 Carl Wark looking south from Higger Tor. The western wall can be seen just above the path to the right. |
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The site of Carl
Wark lies just within the Yorkshire side of the border with Derbyshire
in the middle of the impressive Hathersage Moor. To the north is the
rocky outcrop of Higger Tor with its collapsing blocks of stone sliding
down the hillside, to the east is a slope down to a valley bottom and
then the edge of Burbage Rocks while to the southwest is Millstone Edge
and a natural balancing rock tor. The site of the hillfort
itself is a gritstone outcrop that runs approximately southeast-northwest,
this northwestern end forming a fairly gentle slope leading up to flattish
platform that is surrounded on the other three side by fairly steep
rock drops. The northwestern end has the remains of a drystone revetment
wall running across it that still survives over 2 metres in height on
the outer side with an earth and rubble bank piled against it on the
inner side of the fort. This wall which may date to the Iron
Age or later is around 40 metres in length and just to the south
of it a steep climb leads up to a single interned entrance that is now
in a very poor state of repair, the whole inner area of the fort covering
about 1 hectare. Much of this area is covered with large boulders and
it is hard to see why the people who went to the effort and trouble
to build walls and an entrance would leave these boulders cluttering
the living space, if indeed this site was ever inhabited. An intriguing
sight-line exists between Carl Wark and the hillfort of Mam
Tor about 10 miles to the west. Interestingly Mam Tor cannot be
seen from the south of Carl Wark until one has walked though the entrance
and up onto the banks behind the walling when it suddenly appears dark
and brooding in silhouette on the horizon.
Although this site is thought to date from the Iron Age it sits in an area rich in Bronze Age remains including cairn, ring cairn and field systems and it could well be that use of Carl Wark started even earlier during the Neolithic. |
 The western defensive wall. |
 360 Degree Panorama |
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