Grinton ‘hillfort’
Historical Environment Record No: MYD4511
Parish: Grinton
OS Grid Reference: SE050985
Dale: Swaledale
Link to Archaeology Data Service:
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/collections/blurbs/420.cfm
Description
This probably Iron Age site is too small to be really termed a hillfort. It is better described as a defended hilltop enclosure. It sits on top of a small glacial moraine beside the River Swale and has a prominent inner bank and outer ditch enclosing a roughly rectangular area of around 150 square metres. A Royal Observer Corps post was removed from the site in the 1970s.
Source:
Fleming, Andrew (1998) Swaledale. Valley of the Wild River. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press
White, Robert (2002) The Yorkshire Dales. A Landscape Through Time. Ilkley: Great Northern Books
White, Robert (2004) ‘Introduction’ in White, R F & Wilson, P R (eds) (2004) Archaeology and Historic Landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales. Yorkshire Archaeological Society Occasional Paper No 2 pp1-14
Location
No public access. The best views are from the public footpath on the north bank of the Swale. The path starts at the north end of Grinton Bridge, signed 'footpath'. After 400 metres the site can be seen on the opposite side of the river.
Public Transport Details
Nearest town/village: Grinton. Call Traveline on 0870 608 2 608 to plan your journey. After the welcome message key in 885 for North Yorkshire information.
Accessibility
Footpath is rough and muddy in places. One stile to cross.