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 The Yorkshire Dales 5 messages | Select a forum: |
| I recently returned from a visit to the Yorkshire Dales – my first visit to that part of the country. This was not an antiquarian journey, but a recreational one: a little rock climbing, a little caving, some walking and plenty of excellent beer. And not always in that order. I was utterly inspired by the landscape, and at every turn, at each brand new glimpse of some large and craggy mountain or wide glacier cut valley, I tried to imagine how the Ancients themselves would have been inspired by these places. Most magnificent of all was emerging from Great Douk cave at two in the morning, and walking back across the hillside with the full moon shining brilliantly over Ingleborough, and making the few clouds in the sky glow ethereally. In The Modern Antiquarian, Julian Cope addresses the question of where the Ancients got their ideas for their monumental architecture. He argues that the erection of standing stones reflects, for example, natural rock pinnacles, and that hills such as Silbury are inspired by sacred natural hills. In the Yorkshire Dales, I found a landscape which is beautiful and mysterious, and which reminded me uncannily of a built, megalithic landscape. Where crisp limestone cliffs outcrop sharply from the hillside, and follow the contours of the hill in a graceful curve or semi-circle, I saw an analogue for the neat rows of ancient stone circles. Where level limestone pavements stretch into the distance, I saw a natural altar. Where deep, soundless caves twist and turn for lonely miles underground, I thought of the deep, dark silence of the long barrows. For sheer beauty, scale, majesty and power, no human creation can match the works of nature. But here in the Dales, I could certainly identify with the desire to pay tribute to the landscape. I wondered if any of you had visited this part of the country or whether you had any thoughts about this idea – which I find particularly fascinating – that ancient monuments are a response to, and inspired by the natural landscape. Have any of you felt this way about other places in the world? Also, does anyone have any recommendations for megalithic sites in the Dales which are worth a visit? I loved the place so much, that I will be back before very long. Reply | with quote |  30th August 2005ce 15:29 3 replies: Re: The Yorkshire Dales (Paulus) Re: The Yorkshire Dales (fitzcoraldo) Re: The Yorkshire Dales (Kozmik_Ken) |
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