Maiden Castle

The huge banks and ditches of Maiden Castle

Some people have confessed to me that, having seen so many photographs and television programmes, the Taj Mahal or the Great Pyramid are disappointing when seen in reality. I've never found it so myself, but I doubt that even the most blasé traveller could feel disappointed at sight of Maiden Castle.

Of course, it could be that Maiden Castle doesn't receive the media exposure that other more famous places do, but I have seen lots of photographs and still found myself gasping at the sheer scale of this vast hill fort. Not only does it stretch an enormous distance along the top of the hill, but the huge ditches and banks, that totally dwarf you as you climb up them and the thought of the incredible amount of labour involved in building them, is positively mind-boggling.

For me there was the added interest that this was one of the few places where a warrior killed by Roman technical superiority could be identified - and I am grateful to Dorchester museum for permission to use photographs I took of its collection.