Britain's Most Spectacular Hillfort With Ray Mears

'Britain's Most Spectacular Hillfort With Ray Mears'
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In this video Ray travels to the Malvern Hills to visit one of Britain's most spectacular hillforts - British Camp. The Iron Age hillfort was built at the peak of Herefordshire Beacon, with expansive views over the surrounding countryside. Four phases of prehistoric building have been identified at British Camp, with construction of the hillfort taking place at different points in the 1st millennium BC.
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As the Iron Age progressed through the first millennium BC, strong regional groupings emerged, reflected in styles of pottery, metal objects and settlement types. Technological innovation increased and the population of Britain grew substantially, probably exceeding one million. This population growth was partly made possible by the introduction of new crops, including improved varieties of barley and wheat, and increased farming of peas, beans, flax and other crops.
Join bushcraft and survival expert Ray Mears in the third and final episode of our Ancient Britain series, as he explores the relics of Iron Age Britain. On his journey, Ray visits the magnificent forts at Malvern Hills and a recreation of an Iron Age village at Butser Ancient Farm in Chalton.
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#HillFort #RayMears #HistoryHit

[@jinz0]

Ray Mears is a literal living legend

[@jinz0]

@@fredfreddy2338 because he is legendary and still alive

[@musheopeaus4125]

This is where my ashes are being spread. Out if all the places and things ive seen around the world . The malvern hill is the most beautiful, spiritual and homely place ive ever been , Whenever i have a problem i go up to the top of british camp with a drink and some smokes and think it through .

[@oliver5482]

Ray Mears is a national treasure

[@rockstarJDP]

So glad to see Ray is still doing his thing! Thanks for sharing 🙂

[@johnvanstone5336]

Just wonderful and with Ray Mears just great!🤘

[@andrewclayton4181]

This hill fort is only 20 miles away. Been up there a few times. It is impressive. Good parking at the bottom of the final crest, then a brisk climb up. Some of the ditches and ramparts are huge, makes you wonder how they scraped them all out. The Malvern Hills are about seven miles long and lie on the border between Hereford to the west and Worcester. It's good walking country.

[@ffrederickskitty214]

I live near British Camp. It’s a great place to go for a walk on a nice day, followed by a couple of beers and a meal in the Malvern Hills Hotel 😎

[@leonchevalier]

I'm not jealous...... 🤢

[@davidedbrooke9324]

I like the sound of that.

[@jamesperrie1393]

The Mighty Ray Mears, great to see him.

[@jamieglover4853]

Arise, Sir Raymond Mears. In all seriousness, Ray should be knighted.

[@daemonartursson7159]

Welcome Ray to the Malvern Hills. All worth a visit, not just British Camp.

[@madgebishop5409]

love Ray , nice to see him back! Hopefully in the summer he'll get out his short shorts from his bushcraft days!

[@MattJ1988]

Great video as always from history hit and I've always loved watching Ray mears! This channel needs to see more of him...he's clearly a credit to it.

[@carlwoods4564]

Ray is still my favourite Bushcrafter.

[@KernowekTim]

John Eastman once said he'd be sound being stranded on a remote island with Ray. He said he could live off him for a fortnight! Good old Lofty, a real legend 22 SAS Rtd. Lofty wrote the legendary SAS Survival Handbook. What a man of men.

[@carlwoods4564]

@@KernowekTim I know who Lofty is. Not a patch on Ray.

[@brutus4013]

We went to Maiden Castle 30 years ago .. truly awe inspiring walking on the ramparts of that massive Iron Age fortress . Loved it !

[@cs3473]

That is a spectacular view.

[@PortmanRd]

Celtic hill forts look so formidable and daunting, but to the Romans they were a walk in the park.

[@hilts6475]

Rays definitely the man!! Great video.

[@isthisdom]

Been up the Malverns a few times in my life. Unforgettable, and weirdly eerie when it's mizzling and chilly. Wonder what a Roman soldier was thinking about being at the edge of the world...

[@dhcanavan]

Very nice Hilltrek smock. A bit like my Cruachan DV that’s like a second skin to me now. They are perfect for Britain.

[@jackreacher5667]

The Great Wall of China, Hadrian's wall, Offa's Dyke, Stonehenge, The Pyramids, Any of the large South American temples and cities, and this place, and that is just the ones that quickly spring to mind, what great minds conceived and planned there construction, the Generational building and belief of the constructors, Our ancestors were pretty damn amazing.

[@devensega]

Of a Sunday me and my hungover mates would climb to British camp to chill and get over the night before. Fantastic place.

[@devensega]

@Yuck Foutube yeh it's not so bad, they don't show you in the video but there's a car park close to the top. It's a very short walk, also there's a pub and an ice cream shack by the car park too. Totally civilised.

