Bury Castle
Bury Castle is an ancient earthwork fortification situated on a commanding hilltop above the village of Dulverton in Somerset, within the boundaries of Exmoor National Park. The site is a scheduled ancient monument and represents one of the finest examples of an Iron Age hillfort in the southwest of England, though its history likely extends across multiple periods of occupation and use. What makes it particularly remarkable is its dramatic position overlooking the Barle Valley, where it would have served as a centre of power and refuge for the local population during the pre-Roman period. The earthworks survive in remarkably good condition, giving visitors an immediate and visceral sense of the scale and ambition of the people who constructed them.
The origins of Bury Castle are believed to stretch back to the Iron Age, roughly between 800 BCE and the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 CE. The site consists of a series of ramparts and ditches that enclose a roughly oval interior area, typical of hillforts constructed across Britain during this period. Communities living in the region would have used it as a defensive stronghold, a place for communal gathering, and possibly a site of ritual or ceremonial significance. After the Roman conquest, the hillfort fell into disuse as a military structure, though archaeological evidence across comparable sites in Somerset suggests continued use in various forms through the Romano-British period and beyond. Local tradition and folklore have, over the centuries, attached various legends and stories to the site, as is common with such imposing ancient earthworks.
In person, Bury Castle exerts a quiet but powerful presence. The ramparts rise steeply from the surrounding terrain, and walking along the top of the earthworks provides sweeping views in every direction across the rolling moorland and wooded combes characteristic of Exmoor. The interior of the fort is today largely covered in rough grass, bracken, and scattered scrub vegetation, giving it a wild and untended character that enhances rather than diminishes its atmosphere. On windy days, which are common on this exposed ridge, the sound of the wind moving through the bracken and the distant calls of moorland birds create an evocative sense of isolation and antiquity.
The surrounding landscape is quintessentially Exmoor: deep river valleys, ancient oak woodland clinging to steep hillsides, open moorland stretching to the horizon, and the constant sound of fast-flowing water in the streams below. The River Barle runs not far away, and the picturesque market town of Dulverton lies within easy reach to the south, offering a full range of visitor amenities including tearooms, pubs, shops, and accommodation. The area is rich in other heritage sites and natural attractions, making Bury Castle a logical stop on a broader exploration of this part of the national park. Red deer, one of Exmoor's most celebrated wildlife residents, are frequently seen in the surrounding woodland and moorland, particularly at dawn and dusk.
Access to Bury Castle is on foot, and the site is reached via public footpaths through the surrounding farmland and woodland. The terrain is uneven and can be muddy in wet weather, so sturdy footwear is advisable. There is no on-site car parking, but Dulverton, which lies nearby, provides a natural starting point for walks to the hillfort. The route from Dulverton follows well-marked footpaths through attractive countryside and takes roughly an hour at a gentle pace. The site itself is open at all reasonable times without charge, as is typical for scheduled ancient monuments in England managed in conjunction with Natural England. Spring and autumn are particularly rewarding times to visit, when the vegetation is less dense and the views across the valley are at their clearest.
One of the lesser-known facts about Bury Castle is the way in which it fits into a broader network of Iron Age hillforts that dot the uplands of Somerset and Devon, each positioned to be visible from the next, suggesting a degree of coordinated territorial organisation among the communities of this region. The name "Bury" itself derives from the Old English word "burh," meaning a fortified place, indicating that the site retained its identity as a place of significance long after the Iron Age, into the Saxon period when such ancient earthworks were still recognised and named by local communities. This linguistic survival connects the modern visitor, through the unbroken thread of language, to people who themselves were looking back at a structure already ancient in their time.