12th December 2019
The strong winds continue to whip the crests off the breaking waves and more menacing dark clouds gather on the horizon. Clearly there is no point in waiting for a lull in the weather. It is time to put on all the waterproofs and set out to see one of my current top 10 favourite places in Cornwall – The Rumps Iron Age Promontory Fort. It is a 1½ mile walk from where I live and approaching from the east you have a spectacular view of the ramparts which were faced with stone when they were built about 300 BC. Imagining Iron Age people living here, who very likely walked the same pathway that I have just taken, provides perspective on today’s big event: The General Election. What would have the Iron Age people made of it all?
There is easy access to the Rumps Iron Age Promontory Fort, which is just under 2 miles north of Polzeath. There is a car park at the Pentireglaze Lead Mines, map ref: SX 941799, followed by a ¾ mile walk to the fort. (Pentire Farm is owned by the N.T. and is currently being renovated.) Whatever the weather, any Christmas visitors to the Rumps will not be disappointed. (Bedrock Cornwall Book VI , Prehistory and History, The Rumps Iron Age Promontory Fort, page 54.)