[@dystopik32]

I remember doing some amazing treks from gullet quarry with my mates back in the late 90's tripping our balls off. Time of our lives.

[@mitra1989]

Love the Malvern Hills. Great for stargazing too.

[@KernowekTim]

Herefordshire Beacon Iron Age Complex (British Camp), is a National Treasure. As a British man of Breton, Cornish, Welsh bloodlines this place is beauty. Tread there with respect. The shades of the Dobunni are watching you.

[@daveybae46]

Love a bit of Ray Mears

[@Indigenous-English-Man]

Mam Tor in the Peak District is another fine example of a ancient hill fort with large ramparts.

[@edwhite6574]

I actually had no idea that Mam Tor was a hill fort too, thanks I'll have to take a look next time I'm up there!

[@Indigenous-English-Man]

@@edwhite6574 You can see the Rampart’s if your in edale or up on kinder scout looking over to Mam Tor. Comb Moss is also another fine example of a hill fort near Buxton. Also Fin Cop and Carl Walk in the peaks.

[@edwhite6574]

@@Indigenous-English-Man thank you! I'll certainly be exploring!!

[@Dustin_N]

I'd love to see another episode with Ray and Les Hiddins

[@noodlyappendage6729]

Les is great. I used to watch him all the time when I was in Aus

[@davewatson309]

And capped with a Normandy motte and bailey castle burnt by Owen Glyndwr! Malvern, Moel Fryn, Welsh.

[@BoWrZ]

More Ray Mears please.

[@adamtodd1329]

British Forester here with a penchant for the history behind our modern woodlands. There was actually far less wooded cover as we think of it now (high forest you can walk through), infact we're at around the highest level of forestation now in Britain since the last ice age. What's changed is the density of humans on the landscape which means oral tradition passed down that Britain was a wooded wildland. Very interesting stuff when you start looking into it!

[@stonemarten1400]

We are still very low when it comes to the European average of forest cover and I would like to see more spinneys and linked corridors of native woodland. Would help both wildlife and enhance the beauty of our landscape.

[@adamtodd1329]

@@stonemarten1400 would also allow the migration of pest species biological corridors, grey squirrels for example have relatively recently got into the Lake District and ravaged red populations through the inept operations of the woodland trust. It's very much 6 of one half a dozen of the other. Agree we're at a lower level than the rest of Europe, but we're also not part of Europe, geographically our temperate western maritime climate warmed by the gulf stream provides us a very different habitat to the plains of Europe, or the Taiga in the north of Europe. Additionally were saved from some of the worst pests. Take a look at how the black forest is no longer black because IPS typographer has killed all their Norway spruce across Germany!!

[@chickey333]

The majestic rolling hills of the ancient past are breathtaking with plenty of awe-inspiring history to tell. It makes one wonder what the future discoverers of our past will one day think of the not so majestic hills we've left behind for them. You know, all of those smelly leaking contaminating mountains of landfill waste that continue to grow and multiply by the day. I doubt breathtaking will be a term that comes to mind for them.

[@charliegreen863]

Ray mears is the 🐐!

[@vikingbushcraft1911]

The dinosaurs looked the wrong way at Ray Mears once. You know what happened to them.

[@jackcurtis5901]

I'm a simple man, I see History Hit, I see Ray Mears, I click video

[@fractalnomics]

Great stuff.

[@shantanudivecha7905]

Ray Mears > Everything on Netflix

[@rmsteutonic3686]

Wish I had the time to explore like this

[@dystopik32]

one day, hold that thought in your mind until it becomes reality

[@desmcharris]

Stunning! Thank you.

[@joshuaperry7199]

This info is great for my book. Thanks for the video guys. I just need more locations and details on other hill forts that may have been or could have been used around the wst and 2nd century.

[@rlomas3740]

There's a real beauty at Uley ,also Crickley hill&Chosen hill,all in Glos.

[@peterroberts5835]

Don't forget the nearby Brendon hill, an equally good hill fort on top of there !

[@pershorefoodbanktrusselltr3632]

Wasn’t that a Roman fort?

[@peterroberts5835]

@@pershorefoodbanktrusselltr3632 haven't a clue, still a good fort on a hill

[@tubecated_development]

@@pershorefoodbanktrusselltr3632 Bredon Hill has a lot: Ancient standing stones, also Kemerton Camp (Iron Age hillfort) , also Roman earthworks, and the earthwork remains of a medieval castle at Elmley Castle .

[@benjleath9406]

The only man capable of finding water in Africa.. absolute legend

[@jamesdecross1035]

Speke did that.

