pure joy

Little Solsbury Hill – 23.1.2004

I like Rhiannon’s example of walking from Bath, but unfortunately my visit was a bit of an after thought and the sun was going down, so I lazily drove all the way up to the edge of the common land that surrounds the hill top!

There is room for 2 cars to park (at ST770678) at the end of the dead end lane that leads right up to the top of the hill. The hideously out of place house and virtual scrap yard at the top of the lane has ‘No Parking’ signs outside but presumably that means don’t park in front of their gate. I can’t see any reason why people couldn’t park a few metres down the hill, as I did.

Over a muddy stile and up the short slope to the top of the fabled hill. It was a misty drizzly day but the views were still spectacular. As Rhiannon says, the flat hilltops surround you and look like you could reach out and touch them; I know Lansdown and Bannerdown particularly well. I walked all the way around the triangular top, surveying the lumpy land and fortifications below, and trying to recognise all the areas and features I know from my home city. I’d love to return in the summer and be able to lay down and chill more!

Colerne Park Barrows – 23.1.2004

These aren’t quite fieldnotes because I didn’t see them! I was visiting the village I was born in (Colerne) and decided to have a quick look for the barrows, trying to remember where they were on the map (which I didn’t have with me!). I must have got so close though!!

If heading from Colerne to Ford, turn into Thickwood Lane and go through the old bit of Thickwood. You’ll come to a crossroads, go straight ahead along the narrow lane to Slaughterford. The barrows should be in the second field on your right.

I later learnt from my mother that my father had worked at Hall Farm (the farm near the crossroads) as a young man and knew the area well.

Stanton Drew – The Great Circle, North East Circle & Avenues – 30.12.2003

I finally got back to Stanton Drew ten years after my aborted first try – see notes below. Where did those ten years go?

I think the access may have already changed from Moth’s recent notes. The gate at the honesty box is a small normal gate (swing gate). But 30 metres onwards I then had to negotiate two narrow kissing gates in close proximity before I got in the field. The field was pretty lumpy and full of cow shit, but was pretty firm under foot, even in December.

The two accessible circles are amazing. This complex (adding in The Cove, the South West circle, and Hautville’s Quoit) should be mentioned in the same breath as Avebury and Stonehenge, but rarely is, probably because, 1) the two circles and their avenues weren’t open for much of the 1990’s, Hautville’s Quoit is a pitiful sight (on farm land), and the South West Circle has been on private land for as long as I can remember, 2) the lack of tea shop, guide book, huge car park, signposting, etc, and 3) the alleged initial reaction from a distance; that it’s just a lot of jumbled stones.

But Stanton Drew rocks – big time. Easy to get to (I think), easy to access now, enormous stones, amazing history. This is stunning. Everyone should visit (not all at once please! The car park probably holds about 4 cars, and the other car park at The Cove isn’t huge). The North East Circle is the greatest stone circle I’ve seen so far on my travels.

It’s a disgrace that there wasn’t more uproar when the two main circles were closed; it’s almost as though this complex doesn’t want the attention it deserves. I am so happy that we can now all go to these two circles, virtually anytime we like (well....9am to sunset the sign says, any day except Christmas Day).

Propaganda and access has stopped this becoming seen as circles / complex that are truly ‘great’. This is NOT a jumbled mess of stones. Anyone with half a brain will be able to immediately see that there is a large circle (mainly fallen), and then a smaller circle (mainly intact and with enormous stones almost on a par with Avebury). The other stones (the avenues) need a bit of thought but to suggest this is a jumble of stones is a ludicrous assault on human intelligence.

I had this amazing place to myself. No sounds at all except planes droning towards Lulsgate (Bristol Airport) and some birds. Please visit.

Stantonbury – 30.12.2003

I like Rhiannon’s example of walking from Bath to Stantonbury. In reality I visited it as an afterthought after visiting Stanton Drew.

You can park in a small layby on the west side of the hill (approx ST668639), just on the south side of the notoriously dangerous bend in the A39 between Corston and Marksbury. There doesn’t seem to be any better places to park on this side of the hill, however I think the best (and less muddy!) approach to the hill is on the North East side from approx ST679640.

From this layby you could probably nip up the edge of the field and be in the wood in a jiffy but it isn’t officially a footpath. The actual footpath is 300m around the corner of the road and is marked on the north side of the road by a small ‘footpath’ sign. Luckily there is a pavement (of various descriptions) along the road between the layby and the footpath.

The footpath goes straight across a field (very, very heavy clay mud in December!) and into the woods. The bottom of the footpath to the top then isn’t that obvious and isn’t the right-angled affair the OS map suggests – look for the uprooted tree. Then there are several ‘footpath’ signs on the way up, and Wansdyke can usually be seen on your right.

