Ridgeway Hill Viking burial pit

Fifty-one headless skeletons tell a brutal tale on this windswept hilltop near Weymouth. The Ridgeway Hill Viking burial pit marks the spot where Anglo-Saxon executioners dealt swift justice to a raiding party around 1000 AD - one of the largest mass graves of its kind ever found in Britain.

What you'll find today is rather less dramatic than the archaeological discovery suggests. A small information board marks the site, with the actual burial pit long since excavated and the remains removed to museums. The hilltop itself offers decent views across Dorset's countryside, but you're essentially looking at a field with historical significance rather than anything visually striking.

History enthusiasts will appreciate the grim story - these Vikings likely met their end after a raid gone wrong, their heads tossed into a separate pit as a warning to others. Families with older children who've studied the Vikings might find it worth a quick stop, though younger ones will wonder what the fuss is about.

It's a five-minute detour if you're staying at Haven Weymouth Bay Holiday Park or the other sites around Weymouth. Combine it with a walk along the nearby South West Coast Path for a proper outing, but don't expect to linger long at the burial site itself. Free to visit, assuming you can find parking on the narrow lane.