Name:Black Down
Hill number:18019
Height:242m / 794ft
Parent (Ma):2896  Lewesdon Hill
County/UA:Dorset
Topographical area:ES05 Staple-lewesdon
SMC/RHB section:41: South Central England
Catchment:Piddle & Frome, Catchment Boundaries
Class:Tump (200-299m), Clem
(Tu,2,Cm)
Grid ref:SY611876 (est)
Drop:78m
Col:164m  SY577904  
OS map sheet(s):(1:50k) 194
(1:25k) OL15W
GPS data:show GPS entries for this hill

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N.B. Some hill summits are on private property or on land where there is no public right of way.  Permission should be sought from the landowner where access to a hill summit is through private land.
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 80 users, only the latest 50 shown - Show all)ByDate of Ascent
Walked through the woods from Smitten Corner, then ascended to Black Down and Hardy Monument.MattD9916/09/2023
Splendid viewpoint- just a drive to the car park and bag on the way to Southampton. I thought I had been here before but it didn't seem familiar. Good job Pete drove us up here.pwheeler10/06/2023
Parked at monumentsqueegs08/02/2023
Parked at the monument and walked across the road to the summit. Great views from monument.PGCE23/04/2021
Stormy sunset returning from W Dorset. Have walked up in past.davechaffey02/11/2020
With Bevsimon and co17/10/2020
The summit is in an area of bracken and heather on the N side of the road. More impressive is the view from Hardy's Monument (commemorating the Captain of HMS Victory, of 'Kiss me, Hardy', fame at Nelson's death bed after victory over the French at the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805). Free car parking through narrow gap between iron posts.Denise 20/09/2020
Very fine views from near the tower, less so from the high point tumulus on N side of road amongst mounds and hollows. Tumulus next to tower only slightly lower.RichardM20/09/2020
With Jo, along SDR from Smitten Corner on a dull, windy late afternoon.amblerbob24/09/2019
Utilising the monument ca Park we spent a fantastic 90 minutes around the top including a trip to the monument too Great views all aroundChinnockC15/09/2019
Parked at the lower car park to the west and wandered up. Saw a stag and 3 female roe deer and a fantastic sunsetekm14/09/2019
Parked at 61147 87655 and went to the monument (Notable Dewey) and the top on the other side of the road in the gorse.clivevilla26/03/2019
Confusingly the monument is to Thomas Hardy, Nelson”s Vice Admiral and not the famous author of the same name who is also big in Dorset. Vice Admiral Hardy must have been bold ( hardy!?) leading the previously untried perpendicular attack at Nelson’s command on Victory at Trafalger to cut through the French / Spanish fleet , leaving themselves vulnerable to canon fire for 40 minutes, before they could fire back. Alternative heathland scrub summit now strimmed so easy to access, just don’t fall down the fenced offf sinkhole (doline) where underground chalk has dissolved away causing capping gravels to fall in. Also had a look at the nearby Valley of Stones - billed as Britain’s finest sarsen train (line of moved rocks). I was impressed by the neat comet like shape - and could imagine the sandstone rocks (that once overlaid the chalk) rafting downslope on fluid soil as the permafrost began to melt after the ice age, but where are all the other rocks? As so often more questions...Chris Pearson10/03/2019
Visited on the Doddle West Eventfosal2921/10/2018
Tumulus near monument seems to be highest point, so didn't go across road and fight through brambles, gorse and cattle to visit possible alternative summit KeithByTheC14/09/2018
Cycled up from DorchesterSiimo28/08/2018
Accidental bag. Drove up to visit Hardy monument and realised this had to be at least P30. Visited both high points - heathery one involved negotiating a new 3 strand barbed wire fence. Point adjacent to monument higher in my view.Crib Goch06/05/2018
Park in a small layby CP shuts at 4:30 outstanding monumentTony Hartry07/09/2017
On a solo walk from the bus stop north of Long Bredy, via Kingston Russell stone circle, Grey Mare & Colts, Hampton Down stone circle, The Hellstone and then up here. Much of the route was horribly muddy, making progress much slower than it should have been. The South Dorset Ridgeway between the Hellstone and the bottom of this hill was particularly awful, deep liquid mud in places. But worth it for the nice views and plethora of prehistoric sites visited on the way. From here headed north to Winterbourne Abbas for a final stone circle and bus trip back to Dorchester.thesweetcheat16/02/2017
Visited monument which is supposedly built on the highest point. HP across road in gorse and heather.PeterD25/06/2016
From the roadside, visiting both the monument and the heathland across the roadMariana Trench30/05/2016
Short walk from Hardy Monument. HP in gorse, fern, heather, briar. Not pleasant.jonglew09/12/2015
on tandem tour to Land's EndTeasyChris28/05/2015
Fifth tump of the day on cloud and with attendant Hardy monumentvegibagger28/03/2015
Bagged with Alex and Smudge.Dugswell227/03/2015
Revisit from Dugswell's chariot.Smudge27/03/2015
Passing visit to the monument on way home from camping weekend near Weymouth.Herbert Anchovy24/08/2014
Dorchester to Abbotsbury. Tumulus over the road to NW of the monument (comemorating the kissing seafarer not the novelist) looks to be HP - a bit nettley at this time of year.Smudge05/07/2014
Large spacious hard surfaced car park servicing the monument to the Hardy of Kiss me Hardy, but barriered off as the owner, the ice cream man, was not present! Can park in a rough space on the bend in the road from where the summit is about 30 seconds away.moorsman02/07/2014
I first came here as a boy in the 70's on a family holiday - great place with amazing views - there is a charge for parking here - not sure if it's official of just some Hippies being enterprising!! - i didn't pay! - Impressive monument to Thomas Hardy - amazing views all around.griefmiester29/08/2013
During visit to Hardy Monument just across the road.citygent09/06/2013
We couldn’t park on the spacious car park built specifically for visitors to Hardy Monument as the barrier was locked. Managed to park directly below the monument on the rough roadside verge at SY 61258 87651. Highest point is tumulus 15m east of monument at SY 61319 87601.David Gradwell05/04/2012
artificial barrows by tower. nice hilly area.Adrian29/01/2012
Parked here on a circular walk along South Dorset Ridgeway to West Bexington then along coast path to Abbotsbury & back northphilhythe20/03/2011
Bagged during the excellent LDWA Chesil Challenge event. Ice cream from van in car parkHillsidenick10/05/2009
Bagged with monument when on holiday.DanTrig02/08/2006
RHW22/08/2004
A few meters higher if you climb the monument.Swindon Bagger14/06/1997
Mark Jackson11/04/2024
Andrew Pearson24/09/2023
Andy West08/05/2022
mickdavidson24/03/2022
Martin R06/09/2021
Iang29/06/2021
SteveG12/03/2020
The Maise12/03/2020
amblemark10/10/2019
GaryJones29/07/2019
Richard Gunn16/05/2018
salen07/05/2018