medieval shielings on Humbleton Hill

Humbleton Hill rises 298 metres above the Cheviot Hills, 2.4 kilometres west of Wooler in Northumberland. The summit holds the remains of an enclosed settlement from the Neolithic or Bronze Age and a later Iron Age hillfort, both protected as a scheduled monument. A steep ravine guards the south side of the older enclosure, which measures up to 290 metres by 210 metres and is defined by a low bank of earth and stone. Large upright stones mark the original entrance on the south-west, 4 metres wide. The Iron Age enclosure inside is smaller, 110 metres square, with a stone bank about 10 metres wide forming the rampart. The Iron Age defences include a second rampart on the east side, now a loose-stone bank 9.5 metres wide, while the ravine replaces the rampart on the south. The entrance here is narrower, only 1.5 metres wide, framed by boulders. Excavations have revealed traces of twenty roundhouses inside the inner rampart, each 4 to 8 metres across, and about eight more between the ramparts. Small stone enclosures nearby are thought to be medieval shielings or livestock pens. Visitors reach the summit by a gentle climb through open moorland. The ramparts and house platforms stand clearly in the turf, showing the layout of the hillfort. The wide views stretch across the Cheviot Hills and down to Wooler. The contrast between the older enclosure and the later hillfort is visible in the different bank widths and entrance positions. The medieval shielings add another layer of history to the site.