Yeavering Bell is an imposing hill near Wooler in the Northumberland National Park, United Kingdom. The taller of its twin peaks stands at 361m above sea level.

The Yeavering Bell Hillfort Trail is an enjoyable, moderately strenuous circular walk of 5.8km, for which you should allow at least three hours.

The hill has a history of about 5,000 years of human settlement. Stone Age people aligned a sacred monument to face it for reasons that remain unknown.

Subsequent Iron Age settlers built the largest hill fort in Northumberland, with around 130 roundhouses surrounded by substantial stone ramparts.

The remnants of these ramparts, once over 3m thick, still litter the hilltop today.

Yeavering Bell is called the Hill of Goats, and is frequented by a herd of wild ungulates believed to be descended from Middle Eastern stock brought here in Neolithic times. There are also plenty of sheep.

It may have been a stark place to build a settlement, but with commanding views over the surrounding area, it would have been ideal in terms of defence.

The route is easy to follow on the way up. From the summit the path descends steeply, so you should look out for marker posts to find the correct way down.

Even on a lovely summer’s day, it gets very windy at the top of the hill. The hike would be very exposed in poor weather, so be prepared – or better yet, don’t risk it if the climate looks unpleasant!

This article first appeared on Northumberland Traveller.