Well, if he meant one of those on Wychbury Hill or Bredon Hill for instance, then I would report similar feelings. Not in terms of “auras” of course, they’re not my thing, and may not be his, but for my own- what I would regard as – joined up reasons. On the basis of my own reasons the fact that a place was soaked in blood, ancient or modern, would not have any relevance and only the surroundings and landscape would since that’s all I think I’m picking up. On any measure those places are pretty nice. Whether there were ancient people that thought that I can't say but think it likely and whether anyone ever held those places to be "worth defending" rather than just "good defensively" I also can't say, but think it possible. But if I'm wrong on both counts then, as I’ve said elsewhere, it’s nature and aesthetics that rings my bell and not all such places contain ancient sites (though an awful lot do).

it's true, I have been through a mental process time and again trying to explain why this place (Wychbury Hill) had such an effect on me, all the other hillforts I've been to have nothing in common with that feeling of 'otherness' I described. It's long been my belief that the hillfort in question is of far more significance, historically and for want of a better word 'sacredly' than we have archaelogical evidence for. Ritual objects where pulled out of a round hill on a SW slope in the late 19th C. The hill is called 'roundhill' which looks a lot like a burial mound, but no proof exists. I had vision in my twenties, in the form of an extremely lucid dream; the round hill was cleft open, a woman in white was lying in there, asleep. On the rise above the hill, before the current Obelisk, there was a guardian, warrior figure, male, in the ground, above his head was a white swan, not lying, but superimposed on the sky in resful profile, this mutated int a treetop, the 's' shape very distinct. The following Wednesday, walked their with Granma Morfe, who lived nearby the Hill. I located the exact viewpoint of the dream, and followed the path of the swan to the corner of the copse I saw in the dream, and hidden at the top corner, was that distinct swan's neck in the tree, just one, very distinctive, in the SAME place? I was thrilled right through, but what does it mean? Coincidence? Bonkers? When this Hill was threatened (still is) by the Western Orbital Motorway, I campaigned long and hard, knocking on all the local residents doors to gather support for blocking thedecision. I heard many anecdotes and stories of quite impassioned response-feelings about the place. Unusually high levels of stories about ghosts, feelings, 'darkness', yet most of all a magical otherness that is hard to pinpoint It's a mystery to me still, but I know for certain that it's 'more' than just a hillfort, it holds some sacred connection to the old God/esses. My mother saw Ogma there, the little language deity of celtic lore, but my dad says it was the tablets ;-) She was very young, but she swears she saw 'a little brown man'. Scott's Worcestershire, has quotes about sprites and nymphs and dryads etc, being especially prevalent in the 'dingle' area around Wychbury. I don't believe it will give up it's secrets easily, but I do know that it's more than just an old hillfort, what was done there before the Iron Age? Any clues anyone?

And get yer big gay maulers offa me aura ;-)

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