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Name:Castle Downs
Hill number:17592
Height:216m / 709ft
Parent (Ma):19290  Hensbarrow Downs
RHB Section:40: Cornwall & Devon
County/UA:Cornwall
Catchment:Minor Rivers only (South), Catchment Boundaries
Watershed:Land's End to John o' Groats, Land's End to Dover, The Lizard to Dunnet Head
Class:Tump (200-299m)
(Tu,2)
Grid ref:SW 94553 62340
Summit feature:tumulus
Drop:67m
Col:149m  SW956628  
OS map sheet(s):(1:50k) 200
(1:25k) 106
Observations:high point on inner ramparts 70m NNW at SW 94519 62397 is just lower
Survey:Abney level
GPS data:show GPS entries for this hill

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Please report via the contact page any logs you see below which describe or encourage acts of trespass.  Please quote the hill number and hill name.

Logged Descriptions  (logged by 28 users)ByDate of Ascent
Another sunny winter afternoon after supply teaching day in Newquay. A fine 3 ringed iron age hill fort - one of 1,224 in England (there's a list on wiki). No wonder as hill baggers we come across them so often. Built 8th C until the Romans. If only I had been stood here last week then as well as pondering the distant past, I could have witnessed a glimpse of the future as Cosmic Girl climbed overhead. Cosmic Girl being the adapted jumbo jet operated by Virgin that took off from nearby Spaceport Cornwall (that's what they call it!) aka Cornwall Airport, aka Newquay Airport, formerly RAF St Mawgan. Once airborne at 35,000ft it launched satellites by rocket into space, for the first time from UK soil. Unfortunately, the rocket suffered an anomaly (their words) and failed to deploy the satellites into orbit on this occasion. Cosmic Girl landed safely and is parked up awaiting another try. I guess our iron age ancestors must have had their own version of hiccups building their fort.Chris Pearson20/01/2023
From the large dirt, mapped, car park.jonglew11/07/2022
Very easy ascent from Castle-an-Dinas car park south. We were the only ones about on the hill. Good views but not much different to the nearby Belowda Beacon that we had bagged earlier that day. Afterwards we drove to Roche Rock which I would recommend if you like climbing rusty vertical ladders up a rocky outcrop with no health and safety.DanTrig22/10/2021
walk around fort, high point nears interpretation board?cjo05/04/2019
From car park. Good hill fort and ditches. Went to HP in centre of fort and came back via mound to be sure.PeterD24/04/2018
Car park to the south as top is in a quite impressive hill fort called Castle an Dinas.clivevilla12/11/2017
Parked as for Castle-an-Dinas then visited the tumulus then other top just in case with Iain Brown.Dugswell211/03/2017
From s, car park signposted from road, as Castle-an-Dinas. 2 artificial grassy mounds 70m apart, vying for top spot, each 1m higher than surrounding ground.RHW27/11/2016
Easy 200 yard stroll with my daughter from the surprisingly capacious car park to the S. High point is obviously the bump in the centre of the fort - higher than the fortifications themselves for once. 360 degree views & a topograph nearby. Lovely little hill.wheresthepath28/05/2015
Visited whilst in the area geocaching.CornishGazza13/10/2012
From car park at end of track at SW 94586 62064. Walking diary extract:- 'The car park for Castle Downs is down a rough track and round the back of a house or building of some kind. The weather was as bad as ever and I struggled with my boots in the front of the car. We set forth at last in the driving rain up a track to a kissing gate. Beyond the gate we dropped into a ditch then over a hump. These two features form the ‘ring’ of this hill fort. Walking towards the centre of the circle we came upon the obvious highest point and I took the obligatory summit photo.'David Gradwell06/04/2009
Used to love visiting as a child, this place helped launch my interest in archaeologyJamesRodliff01/06/1995
Adrian14/07/2022
malcorbett23/04/2022
Matt07/04/2022
sarahk17/10/2021
Andy West04/09/2021
jimbloomer10/12/2017
BrianMatthews30/05/2017
iaindbrown11/03/2017
mae26/12/2016
Jacqdaw02/05/2014
Hillsidenick02/05/2014
stevent080921/11/2010
Dusty25/09/2009
Edwin Gradwell06/04/2009
George Gradwell06/04/2009
IainT21/11/1998