Ivinghoe Beacon
| Ivinghoe Beacon | |
| Buckinghamshire | |
|---|---|
 Ivinghoe Beacon, from the Ridgeway | |
| Summit: | 757 feet SP961168 51°50’31"N, -0°36’21"W |
Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill in Buckinghamshire, and a landmark in the Chiltern Hills, standing 757 feet above sea level.
The hill is close to the village of Ivinghoe, from which it takes its name, to the Ashridge Estate, and the villages of Aldbury and Little Gaddesden on the Hertfordshire border. The hill is owned and managed and owned by the National Trust.
The hill is the site of an early Iron Age hill fort which during excavations in the 1960s was identified from bronzework finds to date back to the Bronze-Iron transition period between 800-700 BC. Like many other similar hill forts in the Chilterns it is thought to have been occupied for only a short period, possibly less than one generation.
About the hill
Ivinghoe Beacon lies It is the starting point of the Icknield Way to the east, and the Ridgeway long-distance path to the west.
There are higher hills about – next door Clipper Down reaches 817, marked with a trig point, but the Beacon is the most famous hill for its prominent shape on the horizon and its standing by the meeting of ways, by road and the ancient trackways.
It has been claimed that Ivinghoe Beacon has a line of sight to Blue Bell Hill, a landmark in Kent some 61 miles away to the southeast.[1]
Ivinghoe Beacon is a popular spot for walkers, sightseers, and model aircraft enthusiasts, who use lift generated by the wind blowing up the hill – a technique known as slope soaring.
Ivinghoe Beacon's appearance of remoteness, yet relative proximity to the film studios at Elstree, meant that it was a favoured location for many dramas, especially those produced by ITC in the 1960s.
Outside links
- Ivinghoe Soaring Association - Controls model slope soaring off Ivinghoe Beacon.