Black Down/Hardy’s Monument. Portesham, Dorset

Early May 2025

I headed to the Hardy Monument, in the hope of catching some great views and seeing some historic sites. From looking at the map, the surrounding area looked like it had plenty of potential hammock camping spots for my first one of the year.

I spent the afternoon wandering, and there was so much to see in the area. I visited the Hell Stone Dolmen first, then made my way up to the imposing Hardy Monument. The views from the top were excellent, especially at dawn when the sun rose behind the tower- I managed to get some great shots.

I wandered through Black Down Forest looking for a good hammock spot. There were lots of mature trees and some plantation areas too, so plenty of options. The downside is that it’s a popular area with well-maintained paths criss-crossing the forest. It’s accessible from several car parks and easy to reach, making it not as secluded as I first thought.

I visited on a Friday afternoon and it was fairly quiet – with just a few cars in the car parks and a handful of people walking around. I eventually found a spot on the edge of the forest with a view out across a farmer’s field. Deer were active (and very noisy) during the night. In the morning, I was treated to a beautiful red dawn sky from my hammock.

The forest itself isn’t huge and is bordered by roads on a few sides. The area offers a mix of heathland and woodland. The car park by the monument was almost empty when I left in the early evening, and when I returned in the morning, there were just a couple of vans, which I presume spent the night there.

Apart from the deer, I had a pretty peaceful and comfortable night. Good phone and internet signal in the area, which is a bonus.

Coordinates:

GPS:SY 61269 88379

Google Maps:50°41’38.1″N 2°32’59.0″W

What3words: Il|firepower.initiates.nuance

I played it safe again and parked in the village of Portesham, where there’s plenty of free on-street parking. Portesham offers easy access to the Hardy Monument and other nearby sites. On the way to the Hardy Monument, I was able to stop off at the Hell Stone Dolmen.

I parked on New Street, just off Front Street, near the village green. There’s plenty of on-street parking spaces in the area. Unfortunately, I do not know how much busier to gets during the warmer summer months.

From the village, it was only about a 15-minute walk up Portesham Hill to the turn-off for the Hardy Monument. It was around 2.5 miles (4 km) from my camp back to the car.

There are three car parks near the Hardy Monument. The largest is the official Hardy Monument car park, which also offers great views. I saw a couple of vans parked there in the morning, so it seems like there are either no overnight restrictions – or if there are, they’re not enforced. The vans staying overnight may hint that it is a quiet spot in the evenings and night time.

There are also two smaller car parks along the road that cuts through the area. They offer plenty of space too, but I’m not sure about restrictions or overnight security at those.

Heads up:

Nothing really to report. I wasn’t disturbed and only saw a few people in the forest during the evenin, as I was wandering around and looking for a spot for the night.

#wildcamping #hammockcamp #hardymonument #dorset #ourscapes #escapesinthelandscapes

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