Live Moor Hill Fort, Knolls End, Swainby
Hill Fort (raised area on right)
Live Moor Hill Fort, Faceby, Coast to Coast
The Coast to Coast path climbs Knolls End on Round Hill, Live Moor, overlooking the village of Swainby. Live Moor is an architecturally interesting moorland as there are many ancient structures in and around it, one of which is the recently discovered hill fort, Live Moor Hill Fort. The fort is a typical iron age promontory fort, built atop Knolls End, a promontory of Live Moor.
The steep drop from Knolls End to the woodland below provides a natural defence from attack from the north and west, where the fall is steepest. Knolls End is 1 mile south east of Swainby and 3/4 mile south of Faceby and Whorl Hill. The Knoll rises from Scugdale, and faces Claiin Wood to the west.
Defensive Hill Forts provide evidence of consolidation of settlement and social organisation in the late prehistoric era, as opposed to the spread out hut circle settlements found elsewhere in the North York Moors at the same time.
Knolls End, Live Moor Hill Fort
In 1979 a promontory fort was discovered on Live Moor using air photography. It was found to be a single rampart with an external ditch that stretches across the west-facing spur of Live Moor, enclosing an area of approximately 2 acres, known as Knolls End, which is the steep side of the moor opposite to Whorl Hill. Quarrying in the area has destroyed much of the hill fort. The Fort is very close to the Coast to Coast path but is not usually noticed unless it is being looked for.
Live Moor Hill Fort
Until recently the Hill Fort had been completely overcome by vegetation, although this has now been reduced sufficiently to make out its general shape and position. The Hill fort is sub-circular in shape with a prominent rampart. The rampart is up to 9m wide and is 2.2m above the base of the ditch. The ditch is 5m wide at the top, narrowing to 0.5m at the bottom.
Whorl Hill from top of Hill Fort
Whorl Hill is in a prime location to make and receive aerial messages with the occupants of the Hill Fort. Both also look out across the vast plain of Mowbray.
Looking West across Hill Fort
The north and west sides of the Hill Fort are very steep and easy to defend. The ground below Knoll's End is also thickly wooded.
Central and Top of Hill Fort
Moving back a little from the Hill Fort is a good way to perceive its general outline, features and defensive ditches.
Coast to Coast Trail Guide
Hiking the Coast to Coast
"Hiking the Coast to Coast" is a digitally enhanced eBook available from Apple Books for all people who have either a Mac, an iPhone or an iPad, and is designed to accompany you on your walk of the Coast to Coast path. The trail guide contains Ordnance Survey maps and other advanced mapping features, step by step directions, hundreds of colour photographs, details of the route, its conditions in different weather and research snippets relating to places of interest along the way.
