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The second bright warm day of Spring, I was desperate for a sunlight-downland fix. Met a friend by the Beckhampton roundabout and started our walk from the first layby on the Calne road.
The walk up to Oldbury hillfort on a fine day is just fabulous; a pair of deer ran across a field below – the same scene held Silbury nestled at its centre. I’ve seen the old Lansdown monument many times from afar, coming upon it through one of the castle ditches gave it a very different perspective.
Cherhill long barrow sits at the highest point, now much damaged it is easy to overlook; where it is positioned is what is so impressive though – panoramic views of the Wiltshire landscape.
I agree with what others have written, it is the view towards the ancient Calstone Coombes that captures the spirit and feels almost like flying – a landscape of undulations and shadows, must be one of the best views in Wiltshire.
Lovely close up of the Cherhill White Horse too.

I have walked through the Greywethers drift many times; today I was in the unusual position of leading three ‘walking’ friends who had never seen them before up to Fyfield Down. The Polisher first; where an ominous mist descended – we were not deterred and descended diagonally across the bumpy stone-strewn downland towards the Herepath. In the distance a pair of brown deer leaped their way across our line of vision.

As we made our way across the Herepath and around the sarsen ‘greywethers’ the mist disolved and the pale January sun made an appearence again. One of my friends was plotting a route for a guided walk so following the OS map we picked up a green track along a field boundary. A word of caution – perhaps because of the recent snow there were many potentially ankle-turning deep crevices and holes in the ground so not a good place to walk alone at this time of year.

Most people who experience Fyfield Down for the first time are astonished that somewhere so wild and ancient still existed in Wiltshire. My three friends were no exception. Words used – misty and mystical.

It was great to have the opportunity to visit Nympsfield and Uley long barrows this afternoon (courtesy of a friend who was visiting family in the Stroud area).
Both barrows are closed; the Uley barrow (Hetty Peglers Tump) is by far the most impressive. My over-riding impression of both, however, was the stunning locations. Both overlooked the Severn Valley with views of the snow covered Brecon Beacons; the Nympsfield barrow has a picnic and viewing area beside it though both barrows had their views obscured by small plantations of trees which no doubt served act as windbreaks. However, it did not take much imagination to see why these sites were selected by the ‘ancients’ for burials.
The Uley site has a glider club nearby and three or four of them glided over the barrow; a pair of barrow buzzards made an appearance as well – it all added up to a sense of tranquility. I hung about on my own for a bit while my companions made their way back to the road and would love to have stayed for the sunset but was grateful all the same to go back to the warmth of my friend’s car.

It was a perfect crystal clear afternoon, too cold today (for me) to head off along the Cotswold Way but I will go back later in the year and do that section by foot.

Thanks to thesweetcheat for directions, which we proved extremely helpful.

Another Avebury first for me today; a few hours to spare this morning so headed out to the downs on the 49 bus (fantastic views of layers of mist lifting). The morning still bright when I met up with a couple of friends – we headed out to Gunsight Lane near East Kennet village. From here they led the way up field-side tracks towards East Kennet Long Barrow. Like most of the less accessible sites within the Avebury WHS it is the walk to them that makes the experience so special. Today was no exception, en route there is a very different view of West Kennet Long Barrow across the sparse fields – no road, no cars, no visitors; just a view of an ancient long barrow as it must have looked for the past few millennia.

From the direction we were walking, East Kennet Long Barrow seemed to appear suddenly – too large to photograph in its entirety, the now leafless beech trees holding it fast. Apart from some badger damage it remains intact, we all all agreed that we hoped it would remain so. Long may it keep its secrets, its atmosphere and its sense of apartness.

[Once again acknowledgements to PeteG for his expertise on the Avebury landscape and for his willingness to share it]

Devil’s Den – 2nd August 2009
I should have posted this under field notes back in August, the day after Lammas when the sun was shining. As autumn sets in with the wind and rain its good to remember that sunny Sunday and Devils’ Den.
I didn’t set out that morning to find the Devil’s Den, only to participate in a 10 mile walk ‘around Marlborough’. The person leading the walk lived in the small village of Fyfield so knew the area very well. It turned out to be the sort of day that is feels like a gift, sunny, warm with butterflies everywhere.
When the walk-leader led us into a field of wild flowers, predominately poppies (apparently the second flowering this year) there it was on the far side of the meadow. To the best of my knowledge, Wiltshire’s only dolmen, Devil’s Den. I understand the field is now under Natural England’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme so the dolmen is a lot easier to get to. I believe there was previously an issue about going onto private farmland.
I had only seen Devil’s Den once before and then only from a distance as I walked across Manton Down. It looked very beautiful in the sunshine and meadow of wildflowers in August.

