Slatepits Copse Long Barrow Long Barrow View all content for Slatepits Copse Long Barrow

I liked this hugely. The sense of time here is something else. Although it the barrow itself is very ruinous, the fact that there were some stones left made me very happy. What was especially impressive was its location deep in the heart of what's left of the vast and ancient Wychwood Forest, previously a royal hunting ground of great importance. Today, there remains a flavour of what this woodland must have been like 1500 years ago, and as the delightful Jane said, it was very easy to understand how the Eastern European fairy tales came about when people lived in such environments. But as we sat next to the dilapidated barrow, listening to the blue tits and great tits calling to each other, I found myself pondering on the terrain. Had this barrow in fact been built 6,000 years ago in a treeless landscape? Apparently, there were many other barrows (or remains thereof) scattered through the forest. Was this part of NW Oxfordshire as important a place as the Avebury area? What *did* it lok like in the Bronze Age? How many barrows have we lost? Did it actually look like modern Wiltshire up here?And the peace and quiet was sublime. This is a very special place. *Please* ask for permission should you wish to visit. It would be wrong to spoil the trust of such a landscape - if you know what I mean.

Posted by treaclechops 31st August 2003ce

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