Panorama taken from a rampart at the eastern entrance to Maiden Castle in Dorset. The picture, taken on 27 December 2009, shows the approach to the hill fort and a view over Dorchester.

Maiden Castle Eastern Entrance - Dorchester visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Maiden Castle Eastern Entrance' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Dorset.

Maiden Castle is one of the largest and most complex hill forts in Europe. It is a prominent landmark and tourist attraction just south of Dorchester in Dorset. The site has been used since Neolithic times, with the hill fort built mostly in the Iron Age. Displays about Maiden Castle and some of the Iron Age and Romans finds here can be found in Dorset County Museum in Dorchester.

This panorama shows the approach to the eastern entrance of Maiden Castle. The satellite view of the castle on the Google map shows the layout from the air. The first defences date from the early Iron Age, a simple rampart around the central fort, with two gaps at the eastern end, marked by the two paths approaching the modern gate.

The entrance was elaborated with a second bank and ditch and an inter-connecting bank during the early to middle Iron Age. This was followed by further developments around 450BC when the hill fort was enlarged from 6.4 to 19 ha (16 to 47 acres). At this time 4 ramparts were constructed around the southern edge, 3 around the northern side and the eastern gate further enhanced.

The final phase shortly after saw the construction of the easternmost bank about 80m away from the main entrance, in front of the two gates. This was faced with limestone, forming an impressive approach to the fort. These phases of development can be seen on the English Heritage site.

Over 20,000 slingstones taken from Chesil Beach near Weymouth have been found in pits around the entrance, part of the defensive weaponry on the site. Just inside the eastern entrance was a cemetery. Please see the main Maiden Castle page for further information on the history of the fort.

Car: Maiden Castle is about 2 miles south of central Dorchester. Take the B3147 south turning right where signposted onto Maiden Castle Road. There is car parking at the end, then walk to the hill fort. If coming from further afield, take the A35 or A354 to the A35 / A354 roundabout and follow signs to Maiden Castle. It is about 10 miles north of Weymouth.

Train: Dorchester South and Dorchester West stations.