Hampton Down Stone Circle, Stone circle near Portesham, England
Hampton Down Stone Circle consists of nine sarsen stones arranged in two curved lines, forming a ring about 14 meters across. The stones stand on elevated ground near the coastline with open views around them.
The stones date to Bronze Age times, showing practices from the region between 3300 and 900 BCE. Excavations in 1965 uncovered an earlier structure with stone sockets beneath what had been a field bank.
The stones reflect Bronze Age practices and show how local communities marked their landscape with stone monuments. Walking around the site gives you a sense of ritual and gathering places from that era.
The site is walkable, but vegetation including thistles and nettles can obscure paths depending on the season. Wearing sturdy shoes and allowing time to navigate around the stones is a good idea.
The location sits at roughly 200 meters elevation and offers views toward the English coastline, making it the only extensively studied stone circle of its kind in Dorset. This combination of height and archaeological significance sets it apart.
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