IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Ellesborough Road, AYLESBURY, HP17 0XH

Taken from the flanks of Beacon Hill looking over Cymbeline's Castle to Little Kimble and the countryside beyond. See shared description below:

A view ENE along a straight section of the Aylesbury Ring Long Distance Path as it runs to the north of Ellesborough church.

Looking across at the wooded and scrubby enclosure that contains Cymbeline's Castle earthworks as viewed from the Cradle Footpath that skirts Beacon Hill. To quote from the English Heritage listing http://list.historicengland.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1013941&searchtype=mapsearch "Cymbeline's Castle occupies a prominent position on the tip of a spur below Beacon Hill, on the northern edge of the Chiltern escarpment. This commanding location overlooks the villages of Ellesborough and Little Kimble and provides wide views across the Vale of Aylesbury. The main stronghold, a conical mound (or motte), measures about 42m in diameter and between 6m and 8m in height in relation to the natural slope of the spur. A level area on the summit, c.15m wide, indicates the dimensions of the timber tower which originally would have stood here, and there is a smaller semicircular annexe cut into the slope below the summit on the northern side."

Cymbeline's Mount (or Cymbeline's Castle), is a medieval motte and bailey. Shakespeare's play Cymbeline mentions this mount but Cymbeline was the British King Cunobelinus who is said to have fought the Romans here.

It is not possible to enter the area which is the site of the ancient Cymbeline's Castle, firstly there is a barbed wire fence preventing access - and even if you did manage to get past that obstacle, you would be met with impenetrable undergrowth, shrubs and trees. It's a pity that this interesting Scheduled Ancient Monument is not more accessible.

The very top of Beacon Hill has a notable dent in it - this is the remains of a Bronze Age Bowl Barrow. This photo was taken from within that depression looking westwards over Buckinghamshire to Oxfordshire beyond. Although not discernible in this photograph, Didcot Power Station could easily be made out about 40km (25 miles) away. At the foot of the image the depression that can be seen is the western edge of Image]

This is the view to Cymbeline's Castle (see below) from the top of Beacon Hill, the elevational difference between the two is about 150' (45m)

A spur of land runs westwards from Beacon Hill falling away to the south as seen in this picture. The ancient earthworks and later motte and bailey remains of Cymbeline's Castle are the wooded area at the end of the spur. See shared description below: