Not always lost - Adventures of a modern pagan

Culbone Church

2015-05-24T21:56:00.001+00:00

It's a bank holiday weekend here in the UK which means that half the country headed to the South West - me included!

With a typical bank holiday weather forecast ( ie wet) we didn't want to go too far so headed with the crowds to Porlock Weir.

After a very slow trip it was lunchtime when we finally got there so we grabbed a quick coffee and sandwich in the cafe, had a little look in the Exmoor Glass shop and came out with a skull tea light holder ( a somewhat unexpected little gem that shop!) and then took the footpath up through the woods in the direction of Culbone Church.

Uphill of course. As usual.

Still the views were worth it - the forecast rain failed to materialise and the sun filtered through the trees to give the effect in the picture. I was also pleased to note that all the effort I've put into learning our native plants is paying off and I was able to identify the vast majority of the plants in the wood.

The church can only be reached by foot from the coastal path but it is incredibly picturesque, nestling as it does in a valley.

It is dedicated to St Beuno, a Welsh Celtic saint and is said to be the smallest parish church in England. It's said to date back to Saxon times and yes there is a big yew tree in the graveyard and as expected it is also said to have pagan origins.

Nice font

Inside the church does look Saxon. It is very small and 30 people would fill it easily.

Leaving the churchyard we happened upon some more skulls - actually the seed heads of the wild snapdragon!

Leaving the church we headed up the valley in search of a neolithic stone row. It was a very pretty walk but very steep! Leading up through a farm we rescued a lamb that had managed to get itself trapped in a wire fence ( it panicked when it saw us and tried to dive through the fence, unfortunately its baby horns then acted as barbs and it was stuck) and eventually found our objective, However they were very small stones and surrounded by woodland so I'm afraid no pictures.

Sunning with the Devil

2015-05-17T20:24:00.000+00:00

Exmoor this week - it ALWAYS rains on me on Exmoor but not this time!

These are Tarr Steps. The longest clapper bridge in the UK at 180ft. Local legend has it that they were placed by the Devil so that he could sunbathe comfortably. Whatever the origins, the bridge is said to date back to 1000BCE or 1400CE depending on who you talk to. It has certainly been washed away and repaired during that time frame - the last time being in 2012

So lunch at the pub first is always a civilised way to start a walk and as this is actually quite a long drive it seemed like a good idea. The plan was to cross the bridge and walk up the River Barle onto Exmoor and tray and find the Caratacus Stone on Winsford Hill.

Being a nice sunny Saturday the bridge was popular with visitors but as is always the way, once you get a couple of hundred yards from the car park, the crowds seem to vanish and within half a mile or so we had the valley to ourselves.

Well apart from the odd pony or two of course. I think this one needs his fringe cut!

Several uphill miles later ( or at least what felt like it) we found the stone. It's had a nice little house built for it to protect what is left of the inscription from the elements.

The inscription is now very faint but it is possible to make out some of it. It reads" CARAACI NEPVS" or possible CARATACI NEPVS" which translates as "grandson or immediate descendant of Caratacus".

The stone was first mentioned in 1219 and it's little shelter added in 1906. "

The Mernaid of Zennor

2015-05-03T18:39:00.000+00:00

Zennor - famous for two things. The Tinner's Arms ( good food) and of course the legend of the Mermaid.

It's a well known story but what is a mermaid carving doing inside the church?

After a good lunch in the Tinner's we thought we'd go and find her. Fortunately the two buildings are virtually side by side so although we had to brave the rain we didn't get wet.

It's a nice old church. There's been one on the site for 1400 years but the current one is part Norman but with later additions in the 13 and 15 centuries CE. As is so frequently the case it's built on Bronze and Iron Age settlement foundations.

And here she is - the Mermaid on the side of the chair. She is easy to find being in one of the side chapels. The carving is believed to be some 600 years old so did the legend inspire the carving? Or the carving the legend? I guess we will never know.

As to what she is doing in a church - according to the notice beside the chair, she reminds us that St Senara came from across the water 1400 years ago to bring his/her message and found the church.So that is all right then! ( I'm sure the parallels with the Greek myth of Danaë and Perseus are purely coincidental...)

This has nothing to do with the mermaid but as we turned to leave, my eye was caught by the stained glass window. I've done a bit of digging around on the Internet but I have yet to discover why there is a rather cute green dragon sitting in the chalice!

