| Summary: | A typical earthwork of the 'Promontory Fortress' Class A with a strong Vallum, 4.8m at highest point, with no Fosse, cuts off the head-land of Bolt Tail. Entrance in centre, inturned. The path from Hope Cove has been slightly scarped, average height 1.8m, as slight protection against sudden assault from the cove. There is a second still slighter escarpment 0.6m - 0.9m high starting from its south east corner, might be some modern or medieval shelter or protection for look-outs. As the land is untillable, the monument seems in no danger from man, but rabbits are wearing away the rampart badly. A headland jutting out on the west side of the most southern extremity of the County is fortified in two places. The first is an entrenchment 274m long across the narrowest part of the promontory. The rampart 6.10m thick at the base and in places 4.877m high is walled 1.2m in height on its outer face. It is approached from a sweeping dip in the ground, well covered by the missiles of the defenders. Entrance is formed obliquely by the incurved ends of the ramparts which widens on right hand side. An advance outwork of stone in the form of an arc is upon a mound 3.9m high and 16.15m long to the right of the entrance and commands a hollow which has the appearance of having been a sunk road to a subsidiary entrenchment on a lower level. This secondary stronghold is on a minor promontory facing Bigbury Bay and the entrance to a stream which empties itself at this point and provided fresh water to the garrison. A rampart 2.75m high commences on the low ground at the south east and continues a straight course north west where another small rampart on the edge of the cliff forms the exit which emerges on the sunk path leading to the stronger camp mentioned above. This smaller area is overlooked by the rising ground inland, but it provided a protected connection with the drinking supply and also with the boats in the bay until the defenders might possibly have to fall back on the fort above. |
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