Segsbury Camp

Segsbury Camp, or Letcombe Castle, is a large Iron Age hillfort straddling the Ridgeway on the North Wessex Downs escarpment south of Wantage. It is quintessential open chalk-down country big rounded ramparts, huge skies, and long views north over the Vale of White Horse from around 230m. The Ridgeway National Trail runs right past, and take-off from the byway and the open access down beside the fort is realistic; the fort interior is farmland, so keep to the trail and open ground and respect any stock or crops. This is not National Trust land and there is no aerodrome zone the disused Grove airfield is inert and RAF Benson lies well to the east so airspace is clean Class G, ideal for uninterrupted flying. Conditions on the exposed scarp can be windy with useful ridge lift on a northerly, and the top is genuinely bleak and open, which is exactly what makes the flying easy. It is a quiet spot, frequented mainly by walkers, cyclists and horse riders on the Ridgeway give riders plenty of space. There is a small Ridgeway car park above Letcombe Bassett a short walk away. Skylarks nest here in spring. A peaceful, legal, wide-horizon downland flight with proper Ridgeway character.