Wind. Lots of it. The Downs in February are cold. The gliders were out in force, swooping overhead like circling hawks. The wind was biting, taking my breath away, yet standing among the barrows, all seemed quiet.
Magnificent views to the north, and to the west is a slightly higher ridge. If the landscape were unchanged, I can’t help feeling that the higher ridge would have provided a better site/sight for the barrows, being in view of Ivinghoe Beacon across the valley.
Despite the signs exhorting no damage, the barrows all look as though bikers have been using them for jumps, each barrow having a track right across its top.
Re: "I can't help feeling that the higher ridge would have provided a better site/sight for the barrows, being in view of Ivinghoe Beacon across the valley".
I discovered when looking back thru my pics from November that when viewed from near Maidenbower; the causewayed enclosure and later an iron age fort on the lower ground to the north a couple of miles away. The barrows line up exactly with the coombes (ridges) of the downs. This is totally unaparrent when up close to the barrows but was obviously the intention of the neolithic bronze age builders that they merged perfectly with the natural landscape. Again an example of them enhancing what was there before like long barrows being sited on the false crest of a hill to create the most dramatic effect when viewed from the settlements on lower ground. I've attached a pic but with out the zoom function it's hard to see it.