The top is relatively flat and scrubby, with abandoned farm equipment. The ramparts aren’t obvious in most places but can be seen when looking down off the hill. Bits of the west side have a steep slope; otherwise it’s relatively gentle. An entrance seems to partly survive on the north east corner. There are lots of pheasants around; the first of which I disturbed almost gave me a heart attack! Like Rhiannon, I found there wasn’t much of a view on a misty day, but on a good day I imagine the view would be stunning and I’d love to come back one day.

Lansdown Barrows – 29.12.2003

These two plain looking round barrows are Scheduled Ancient Monuments. The ‘Magic’ website just confirms that they are scheduled as ‘BA32’, and are described as “Two Round Barrows N Of Blathwayt Arms”. There’s not much to see except for two lumps in a strange scrubby triangular piece of land, that has probably only been left alone because of the existence of the barrows. The barrows are sandwiched between the road and Bath racecourse on the east and west, and a few houses and the Golf Course car park to the south and north. ‘Civilisation’ is creeping towards the barrows, with the new cottage next to the Clubhouse helping to pay for the newly tarmaced car park. The southern barrow is significantly larger than the other barrow.

Nympsfield Long Barrow – 27.12.2003

You might be shocked to here that I had a little trouble at finding this – the most easy to find place! The weather was poor and the car park part of the picnic area seems to have moved compared to the OS map I had (1:25,000 – it has the new Severn Bridge on it so can’t be that old!). This map suggests that the barrow is to the left (south) of any car park. Which, as Moth says, it isn’t. The barrow is slightly to the right of the entrance to the picnic area, and the car parking is on the left at around SO794013. Before anyone thinks I’m mad to not find this immediately I have to also point out in my defence that Colin and Janet Bord’s book ‘A Guide to Ancient Sites in Britain’ (which admittedly does date from the late 1970’s) describes the barrow as at “the southern end of the picnic area”. So I initially looked at the south end, and found some lovely views, but not the barrow.

Don’t miss the stunning views across Gloucestershire, the Severn and Wales. Just walk down to the south (i.e. to the left as you drive in) and the view is everywhere. There is a new panoramic plate on Frocester Hill (on National Trust land) just at the end of the picnic area.

Nympsfield is an interesting example of an open longbarrow and this is approx what Notgrove looked like until it was backfilled. It’s interesting that Colin and Janet Bord’s book strongly disapproved of Notgrove when it was open, but made no adverse comment on Nympsfield.

Uley Long Barrow / Petty Hegler’s Tump – 27.12.2003

I decided to see if there was a pleasant walking route from Uley Bury Hill Fort to the Uley Long Barrow, via the Cotswold Way (i.e. avoiding the main road between the two). The Cotswold Way does run from Uley Bury along through Coaley Wood below Uley Long Barrow, but I couldn’t see any path up to the longbarrow (although I have to say I didn’t try very hard). Instead I scrabbled up a very, very steep (look at the contours on the map!) and slippery slope. I judged it quite well though and emerged from the woods about 100 metres from the barrow. I enjoyed it but don’t encourage anyone else to do it! Not one of my best decisions in life!

The barrow itself made up for my scrabbling. A lumpy, podgy top (not exactly looking like a long barrow), but great entrance and interior. After a quick limbo/creep under the enormous entrance stone, your eyes slowly adjust to the semi-darkness. The walling and stones inside are beautiful. A small plea – take yer feckin tealights home with you please.

If coming by car, I would hardly consider the gap in the field wall next to the tourist sign to be the greatest place to park, but I guess you could park there for a short while. You could try the entrance to the reservoir (almost opposite the tourist sign) or the entrance to the footpath into Toney Wood about 150 metres further down the road (south). You can walk along the road from Uley Bury, but it’s not the most pleasant, or safe walk.

N.B. – local references usually call it ‘Uley Tumulus’ which got me confused several times!

Uley Bury Hill Fort – 27.12.2003

There is a makeshift, muddy (unmarked) layby for about 7 cars at ST787993, towards the top of the hill that leads North West from Uley. If you park here (or walk to it from the Cotswold Way) walk past the large metal gate and the plateau of Uley Bury is about 70 metres onwards, up the muddy track. You can walk all around the top of the hill, and other paths often run down off the hill so you can explore them as well. When walking around the top it seems to be often what would have been the last line of defence, but it’s rarely much of a ditch now. Most of the defence otherwise seems to be the naturally tough escarpment of the hill. This is very steep in places, although on the north West and South sides I was surprised to see small extra ditches and ramparts visible on the hill.

The south east corner is interesting, with a clear entrance built here.

The walk around the hill is pretty pleasant (even in the biting rain!) because it has stunning views, especially to the West, across Gloucestershire and Wales. It’s like being on the top of the world.