Spent a day in St David’s last week and headed down the quiet lane to St Non’s well. It sits, overlooking the sea, at the bottom of a short track next to the ruins of the original chapel. The well is housed in a small stone grotto shaped structure, the inside of which had recently been whitewashed – there were flakes of whitewash floating on the water which also looked brackish, so no impulse to drink from the well occured. However, in the adjacent field the spring runs away from the well towards the sea and has a far more natural sense of the elemental.
There is another whitewashed stone grotto nearby with a religious image inside it which I admit to recoiling from ... however, the ruined chapel, a small standing stone and the splendid walk along the cliff to Porth Clais (where there are some disused lime kilns) made the visit more than worth while.

Just returned from Pembrokeshire; this was the first ancient burial site I encountered and I went back to Manorbier twice. King’s Quoit is built from red sandstone and sits in a sheltered spot just before the brow of the cliff. Directly behind it there were five or six large sandstones set into the bracken covered cliff. The other interesting thing is that apart from the path up from the beach there is a second cliff path that runs from the quoit directly to the village’s Norman Church of St James – the leaflet about the church says “The foundation date of the church is unknown. However, the oval shape of the churchyard suggests a religious site of great antiquity”.
It is not hard to imagine that in times when people believed we are spirit as well as flesh, this was a place to set the spirit free – into the wind, sky and sea.

Today I went with some friends to visit Stoney Littleton for the first time. The visit left me with a lot of mental impressions and images to digest – not ready to write about them just yet. On the way back however, the friend who was driving us suggested calling off at Lanhill Barrow, near Chippenham.
What a lovely and unexpected surprise – this long barrow is tucked away in a field quite close to a busy road. In spite of the background traffic noise it was incredibly peaceful ... hay baled up in the field, the route of a now dried up river leaving an indentation in the centre of the field. There was a stream on the far boundary of the meadow along with a small ‘water works’. The barrow is sealed but with one of its side chambers open – our guide today, the ever knowledgeable PeteG took us to the end of the barrow by two old oaks and pointed to a short stone wall which had been build with the stones from the exterior of the barrow.
Compared to Stoney Littleton, Lanhill is unspectacular in its setting but I found visiting it curiously satisfying ... very much the cherry on the cake.

On Saturday I walked up to Painswick Beacon and hillfort from the village of Painswick. I was surprised to find that much of the walk up towards the beacon is a golf course. Even more surprised when reaching the top, to find the golf course is also inside the ramparts of the hillfort.

I understand the hillfort to be a scheduled ancient monument, is a golf course on one unusual I wonder?

Terrific views, now inspired to explore some of the long barrows in Gloucestershire.

After my wonderful visit to the Orkneys last week I visited the Shetlands and Jarlshof. It is similar though much bigger than Skara Brae and visitors are able to wander around freely. Also by the sea, the neolithic bit is now thought to be 7000 years old. Our guide, who was local, produced some oyster shells which had been found in the sandbanks along the shoreline – he told us oysters are not found in those waters so must they have been brought there by the neolthic settlers; these shells had been examined by photo luminescence which dates the last time daylight fell on minerals and were found to be 7000 years old.

Jarlshof reflects a settlement dating back to the Neolithic. In the earliest part of the village a Bronze-Age smithy can be seen.

There was a large Iron-Age roundhouse in the courtyard of the broch which was built about 2000 years ago.

Other additions to the village include a wheelhouse which was occupied until the Norsemen arrived plus the remains of stone buildings right up to the 17th century with the ruins of the laird’s house.

It is a wonderful and remote place not far from the stunning Sumborgh Head where I saw puffins close up for the first time in my life.

(I did take lots of photos but had difficulty posting them, will have another try when I get time)

I visited Caithness, the Orkneys and the Shetlands last week. It was a tiring journey to the north of Scotland, made by coach over two days (a night in Stirling) but so very worth the effort. The highlight for me was without question the Ring Of Brodgar on the Orkneys; just now I did a search for it on TMA and found that other people felt the same way.

The light was the sort I have never experienced before; a crystal clear midsummer day and the whole island looked the brightest green-blue. I was out around Avebury today and struck by the fact that it has its own unique flora, wild grasses etc, today the scent of camomile was in the air. At the Ring of Brodgar it was heather – I was not prepared for the elation I experienced when walking up to the site, I did not want to leave. Sadly I had to, as was travelling with a group of people and at 11.00pm that night we boarded an overnight ferry to the Shetlands.

I am determined to go back and stay for at least a week – we also visited Scara Brae but it was the Ring of Brodgar, Stenness and Maes Howe that blew me away – astonishingly they mirror Avebury is many ways. Brodgar has the blue sea/loch; today, Avebury had a green sea of wild grasses and ripening barley/wheat fields.

I did not get to go inside Maes Howe this time as you have book in advance with Historic Scotland and they do not allow large groups in – so that will be a must when I go back (next year maybe). I noticed that buses run to these sites which is very helpful for people like myself who don’t run a car.