Brent Knoll is an extraordinary hill which rises suddenly from the surrounding Somerset Levels. From behind the church in the village of Brent Knoll, a footpath leads up to the top of the Hill.

The views in all directions are truly stupendous.

At the top, ancient earthworks and ground defences are still visible in the short grass. In Roman times the Knoll was a castellarium or small fort, which lasted in a ruined form until at least the 13th Century.

The weird land formations on the summit defy easy explanation, and some have suggested that what we see now may be the original foundations and additions supplanted in later periods. The hill would have been a significant site in the days of Arthur. Brent Knoll could have been one of a larger chain of beacons, including, perhaps, South Cadbury, Glastonbury Tor and Dinas Powys in Wales.

According to William of Malmesbury's book The Antiquities of Glastonbury, he records a legend in which King Arthur sent Yber, a young knight errant, to prove himself in battle against three giants on 'the Mount of the Ranae [frogs]; now called Brentecnol.' In his quest for glory, the youthful warrior went on ahead of Arthur and his knights, and slew the giants, but was knocked unconscious in the fit of battle.

King Arthur arrived soon after the giants were vanquished, to find to his dismay that young Yber was dead. So the King, blaming himself for sending the youth to meet his end, got eighty local monks praying for the soul of the young knight. Then, as a token of his agony and repentance, Arthur gave lands to the Abbey, including the areas around Brent Knoll and Polden.

If you are driving north along the M5 from Taunton, you suddenly see Brent Knoll rise up before you in the road. It is well worth going up to the top to see the spectacular views.

The Somerset Levels or Somerset Moors is a sparsely populated wetland area of central Somerset, England, between the Quantock and Mendip hills. They consist of marine clay "levels" along the coast, and the inland (often peat based) "moors".

The area borders the Severn Estuary with its very high tidal range which used to cause marine flooding but this is now largely controlled by various sea defences. The Levels are divided into two by the Polden Hills, with the catchment areas of the River Parrett and Axe-Brue on either side. This area excludes the North Somerset Levels behind Weston-super-Mare.

The total area of the Somerset Levels amounts to approximately 160,000 acres. It broadly corresponds to the administrative district of Sedgemoor but also includes the south east of Mendip district. Approximately 70% of the area is grassland and 30% is arable.

Discussions are taking place concerning the possibility of obtaining World Heritage Site status for the Somerset Levels and Moors as a "cultural landscape". It has been suggested that if this bid were successful, it could improve flood control, but only if wetland fens were created again.

The area continued to be used in the Bronze Age, with the population supporting themselves largely by hunting and fishing in the surrounding marsh, living on artificial islands connected by wooden causeways on wooden piles. There have been many finds of metalwork during peat cutting, which may have been devotional offerings. In the Iron Age the first permanent settlement of the higher ground occurred. A saltmaking industry was set up near Highbridge.

In the Roman period the extraction of sea salt continued and a string of settlements was set up along the Polden Hills. Some possible settlement sites are also known in the Draycott and Cheddar Moors and around Highbridge. The discovery at Shapwick of 9,238 silver denarii (the second largest hoard ever found from the Roman Empire) may have been linked to this industry, or to the associated local minting and counterfeiting operation.

A number of Saxon charters document the incorporation of areas of moor in estates, suggested that the area continued to be exploited. Several towns, villages and hillforts were also built on the natural "islands" of slightly raised land, including Brent Knoll, Glastonbury, and the low range of the Polden Hills. It is easy to see why the area acquired a number of legends, particularly of King Arthur and his followers, who some believe based his court at the hill fort at South Cadbury.

Alfred the Great famously burnt cakes when hiding in the marshes of Athelney, after the Danish invasion in 875. After the battle of Edington the Danish king was christened at Aller and a peace treaty signed at Wedmore.