234 



remarkable ; immediately ■within the lines the highland termi- 

 nates in a rocky head some 300 or 400 feet above the river which 

 flows on either side, this point is flanked by almost precipitous 

 rocks rising from the banks of the river ; to the north of this 

 headland, at a lower level, is a second headland, bounded by a 

 wall-like escarpment of rock, beyond that is a tract partly 

 alluvial, and but little above the level of the river. The first- 

 named headland forms a splendid look-out over a grand expanse 

 of country ; the lower headland, with its nearly level surface, 

 might form a fine camping ground, and the low-lying lands 

 beyond, encircled by the river, may have served as a secure place 

 for herds of cattle. On the hill Great Doward, a mile to the 

 west of Symonds Yat, and on Penyard, four miles to the north- 

 east, are ancient Camps, but both lie beyond the limits of our 

 county. 



No. 67. — On the crest of the hill which rises to the east of 

 Littledean is a circular Camp, remarkable for its small size and 

 singular construction. On approaching it, it looks not unlike a 

 large circular tumulus ; a ditch six feet deep surrounds a mound 

 12 feet high, and the area enclosed has a diameter of only 17 

 yards in one direction and of 22 yards in another. There, is an 

 entrance from the south-east. So small a space could have 

 afforded shelter to only a small number of combatants, but the 

 mounds must have been very difficult of assault, the outer sides 

 being very steep, and some 18 or 20 feet high above the ditch. 

 A section of this Camp is given on Plate III, fig. 41. 



No. 68. — At Sowdley Green there is a fortified position with 

 an enclosed area not much larger than that of the Littledean 

 Camp, but of a different construction. This Camp at Sowdley 

 is not very well known, it can be reached by walking for two 

 miles directly south along the ridge on which Littledean Camp 

 is placed, and then turning down to Sowdley by a narrow, 

 winding, water-worn way, called " Stoney Ditch." The walk 

 along the ridge is a very fine one commanding views over the 

 Severn and the vale of Berkeley to the distant Cotteswold Hills ; 

 the path leads through brakes and glades, and passes beneath 

 some magnificent beech trees, left to tell of the grandeur of the 



