Cow Castle

Cow Castle is an Iron Age hillfort on a lonely hilltop in Exmoor National Park, 5.75 kilometres west-south-west of Exford. It sits on a small rise with one rampart and ditch, enclosing 0.9 hectares and giving wide views over the River Barle valley. The defences reach up to two metres high and the site covers 1.2 hectares. Archaeologists recognise it as a Scheduled Monument, though bracken now threatens its condition. Local legend claims fairies built the fort to hide from people on the earth below. Scholars debate why hillforts like this appeared in the first millennium BC. Some argue they were military posts against invasions from Europe, while others link their rise to changes in metalworking and trade. Iron ore deposits shifted power away from old elites, creating new leaders who needed strongholds. Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe suggests population pressure led communities to build forts for defence during times of tension. Though some forts were attacked and destroyed, warfare was not the only reason for their construction. Visitors walk the single rampart and look down into the Barle valley from the hilltop. The site remains in good condition and holds important archaeological evidence beneath the surface. A clear path leads to the summit, where the ditch and bank still stand as they did thousands of years ago. The quiet surroundings and wide views make the short climb worthwhile.