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This morning I set off bright and early to meet up with a small group of Ramblers – I haven’t been out with them for a while but today’s walk was up around Uffington White Horse (one of my very favourite places). The whole hill was covered in frost as we up walked towards it from the car park, everything shimmered in the winter sunlight.

We crossed the Ridgeway heading apparently for the Lambourne Gallops. Mist covered downland lay to our right and although I had my camera with me I made no attempt to use it. A curlew called and then skylarks ... there was nowhere I would rather have been.

Then came the surprise – as we came up towards the Gallops our walk leader mentioned Idlebush Barrow – I saw two barrows, the first being what looked like the remains of a long barrow. Then a well preserved disc/saucer barrow came into view. Again I made no attempt to photograph it as these sort of barrows only seem to show up well in aerial shots.

I recommend seeing this barrow because of its proximity to Uffington and the brilliant views of the downs on the walk over to it.

I had never actually been up to Old Sarum before, though have passed it many times. Today to celebrate the new year I travelled down to Salisbury with a friend intending to walk up to Old Sarum along the River Avon and through water meadows. The weather forecast was for the rain to hold off until late afternoon, this proved incorrect as we just made it to the village of Stratford Sub Castle when heavy rain set in. Not wearing a waterproof jacket today so just at the foot of Old Sarum we decided to turn back, although we still got a soaking. No matter, as we started our return walk a lone swan circled us in flight, always a rare and wonderful sight.

We decided to drive up to Old Sarum on the way back; as reported in the News Section about winter closures there were indeed closed signs. The hillfort is open to walkers, however, as I spotted a stoical runner go through the gate. My friend parked the car for a few moments by the entrances to the hillfort where we stood in the rain looking towards Salisbury Cathedral – just visible through the rain. We also had a very good view of the deep ramparts of the hillfort.

Travelled back via Stonehenge which looked majestic and beautiful in the rain – the umbrellas of the visitors adding colour to a scene which otherwise would have been rain swept monochrome.

I’m not sure of the best place to put this item, not news as such but happened yesterday. This little known hillfort is one of north Wiltshire’s ‘hidden’ ancient places – it lies between Wootton Bassett and Swindon and has some lovely views towards the also little known village of Greenhill. I made my second visit yesterday from a completely different direction to the first time I visited. This time walking from Greenhill, it was uphill across farmland which gave the place much more a sense of being a defensive site. The first time I visited was from Purton where the approach seems generally flat.

It is obviously a favourite place for dog walkers which not many people have a problem with. Yesterday, however, we were approached by a farmer who told us someone had been letting their dog worry the sheep (in the adjacent field). I never fully understood what the term sheep worrying meant – its not pleasant. The dogs when they do it bite the hind quarters of the sheep injuring them badly. This particular farmer had removed the two injured sheep back to a barn for treatment. Its sometimes helpful to hear the farmer’s story and the reasons why they are often reluctant to give people (and their dogs) free access.

Did a linear walk the other day which gave a different perspective to approaching Avebury as went via Windmill Hill. Travelled by 49 bus to Berwick Bassett then followed one of the North Wessex Downs AONB superb bus walks. The walk (see link below) suggests a small detour to see St Nicholas Church in Berwick Bassett – this is worth the effort however ambivalent you may feel towards churches as it is built from sarsen stone, the first church I’ve ever seen built completely with sarsen. Three of the gravestones are sarsen standing stones though all erected relatively recently.

The approach to Windmill Hill is along a right of way which takes you across two fields so it is visible for some time before you reach it. Interesting when you remember that Windmill Hill was a causewayed enclosure and a site of Neolithic gatherings long before Avebury was built – I could well have been walking an ancient route. Once on Windmill Hill it seems compulsory to sit on the main round barrow for a bit and contemplate the amazing landscape that stretches out all around you. The day I visited it was misty (though lifting) giving the view towards Avebury the mysterious appearance I love so much. Silbury only just discernible through the mist along with Cherhill Down on the right.

The walk down to Avebury from Windmill Hill was just so peaceful; the mist was lifting fast to reveal a perfect still November day. Hardly anyone at Avebury and on this occasion I went into the Alexander Keiller Museum which is a must for anyone visiting Windmill Hill for the first time.

Its strange that you when become too familiar with a place like Avebury, all it takes is approaching it from a different direction to bring it back into sharp focus again (even in mist). If you are able, I recommend this walk and I understand the 49 bus now runs hourly on a Sunday – use it or lose it.

northwessexdowns.org.uk/wba/nwd-aonb/NWDWebsiteV2.nsf/$LUcontent/8.1/$FILE/Walk%203%20EXP.pdf?OpenElement

Visited 27/10/2011:
To be completely honest, I first read about this stone on the Megalithic Portal website about two weeks ago. It fired up my imagination as I had been on Minchinhampton Common very recently. Minchinhampton Common and Rodborough Common meet at around the point where this stone is located. Having said that, however, it is one of the most obscure stones I’ve ever managed to locate.
I could not have found it without the assistance of my good friend M who provided the transport, OS map and large brolly – as it was persistently raining.

We left my friend’s car by the Bear Inn which is just where the road crosses from Minchinhampton Common into Rodborough Common – free range cattle wandering across the roads.

Bownham Park residential estate in just across the road from the Bear Inn walking slightly uphill. There are two entrances into the estate both say ‘private road’. If you enter (you can drive in) by the main entrance (look for ornamental white chains and posts) straight ahead about 50 metres in you will see the wrought iron gates of Bownham House – turn left here and follow the road downhill for about 150 metres. Look for a turning on your right near to the bottom of the hill which has a sign saying “Nos 18, 20, 22 only”. Go to the top of this short uphill road and you will find the stone in the shrubbery under a large tree near the entrance of the very last house.

I would like to say it is in character with the holey oolite stone at Minchinhampton but I’m afraid it is not really, no similar evidence of erosion. I’m not sure what type of stone it is – probably limestone.

It has been set in concrete with a strange step holding it all in place and imagine it stood on this spot long before the modern houses were built, though it is possible that it was moved during the building of the houses – hence the concrete setting.

It would be interesting to here the views of other TMA-ers.

Previous postings on the site by some eminent contributors to TMA, including the late Wysefool, contain lots of information to supplement this brief field note. Seen today by pure chance while walking back to Upper Upham, they suddenly appeared in the landscape – four round barrows with a bowl or disc barrow in the foreground. (One of my walking companions said the foreground barrow was a saucer barrow which had been ploughed out, the landowner who was later required to ‘reinstate’ it). If anyone knows more about the detail and accuracy of this, I’d love to hear it.

From the by-way leading back up to Upper Upham the view of the barrows against the Wiltshire land-sky-scape is rather wonderful. Unsung I’d say.

Out walking this morning around the Upper Upham area of Wiltshire – a part of Wiltshire I never walked around before. Apart from encountering a ‘shooting party’ who tried to convince us we were not on a right of way, it was a lovely downland walk with the usual invigorating breeze and cloud driven sky. Walking back up a track to Upper Upham near the end of the walk, Giants Grave long barrow appeared on the right of the path. At first I thought it was a round barrow as marked on OS map as tumulus – it looks too long to be a round barrow though.

Just past this point there appeared a stunning view of the four Albourne barrows on Sugar Hill with a distinct bowl or disc barrow in the foreground.

Not much I can add to Chance’s excellent fieldnote on this obscure but large hillfort. Visited it today as part of a six mile walk from hamlet of Wittonditch.

The countryside leading up to Membury is very clearly private farmland though there is a Right of Way through it. We walked through some woodland where some forestry work had been taking place and came out into a field containing a small herd of deer, two of which were white – quite rare I believe.

We followed a quiet lane to Membury Farm which, with its gate lodge and rather impressive wrought iron gates, was a bit daunting – glad I wasn’t walking alone. However, the Right of Way was clearly marked with signs saying ‘stay on the footpath’ so we kept going up to the hill fort. The ramparts of the hillfort are completely covered with mature trees (a lot of oaks) on all sides. The middle of the hill fort was a ploughed field with a broad path going through its centre. One of the things I love about walking to hillforts is the views of the surrounding landscape – no views to be had from this hillfort because of the dense trees on the ramparts. The wind did pick up briskly while we stopped for a bit so from the elemental viewpoint it did feel like a hillfort.

The pond, encircled by oaks, mentioned by Chance on the north side of the enclosure seemed completely dried out.

This hill fort has been on my list to visit for some time. Today I received the opportunity via a friend who wanted to make an autumnal visit to the New Forest – Danebury was on the way.

Surprisingly easy to find as well sign-posted from Andover – we left the car in the first parking area at the bottom of the hill, although there was another one further up the hill next to a small discreet roundhouse-style toilet building (with information boards).

Its a relatively gentle walk up to the hill fort where there is yet another information board explaining that the eastern entrance once had a timber gate which had been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Originally the fort had two entrances but the west gate was filled in and only the east gate used.

