Climbing the hill, you emerge from the woodland to a broad expanse of bracken covered moor. A large dip to the end left of the track leads to the entrance to Rod's Pot. This is one of a whole series of caves with which the Mendip Hills, a popular area for potholders, are riddled. This is an area of rough moorland, liberally sprinkled with hawthorn.
At the crown of the hill, the bracken gives way to the grassland of Dolebury Warren, an area now in the care of the National Trust. Rabbit warrens were once an important part of the rural economy. They were, however, generally the preserves of the lord of the manor and the rabbits were valued both for their pelts and for their meat.
As you walk the close cropped grassland, there are magnificent views out over the Mendip Hills and the surrounding countryside. On the horizon, the most obvious features are the high banks that mark the presence of Dolebury Hill Fort. This hill fort was constructed in the Iron Age, a period which lasted from around 500 BC until the time of the Roman occupation.
The Celtic tribes of Britain used such hilltop sites for defensive purposes, supplementing the natural advantages of steep slopes by enclosing the settlement with massive ramparts and deep ditches. Not all the bumps and hollows that can be seen on this site are the marks left by these Iron Age settlers, however; in later years there was a good deal of lead mining in the hills.
The gap at the far end of the ramparts marks the original west gate, which, because the approach is so steep, has less elaborate defences than that at the east. On the northern side of the hill, the open moorland gives way to often dense woodland, a mixture of broadleaf trees and conifers where wood pigeon, pheasant and squirrels can frequently be seen.
From Dolebury Warren, after dropping down from the hill, the path rises and falls following a switchback course along the north side of the hill before coming out on the path back to Burrington Combe.