Fogue

2015-04-26T20:27:00.001+00:00

It's been a weekend in the Iron Age for me - more so than usual I might say.

Firstly I got some images from a film shoot I took part in last January on Dartmoor

Fortunately you can't see my feet in this shot. It was freezing and I was switching my authentic period footwear for some thoroughly unauthentic but nice and warm modern ones at every chance I got.

Anyway I digress - it was another weekend in Cornwall but for walking not filming. Fogues are uniquely Cornish. Man-made underground "caves" used for who knows what. They are often considered to have ritual purpose and the one at the B&B we were staying in particularly so.

This is Boleigh Fogue - considered to be one of the best. As it is in the garden of a private house you need permission to access it. As guests of the B&B though we had unrestricted access to it.

At the entrance ( on the left hand side) is the only known Iron Age humanoid carving in Cornwall. It has been suggested that it is the representation of a deity. It is actually much clearer in the photograph than it is on the stone. I took several pictures of this but only two actually recorded on the card.

And the passage way. There is also a chamber off to the left which has a large stone inside. Far too big to have been squeezed in to the chamber entrance. There are no pictures of this as my attempts to photograph the chamber and its contents failed. The camera simply didn't work there at all. Make of this what you will!

So on to Bosporthennis Fogue. Now this did take some finding. The forecast was for sunshine and showers. What we actually got was Cornish fog and rain. This one is really off the beaten track but so well worth the effort.

Remains of the associated Iron Age settlement

The fogue ( beehive hut) itself. Unlike Boleigh this one was not camera shy! Although it is above ground it resembles Carn Euny so strongly in both size and orientation that it is considered a fogue. Maybe it had a earth covering at one time?

The current entrance. There is a small chamber which you can just see to the right. Sadly it was full of the usual polyester ribbon detritus so beloved of some neo-pagans. We were obviously not the only ones to have searched out this site.

Woodland Wonderland

2015-04-12T18:44:00.000+00:00

The extended Easter weekend was spent this year in South Wales ( as usual) but unusually we decided to walk UP to Castell Coch and into the woodlands above and behind it - Fforest Fawr

A familiar sight. The Red Castle itself. A Victorian 19th-century Gothic Revival folly built on a much older and originally Norman ruin.

However we bypassed the castle this time and went into the beech woods behind it. These are home to rare plants and lichens and are a SSSI.

As always seems to be the case it was a steep pull up before the path leveled out and we met a bear...

Well two bears to be exact.

These bears even had their own caves. Actually entrances to some old iron workings. These may actually look familiar as they've featured in many TV productions including Merlin, Torchwood, Sherlock and Dr Who.

They've also starred as the dragon's cave in the BBC show Voyage of the Dawn Treader thanks to the Iron Pyrites in one of the inner caverns.

Not so much further on we came across someone else hiding in the trees. Intrigued now we changed direction and followed the path past him.

I think someone dropped their watch?

That looks awfully like a cauldron - getting a bit worried now!

Is that a dragon I see? Well to be expected up in a Welsh forest I suppose. He looks asleep. Maybe we can creep past him...

And where there are dragons there is usually treasure and here was no exception! More treasure than usual I think as we passed a father laying a trail of shiny foil wrapped Easter Eggs for his children to find.

I hope they got to them first before the dragon woke up!

Brown(e)'s Folly

2015-03-15T16:21:00.001+00:00

Nasty attack of inertia this Sunday - nothing of course to do with a very late night? Well maybe

However I remembered that I've never posted these pictures taken late last year high above Bath.

We started the walk near the bottom and it as a nice climb up past caves and woodland. Remains of the quarries used to source the local Bath stone are everywhere. These are the remains of ancient woodland and home to woodpeckers - not that we saw any mind you!

It wasn't hard to spot faces in the rock. This one looks a little stern and forbidding.

The quarries were closed in the 1930s and the Avon Wildlife Trust which now runs the nature reserve has closed off the entry into the cave system which now provides a home for the Greater Horseshoe Bat which is now getting very rare. They can be seen in the summer at dusk leaving their roosts.

We resolved at the time that we should go back at an appropriate time of day - maybe now is the time to consider planning an evening picnic up there with some friends.

And the Folly itself - named after it's builder Wade Browne and built in 1848 to provide work for local agricultural workers during a period of hardship. It was later modified to be used for hunting.

Like the quarries it is blocked off so it isn't possible to go in. There is some talk about restoration but I guess there isn't the money for it. The views of Bath from the top must be spectacular.

Wayford Woods

2015-03-08T19:41:00.001+00:00

Wayford Woods has been much in the news.

Fairy Control

Another report

I'll admit I'd never heard of the place until this week but as it isn't far my curiosity was piqued so why not. We were expecting it to be busy after all the publicity and it was. Fortunately we parked elsewhere and made the woods just a small part of a much longer walk.

It wasn't what I was expecting. The woods were clearly originally a garden with lots of non native plants and specimen trees. Plenty of rhododendron and camellia, some of which was in bloom and looking very decorative even if they play no part in the native ecosystem. Nice ghost gums though. Fortunately there is no money to keep the garden maintained and the natural plant life is starting to try and make a comeback. I was interested to see that they had cut through a lot of the ivy stems. Normally this is now left as it provides an important habitat and contrary to popular belief doesn't harm a healthy tree.

An attempt has been made in one place to introduce some other plants.

Very pretty hellebore but it's a shame they've chosen some fancy double hybrid.

And so on to the famous "fairy doors". The cull has obviously started as many trees sported hinges but no doors.

This was a nice use of a tree stump.

Others I'm afraid just look like litter

This is probably not going to make me popular but the "cull" is well overdue.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus

2015-03-01T22:45:00.001+00:00

Had to be a trip to Wales now didn't it!

Having heard the wind in the night trying to strip the tiles off the roof it was rather a releif to be greeted with a bright sunny morning. The forecast wasn't great so we didn't want to go too far.

It's been a few years since I visited Blaenavon. It was once one of the most important producers of iron in the world and along with the mines a hotbed of early industrial activity - at a huge cost to the landscape. However since the ironworks closed, nature has gradually crept in and reclaimed the land, although the marks are still there to be seen.

Blaenavon is now a World Heritage Site thanks to its geological features, industrial relics and nationally important wildlife habitats. Good place for a walk then.

We parked the car by Pen-ffordd-goch pond ( Keepers Pond) which was built to provide water for Garnddyrys Forge. The forge was dismantled in the 1860s but the pond remains.

Nature has done a superb job in reclaiming the spoil tips - when I was young there was little green in places. Now the areas of spoil are only visible where the piles are too steep to be easily colonised.

Fabulous views of the Skirrid. Look at that blue sky

This is the Sugar Loaf taken from the same vantage point as the Skirrid at the same time - typical Welsh weather closing in fast!

Of course face in the other direction and it's all good. Plenty of remaining scars from the mining. I wonder what they'll make of all this in 2000 years time when the true origins are forgotten. A 20CE hill fort perhaps?

The rain was starting to hit now - with some hail and sleet mixed in so it was time to turn back and head for the car. The most direct route was across the bog and over the rocky summit. So that's where we went.

The bad weather had cut short the walk so it was a quick drive down in Blaenavon and lunch at the Red Lion.

It would have been nice to take a leisurely trip around the Iron Works after lunch but the weather was now completely foul so we saved it for next time.

Afloat on the Ganges - Varanasi

2015-02-22T20:44:00.000+00:00

On a cold damp Sunday evening in February - time to revisit the warmth of autumn in India. Well I say warmth; it was actually pretty cold on the Ganges!

Varanasi is one of the most holy cities of India. It's where the devout come to be cremated and their ashes cast into the holy river. At all times there are bodies being cremated on the pyres along the riverside. Day and Night. Those who cannot afford to be cremated ( or can't be under Hindu doctrine) are wrapped and the bodies themselves cast into the water. Yes we did see them floating past and no I did not take pictures of them.

Having arrived by overnight sleeper in Varanasi ( an experience in itself....) we spent the evening on the river to witness the regular evening worshipping rituals for the holy river.

The side of the river is covered with "ghats" which are riverside steps leading down to the river. This one belongs to the Jain temple. Jainism is an ancient religionthat teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation.

We were just waiting for it to get dark so that the ceremonies could begin.

The locals are expert at extracting the tourist $$ and everywhere these little floating candles were available to be bought. Made of dried leaves and little pats of clarified butter and decorated with dried flowers these diya were for sale in their hundreds.

We were far from the only boat on the water and the river was lit - if only for a few minutes at a time - by dozens of these little lights.

The crowds were starting to gather on the ghats for the worship of the Ganges by the holy men.

Lots of drumming and chanting and the raising and circling of lights. Whilst this was a big celebration, there were lots of smaller versions happening along the riverside, some with just one or two participants.

The worship of the river is carried out at both dawn and dusk - so we were of course up at the crack of dawn to get back on our boats....

Sudden large flocks of birds descended from apparently nowhere - it took me a moment to realise that food was being flung overboard from some boats for them. Feeding birds brings good Karma and I guess feeding birds on a holy river brings very good Karma.

It was pretty cold though - so much for India being hot. Still it was well worth it to have been able to see the sun rise over the Ganges.

Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha

2015-02-15T18:06:00.001+00:00

This was one of the real highlights of the trip for me - if not the chief one of all.

Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 BCE in the famous gardens of Lumbini. This makes it one of the holiest places of one of the world's great religions - in fact one of the four most holy places for Buddhists.

The site is still being developed but there are remains Additionally there are the excavated remains of Buddhist monasteries of the 3rd century BCE to the 5th century CE and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BCE to the 15th century CE. It has clearly been a place of pilgrimage for millennia.

And it still is . The actual birthplace has been protected within a new building and there are no concessions to the tourists. In fact we were lucky to get entry tickets. You enter the courtyard barefoot and join the queue along the raised walkway over the remains of more buildings to pay your respects at the stone which marks the place of birth. No photos are allowed inside.

There is no restriction outside though.

The setting is beautiful. The gardens are well kept and a deep stillness and peace envelopes the land despite the visitors nearly all of whom are devout Buddhists.

Maya Devi,the mother of the Buddha , was said to be spellbound to by the beauty of Lumbini and gave birth under the Sal tree. The tree is still revered today and there is a shrine with offerings tended there.

It's encircled by a ring of holy men with their alms bowls. To give to them is to invite good karma.

The sacred bathing pool known as Puskarni. It is believed that Maya Devi took a bath in this pool before the delivery.

This is an amazing place. Words just can't do it justice. Long may it remain so. Will UNESCO be able to balance the numbers of visitors which can only increase with keeping it an active place of holy pilgrimage. One can only hope so . This is a very special place indeed.

The Taj Mahal

2015-02-08T16:41:00.000+00:00

Well so much for the resolution to update more often. It's not for the want of material - more the want of time I'm afraid. This working thing really does get in the way of the important stuff. However it is necessary if I want to do the important stuff I guess...

I haven't even got around to posting any pictures from the trip to India an Nepal just before Christmas so I think a few of the Taj Mahal would be a good place to start. I've been to Southern India before but only got as far as Delhi so this was a new experience.

As seems to happen far too often we were up before the dawn. Well before the dawn. Before breakfast even....

We weren't even first in the queue.

However it was worth it as we were near enough to the front to get some pictures of the Taj Mahal just as dawn broke and before the crowds.

A little later! The sun is up, the crowds have arrived and the building has changed colour from a pale pink to a warm glow. Amazing

You are not allowed to take pictures inside the Mausoleum itself but we were able to walk around the platform and go inside.

The quality of the painted decoration is incredible

As are the views over the Ganges despite the early morning mist.

The locals weren't much disturbed by us either! It was then back to the hotel to see if any breakfast was left. A very early start but an opportunity to see an iconic building at its very best.

Worth it.

Walking with the Long Man of Wilmington

2015-01-01T19:26:00.000+00:00

It's been a while - life is getting just too busy at the moment but the wanderings are still continuing. Maybe my resolution ( if I was the type to make them) should be to blog more regularly in 2015. It's not as though I don't have enough photographs.

OK - so as we were spending New Year with some friends in Chichester it seemed a good opportunity to shoot past them and go and see the Long Man first. I find these hill figures fascinating. So little is known about them, their age is a matter of hot debate and why were they considered so important?

He's about 72 mt tall and doesn't stand out that well at the moment. It didn't help that when we arrived the winter sun was low in the sky despite it being only just after lunch. I had to wait until it dipped below the hill in order to take any distant pictures of him and the colour has suffered as a result.

To me he looks very much like he has opened a door into the hillside to pass out into this world or of course to invite us in!

He's been fenced off to stop him being walked on but the enclosure is huge and you really can't get anything like close unless you climb over the barbed wire which wouldn't be hard. Given though that you really can't see him from close up I chose to be "good".

I wanted to see the view from the top and it's a good pull up. The chalk is sculpted into some interesting features so it's an interesting climb visually when you stop to catch your breath.

He certainly has a lovely view to enjoy as he stands there on the hillside.

There are also a number of barrows around which give some credence to the neolithic theory but he could conceivably be as modern as the 17CE.

Somehow though I think he is far older

And of course the obligatory pub without which no trip is complete. The Giants Rest proudly displays a couple of certificates proclaiming it the "most druid friendly pub in Sussex". I wouldn't presume to argue ( nice food too!)

Coals to Nowhere

2014-10-05T18:41:00.001+00:00

This wasn't intended to be my subject this week but never mind. Having being struck down by the prevailing office cold this week I didn't feel up to much so it seemed a good idea to take a walk down to the Basin to collect some hawthorn berries for brandy and some rosehips for syrup.

It's been a while since I was down there. It's the site of the old Somerset Coal Canal which went out of use over 100 years ago and has since been filled in. Now it's a green corridor along the Cam. Or it was.

The Somerset Coal Canal Society have decided the time is right to reopen the canal...

I must admit I had no idea what they were doing so this was a bit of a shock. They have excavated the old dry dock - they believe it to be the biggest in England with room for 3 boats side by side and are currently busy building a replica of the bridge.

The overgrown pathway of the Limestone Link has now been replaced by what looks like the footings for a new road!

Some of the old canal way was lined with stone which is being replaced.

They haven't got to this bit yet but it shows what the landscape looked like before the diggers went in.

Any ideas what this might have been. Obviously it was uncovered in the excavating.

I am really not sure what I think about this. The canal is a part of the local history but whether it should now be re-instated I don't know. I guess it will depend on how the towpath is finished off, If they use tarmac like in Bath and Bradford on Avon it will be a real shame.

And yes I did get my rosehips and hawthorn berries. There are 3 bottles of syrup ready to put away and a kilner jar of hawthorn which I will need to remember to shake daily for the next couple of weeks.

An overactive imagination or.....

2014-09-28T19:14:00.004+00:00

have I read too many murder mystery novels?

A nice weekend away in the Cotswolds with some friends for the last few days. The weather is quite unseasonal for almost October, far warmer than August was and a heavy sleepy haze hung over the village we parked in to start the walk.

The place was chocolate box pretty. Like going back 50 or 60 years in time and also sort of "creepy". Pretty as it was I really really wouldn't want to live there.

To add to the sense of unreality the church bell was tolling to call the villagers to the church. A steady one note dirge ringing out over the deserted village...

and an unusual church it was too. 12CE and Grade 1 listed, the tower has a "saddleback" roof. Preparations were going on around it for the Harvest Festival that was to be held in the churchyard after the service.

This really is a village of 2 churches. Barely a couple of hundred yards away is a second old church. This one has been decommissioned and stands forlornly just across the river from its more popular neighbour. It's a similar age and also Grade1 listed. The story goes that the twin churches were built by a pair of sisters who had fallen out and thus built their own place or worship. The truth is more prosaic, the river divides two separate medieval manors.

I as I said, despite its prettiness I didn't want to linger there although I couldn't really say why.

Leaving the village to start our planned walk, the walls of roadside were festooned with the berries of Woody Nightshade, Bittersweet. It seemed appropriate somehow!

Moving out into the countryside the Bittersweet berries gave way to ropes of berries from Black Bryony, an equally poisonous fruit.

Miss Marple would have been quite at home here!

Dinefwr Castle

2014-09-14T19:59:00.000+00:00

I do like castles - especially Welsh ones and this was one we hadn't visited before.

Although it is under the care of Cadw, the Welsh side of of English Heritage, the adjoining house and car park belong to the National Trust so there is a £6 parking charge unless you an NT member. Annoying. You don't even get into the house for that - another charge.

Still the castle itself is free, even to non Cadw visitors. And well worth a visit too. Originally there was a construction here built by Rhodri ap Merfyn (820–878)Given the fabulous defensive position it commands I would expect the original usage to date well back.

The current remains though are 12CE and later and have been quite heavily restored which improves the "visitor experience"

As usual with a site that doesn't have a car park 10 ft from the entrance it was very quiet.

Always fun looking down the middle of towers!

and working out where the original floors would have been

The restoration allows you to go right to the top of the towers and walk around a lot of the parapet. A chance to enjoy some really spectacular views even though it was a dull grey day.

