Pilsdon Pen

Pilsdon Pen stands 277 metres above the Marshwood Vale in west Dorset, a grassy hill with wide views across the countryside. It is Dorset’s second highest point, just two metres lower than Lewesdon Hill four kilometres away. The hill is topped by an Iron Age hillfort built by the Durotriges tribe, with massive earthen ramparts still visible. Excavations in the 1960s by Peter and Margaret Gelling uncovered fourteen roundhouses and medieval rabbit breeding mounds inside the fort. The site was later surveyed by the National Trust and the University of Bournemouth, revealing over sixty roundhouses and signs of long occupation. The hillfort is a scheduled monument and was once on the Heritage at Risk Register. In 2022 it was removed from the register after restoration work by the Hillforts and Habitats Project. Nearby Racedown House was home to Dorothy and William Wordsworth in the late 18th century, and they walked the hills daily. Dorothy wrote of the local hills reminding her of the Lake District fells she missed. Visitors follow a path up the gentle slope to the summit where the ramparts enclose level ground. The views stretch across Dorset and into Somerset on clear days. A stile beside the path bears a Wordsworth quotation about the hills. The surrounding landscape includes Lewesdon Hill and Blackdown Hill, both worth visiting for their own views. The hill remains a quiet place for walking and reflection.