Our verdict
A proper leg-stretch with a genuine sense of history underfoot — free parking, toilets and a picnic area make it an easy base, and the Ridgeway connection means you can extend the walk as far as you like. The final stretch back down is steep with a few stiles, so wear decent shoes.
An Iron Age hillfort over 2,500 years old, managed as a country park by Swindon Borough Council since 1971 and sitting right on the Ridgeway National Trail — Britain's oldest road. A three-mile walk crosses the earthworks of the fort itself and follows the old Ridgeway along the top of Smeathe's Ridge, with wide views over the Wiltshire countryside.
Country park — managed for visitors, usually with parking and trails.