[@johnlustig4322]

I hope the ill fort gets better

[@magnushorus5670]

better than anything ever done by the "history" channel

[@edwardfletcher7790]

Well, it IS Ray Mears 😆

[@N_0968]

I should have guessed it’s only an advert. 😐

[@keithrobinson5752]

Such 'forts' are spectacular in scale, the work they required given what tools were available is amazing. However, this same scale that gives the game way, to successfully defend such a site would take significant resources in terms of manpower and their lack of access to water and limited ability to store it, which would be difficult to hold for any time. So perhaps you looking at 'grand statements ' of power rather than realistic defensible positions, you could say these are an old form of 'willy-waving ' so naming them 'forts' is rather a off the mark.

[@alanduncan9204]

Agree, the ones up here in Scotland have 3 foot high ramparts. There is no evidence of walls or drawbridges. The earliest evidence was that they had hedges around them. You can't keep sheep in or out with that height. Who in their right mind would run up such hills carrying weapons to have a scrap? As soon as they mention Druids I turn off. There is basically only conjecture about them and the dates and time lines don't match. I think they could have been ? Market places - lets meet up every X days to trade food and essentials. Life was too hard back then to constantly run around fighting. Another issue is Wolves and Bears roaming around, lots of them. Better living at the top off a hill in a nice round house, with lots of family and mates with a clear view of Grizzly charging up to eat the sheep.

[@maxkoster3836]

Nice!

[@tomsimmonds6258]

More ray plz

[@neilhughes9371]

Castlemorton '92

[@dansmith4077]

For the algorithm.

[@theofarmmanager267]

For me, this is exactly the sort of programme that ought to be on network TV; We subscribe to Sky with about 100 channels - of which 90 are not worth watching for us. We can’t afford another subscription but would love the opportunity to get Sky to delete those 90 from my viewing and just have History Hits instead.

[@93tiny08]

Nice to see celtic England for a change after the Romans bred it out. Those gold bracelets are incredible.

[@terrybenkins4380]

England did not exist then, if you call it anything at the time it was Cymru!

[@noodlyappendage6729]

Albion.

[@tomtom21194]

Ray isn't wearing his shorts :(

[@zulvalor7266]

❤

[@gren509]

Until now I thought "British Camp" was personified by Stephen Fry, now I know better !

[@reginaromsey]

Man a million years in Britain? Modern man and definitely the builders of the Malvern Hill Fort trailed in well after 30,000 years BCE. So where does the million come from?

[@bentucker2301]

This question again. Not modern humans..........

[@DavidMcFarner]

Where did the water come from in this theory of using fire to break the hard stone? Water?

[@dallassukerkin6878]

Thermal shock. Heat it up and rapidly cool it.

[@stumccabe]

This is Britain - plenty of rain to collect, so water doesn't have to be carried from the nearest river!

[@bentucker2301]

From the rain bucket

[@supersloth4635]

This is not all right? We'll get more? Please!

[@kleddit6400]

Watch this, then play Rome 2 👍😁

[@deathcabforcutie3889]

Computer games are for babies. When you grow-up you read books.

[@kleddit6400]

@@deathcabforcutie3889 lmao

[@petersmith6974]

England

[@MarkH10]

For all you reincarnates. Which were you? The General who ran the show? (as always), or the guy who had a donkey, a cart, and some barrels, and 4x a day he took water up there? How funny. I make my comment, then release the 'hold', and he introduces the local expert....who has water in his pocket. I immediately though of logistics when I saw this. Every single pound of material, equipment and food was dragged up there. Just think of the firewood to supply the daily need for cooking and warmth.

[@jbearmcdougall1646]

I think history is wrong about 'How' it was built.. and 'Tools' used to build it...

[@samholdsworth420]

Britain strong 🌈🏳️‍🌈👨‍❤️‍👨👬

[@judeirwin2222]

Hill fort. Two words, not one.

[@bentucker2301]

Wrong

[@crskrk1904]

Not limestone is granite! 😆

[@bentucker2301]

Wrong

[@petrusinvictus3603]

Not million, but c. 30 000yrs

[@cristosl]

Human feet walked on Britain a million years ago? I thought you were serious documentary makers, why?

[@cameirusisu1024]

Um, enjoy the scenery, ignore the information in this video, its wrong. From why the fort is there, to what the geology of the area is, to how long its been occupied (humans have walked for 1 million years....interesting as we are 200k years old about as a species...)

[@stumccabe]

I think he was referring to Homo Erectus, who were not Homo Sapiens (modern humans), but are still considered humans.

[@bentucker2301]

Stupid misinformation. Firstly modern human... roughly 300k other species....millions

[@rachelcarre9468]

i liked Ray Mears before he went weird and appeared on GB News. Now he seems just like another weird uncle.

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

If you see what he said in GB news he hates the tories and has a lot of sympathy for the asylum seekers crossing the channel. Half his job is TV work but yeah GB news sucks balls

[@richardturner5703]

How Tartarian is that hill Fort? Why don't those veggie lefties dig it out and let us see what's underneath?

[@willbick7889]

The Malverns are made of igneous and metamorphic rock - not limestone! And chalk is a type of limestone so I'm afraid to say Ray needs a geology lesson!

[@dzzope]

Also, "Humans have walked for a million years" erm.. no

[@edwardburroughs1489]

@@dzzope Yeah, I was thinking they must've used a time machine?!

[@dallassukerkin6878]

@@dzzope There are always new surprises in history and, of late, the surprises have been the pushing ever further back the amount of time recognisably modern Humans have been around. About the only certainty is that nothing is certain :).

[@dzzope]

​@@dallassukerkin6878 That very much depends on your definition of "man" If it's us, as in Homo Sapiens, then its less than 35k yrs, if your including Neanderthal 300k, or are you talking about hominoids in general? Then maybe a million, but they were separate species and not related to us, like comparing lemur and chimps, similar but very different species.

[@dallassukerkin6878]

@@dzzope Believe it or not, I am aware :chuckles: I was just noting that it never does to be too declarative on things that are likely to one day change in the consensus. Having said that, despite not being a biologist, I am still fairly certain that I can tell a man from a woman; so maybe even being definite about declarative statements is a risky business :D On the other hand, I am still amazed what education we can amass just by careful reading of things other than KZbin comments and treating Wikipedia with suitable caution.

[@Monaco-BuilditFixitDriveitEver]

Not that good :(

[@stevetaylor8298]

What a pity it took TWO minutes, yes 2 minutes to get to the story and I still don't know where it is, I think you said Malvern Hills. Less hype a a little more information/story/background. Damn it, now you're talking about the bloody view. And it's 'believed there was a palisade'.

[@cleverusername9369]

My heart bleeds for the noble sacrifice you've made in giving 120 seconds of your time to the introduction of a KZbin video. What a martyr.

[@nicksteele9436]

A million years? Yeah, nah. Not even in the rift valley, never mind Britain. Come on Ray.

[@seaniekay]

Believe it or not flint tools were found in sediment on the north east coast of east anglia near a village called Happisburgh they are believed to date from 840k to 950k years ago making them the oldest human artifacts found in Britain so Ray is actually quite close with his statement. In Africa i Believe its around 6 million years ago but modern humans are around 300k with almost identical to us humans around 200k ago. As for the uk i think earliest version of us is about 40k ago with Britain being continuously inhabited from about 12k years ago, im not trying to be a know it all i just find the whole thing fascinating and just wish learning about all this was more important in todays society because its truly amazing how far we have come in the last 12000 years considering before that we only advanced quite slowly technologically for hundreds of thousands years. Im not suggesting aliens by the way, apologies for the long ass message it was just your turn tonight lol.

[@wolfnipplechips]

Humans are classed as any homo. Homo Sapiens are humans, as were Homo Neanderthalensis and Homo Erectus. The latter probably being present in the UK, a millions or so years ago.

[@CinntSaile]

Astonishing that Britain - from Celtic, "Prydynn" - is so fascinated with its past, yet the British state has spent centuries destroying the very Celtic language which is the only one which can claim to be British, Cymraeg, or "Welsh". And why are English historians and archaeologists so reluctant to use the word Celtic when they use "Anglo Saxon" so liberally? These people were Celts and it sticks in the craw of many English academics to admit that the people who made Britain were a Celtic people.

[@sticklebacksummer]

Annoying when Welsh and Irish claim they are Celtic and the English are Anglo-Saxon, it was proved by genetics years ago that the English are as Celtic as both those countrys

[@CinntSaile]

@@sticklebacksummer strictly speaking, there are no "Celtic" genes. Celtic is a linguistic term. Seeing Cornish and Manx Gaelic are being revived, England may, once again, become a Celtic country.

[@JohnyG29]

@@CinntSaile Over my dead body.

[@CinntSaile]

@@fredfreddy2338 Celtic is originally a Greek term; Keltoi. African is a very poor comparison. The Continental Celts appear to have spoken a number of mutually intelligible dialects of a Common Celtic language, evident in place and personal names. Even Insular/"Q" Celtic shares many words with "P" Celtic.

[@CinntSaile]

@@fredfreddy2338 that's curious, Caesar states that, "they call themselves Celtae in their own language", so the Greek use of the word Keltoi is likely due to their contact with the Celts through trade at Massilia/Marseilles and such ports. We know they spoke an Indo European language, so if the Greeks and Romans regarded them as a distinct cultural group, and they spoke a mutually intelligible group of dialects on the Continent, identified by linguists in specific developmental phases, even the most rigorous application of one's critical faculties would find Celtic an acceptable term.

[@malcolmcanning9553]

Is this a gay channel.the his story man

[@adam.677]

How do you know its not a gigantic temple? It could have been buried just like that gobekli tepe has