It appears to be a trivallate fort, at least in parts; 2500 years old and occupied for 500 years until the Romans arrived. Excavations by Professor Barry Cunliffe of Oxford between 1969-1988 found evidence of 73 roundhouses and 500 rectangular buildings – roundhouses for the people and the rectangular store houses and pits probably for grain.
180,000 pieces of pottery and 240,000 bits of animal bone and stone objects such as querns and bone implements for weaving were found. There are still dips in the ground where grain stores used to be and a high spot in the centre which is thought to have been a focal point for religious gatherings and important meetings.

Its a massive and impressive hill fort, the lower ramparts now quite densely wooded in places with beech and yew trees. The paths have had sand gravel, rather than chalk laid down, which slightly detracts from the ambience, as do the wooden steps up one of the higher ramparts. Both these measures protect the hill fort from erosion so no complaints from me.

The wild flowers which appear to grow in profusion have gone with the onset of autumn; a ‘must go back in the summer’ sort of place with panoramic views over Hampshire and towards Wiltshire.

A beautiful, warm Autumn day, my first visit to Crickley Hill Country Park. The site of the neolithic settlement, hillfort and later roundhouses is impressive.
The following information was taken from a ‘time-line’ information board:

Archaeological investigation suggest the hill was intermittently inhabited for about 4000 years between 3500BC and 500AD. The soil on the hill is shallow but has never been ploughed so many of man’s past activities are recorded in not only the bedrock but also the subsoil. Excavations over the years have produced hundreds of thousands of finds, pieces of bone, fragments of pottery, daub from the walls of buildings, metal work, glass, charcoal, and various stones, many of which are foreign to the site.

A wonderfully evocative site with the later roundhouses marked out by circular ‘post’ marks. Spectacular views towards Cheltenham and Gloucester – the Malvern Hills just visible through the afternoon haze.

The last day of September and it feels like a summer’s day. My first ever visit to Crickley Hill hillfort with its amazing views towards the towns of Gloucester and Cheltenham. A long barrow spotted on the OS map took us up into and through a beech wood on Crickley Hill. It took a while to find this barrow as it is screened from view by a line of trees. Coming upon it through the beech trees, it seemed instantly familiar and I recalled the splendid ‘long shadows’ photographs posted here on TMA by people like the Sweetcheat and Gladman.

The gate to the field with the barrow was padlocked today so we carefully climbed over a wire fence to take a closer look. A lovely barrow in profile; closer up, however, the centre of the barrow is sunken indicating that is has been excavated and the chamber stones possibly removed.

Today’s visit to this truly hidden (partial) stone circle was a complete surprise. A friend had asked me along on day trip to the Dorset coast via Corfe Castle then along to Studland for a walk to ‘Old Harry’. How could I refuse? While plotting the route to Studland my friend had noticed a stone circle marked on the OS map about 2/3 miles from Corfe Castle on the road to Studland, so we thought we’d have a go at finding it – as a bonus to all the other delights of the trip.

After initially missing the pull-in we turned round, stopping at a small parking area opposite Rempstone Hall; a gate into a wood and a bridlepath sign pointing to Nine Barrow Down is what to look out for. Going through the gate we turned right into a small wood which was a mixture of deciduous trees and plantation pines. The pine needles under our feet made our footfall silent – all rather lovely.

The stone circle was hard to find – we passed one solitary dark red sandstone before we eventually found what is really the remains of a stone circle, now just a semi-circle. Approximately eight stones plus the solitary stone as you enter the wood; the circle stones were covered in moss and being dark reddish brown in colour were well camouflaged amid the pine trees.

Later in the day, we went into the Heritage Centre in Swanage where I learnt that the Rempstone Stone Circle had been erected in the Bronze Age 4,000 years ago by the Beaker people and built with Studland sandstone.

Wild, windy weather today, the tail-end of an Atlantic hurricane. I just wanted to be somewhere high and open – so Barbury Castle it was. I’ve been here many times before but today, after an exhilerating walk into the wind along the ramparts, for the first time I headed up along the Ridgeway towards Hackpen Hill. Made it to a large clump of trees before turning back towards Barbury; seeing Barbury from the Ridgeway gave it a whole new perspective. From that view point it is clear that Barbury is a promontary hillfort as it sits on the end of a hill ridge with the land dropping gradually away towards the plain below.

The information board on the Ridgeway side of Barbury tells us that the area is rich in burial mounds, among which an ancient disc barrow is the most important. Dated 1700BC it is thought to be the burial site of an aristocratic woman.

The information board goes on to say that during the laying of a trench by Esso, the skeleton of an elderly woman dated at around 300AD was found deep in the chalk bed. Probably a member of the local Romano British community who farmed the area. (The workers who found the remains originally called them ERIC ‘Early remains in chalk’ but later changed this to Erica).