The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Blakey Topping

Stone Circle

Fieldnotes

I had little idea what I was about to see. 'Blakey Topping' sounds like a cheapo, bubblegum-flavoured, powdered dessert mix and not a smooth, graceful sacred hill standing alone, like Kilimanjaro. With the icy wind cutting through my clothes as we got out of the car at the Hole of Horcum car park, and with the threat of a bit of a walk to reach it, I thought: 'this better be good, Moth.' I wasn't disappointed.

As you approach it the way we did, it doesn't play visual tricks on you like Silbury does, it's just there and absolutely compelling. It's hard to take one's eyes off it. You can feel why the ancients regarded it as sacred in some way, but I couldn't begin to describe why.

The big surprise for me was the wrecked stone circle in a field nearby. The tallest stone stands about 6 feet high. Others remain standing and some are down but still its hard to know what's been moved and what hasn't and so quite diffcult to work out how big it once might have been, or even where its centre was. It's quite a sheltered spot by the stones and completely dominated by the shape of the hill beyond.
Jane Posted by Jane
11th February 2004ce
Edited 11th February 2004ce

Comments (0)

You must be logged in to add a comment