I lived nearby in the village for three weeks in January 1993 (house and cat-sitting). Hiked up the hill to the clumps every day, and walked for miles through the woods and fields of winter barley. This is an extraordinary area! Even on damp wet days. That year January saw roses in the Abbey and forsythia in gardens; it had been a wet autumn apparently. I took a lot of photographs (35 mm) and I will try to scan them in and post them at some point...
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This is indeed a lovely spot. It was one of the stopping points on a brief tour of the area at the Ancient Sacred Landscapes Network conference in summer 2000. Nice to see that even though there were clearly solstice campers coming through the area, the Smithy site was relatively free of trash (not so Avebury or the orchards at Glastonbury, sadly...)
I hope to hike all or part ofthe Rideway track this summer when I visit, and will certainly be spending time in this location; White Horse Hill and environs is my favorite place on earth.
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this is my favorite spot in England; something about the surrounding countryside viewed from the top of White Horse Hill; the trees and meadows take on a timeless quality. Sounds silly but I feel a part of something there. Looking down towards Long Compton on a clear day...magic. I love the walk along the Ridgeway to Waylands' Smithy too.
I recently got the white horse tattooed on my back. :)
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there will be an interesting event there at summer solstice and for a few days afterwards: Terry Pratchett's Lords and Ladies will be performed in the stones. It will be nice to have a play there since last year's production of Cymbeline with Mark Rylance (ooh la la) was cancelled due to foot and mouth and other problems...
I have not been to the Rollrights (or England) since Samhain 2000 and am looking forward to coming this summer for the ASLaN conference and other events...
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I have travelled to the UK frequently and enjoy visiting sacred sites. My favorite so far is Boscawen-Un,a nd Lands End in general. I have also visited Glastonbury and the Rollrights, Avebury and northern Wales numerous times.
I'm a writer, singer, teacher and lover of nature.
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