Watts Hill

Watts Hill
View across Watts Hill, close to the C12, with Whitcombe Bottom just beyond.
Highest point
Elevation	262 m (860 ft) [1]
Prominence	69 m (226 ft) [1]
Parent peak	Lewesdon Hill [1]
Coordinates	50°49′54″N2°27′53″W / 50.8317°N 2.4648°W / 50.8317; -2.4648
Geography
Location	Dorset, England
Parent range	Dorset Downs
OS grid	ST673036
Topo map(s)	OS Landranger 194 Explorer No. 117

Watts Hill is a hill in the Dorset Downs and one of the highest in the county of Dorset, England. The height of the summit is variously recorded as 261 metres ^[2] or 262 metres. ^[1]

Location

Watts Hill lies about 1½ miles north of Cerne Abbas above the village of Minterne Parva, and about 12 kilometres north of Dorchester, the county town. It is the highest point on a north-south ridge, on the southern spur of which is the Cerne Abbas Giant, an old landmark whose origin is unclear. A mile to the northwest is Dogbury Hill and, on the far side of the A352 is Telegraph Hill and High Stoy, a popular filming location. ^[2]

History

There is much evidence of prehistoric settlement in the area. Near the Giant there are the remains of an ancient settlement, a tumulus and an earthwork on the southern spur near Cerne Abbas, and similar features further north near Dogbury. ^[2]

References

1. Summit Listings by Relative Height collated by Jonathan de Ferranti. Accessed on 30 Mar 2013.
2. Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger series, No. 194