Fungus Foray 2014

2014-08-31T22:09:00.001+00:00

Although it's still only August ( well just) it really feels like autumn is here.

So a day of picking - a trip in search of blackberries, sloes and hawthorn berries along with anything else we could find.

What we found is that the fungus season has definitely started. I am hopeless at identifying them though ...

These were the first we came across. Like little prickly balls - common puffball?

Couple of these - lovely orange colour

A real fairy ring!

Not a clue!

Easier to identify where the common field mushroom but as I already had several in the fridge ( from the supermarket!) we left them growing.

In the end the trip provided us with hawthorn berries, sloes for gin, some bittersweet berries to plant in the garden, some yew berries and some wild hops and comfrey. All in all a very satisfactory walk even if not the most photogenic.

Finally this little chap - just because I like him...!!

The Virtuous Well

2014-08-17T19:48:00.002+00:00

I've been here before but no apologies for that - some places are worth a return visit - The Virtuous Well at Trellech being one of them.

It's had a bit of a tidy up since our last visit and all the detritus of spent offerings removed. We also didn't have the curious horse "helping" with the visit!

The Virtuous Well is also known as St Anne's Well ( maybe originally named for Black Annis in the pre Christian years?)

The water is said to cure eye diseases and illnesses peculiar to women.

It is also believed that the water from the well runs under the 3 Trellech standing stones and thus was part of the "druidic rites" performed there. Might be a bit of a stretch that one but who am I to argue with the Cadw information board. It is also believed (says Cadw) that fairies dance around the well at Midsummer.

Last tine the water in the well looked very unappealing; no way would I wanted to have put some in my eyes no matter how desperate I was. This time however the water was crystal clear and had clearly been used as a wishing well by someone.

Blackbury Camp

2014-08-10T18:14:00.001+00:00

I'm going back a few months here. The remains of hurricane Bertha is making herself felt, sudden downpours, intermittent howling gales and the odd clap of thunder made a walk seem very unappealing. Not to mention the half finished decorating which has turned the house upside down.

So a Sunday at home it was. Having amused myself with some housework and supervising the decorator (!) I was also sorting out a website for a friend (Underworld Apothecary if you want to take a look) so not that relaxing.

Looking back through my files I found some pictures of Blackbury Camp. These were taken in late April when the bluebells were out.

This is the remains of an iron age hill fort, It was excavated in the 1950s. According to English Heritage they believe that it was the defended stronghold of a wealthy family - a lot of sling stones were found here. The domestic angle is supported by the remains of local pottery and cooking pits and an oven as well as a hut.

Now the site is covered with woodland which makes it hard to imagine what it would have been like. Oh and bluebells. Lots and lots and lots of them...

I can safely say that I have never seen so many bluebells. There must have been millions of them carpeting the area.

It was early evening when I took this and the light was starting to fail.

This is not the biggest of hill forts, more compact but it is still in reasonably good condition given that it has been reclaimed by the trees. It is possible to walk round the whole ramparts in 10 or 15 minutes but the temptation is to linger..

And yet more bluebells! Fortunately there were tracks clear of them as it would have been a real shame to have to walk over them ( although sadly plenty of the visitors and their dogs were). For early evening and starting to get cold it was still remarkably busy.

Well worth a visit in April/May if you like bluebells!

Lydney - Temple to Nodens

2014-08-03T18:16:00.000+00:00

Temporarily grounded this weekend due to the bathroom redecoration project. I keep telling myself it WILL be worth it!

Fortunately due to the 3 month break I do have some trips that I haven't yet blogged on so this week it is the Lydney Park Estate and the Roman temple there. The park has very restricted opening so for much of the year the temple is not accessible to the general public and it won't be open again until Easter 2015.

The Estate is worth visiting for the spring gardens alone. I love the way the bulbs have been naturalised into the grass here at the entrance to the car park.

As usual of course the only way is up. The temple is sited at the top of the hill probably to give a clear view of the Severn Bore when it goes up the river twice a day. It is also within the confines of an iron age hill fort which may also have had something to do with the choice of site.

Did stop a few times to admire the view across the estate. It was a fairly steep climb in places!

Well worth it though. It is a classically styled Roman temple dedicated to the Celtic God Nodens. He is linked with healing, the sea, dogs and hunting. The mosaics survive but are covered by earth and turf and we had to content ourselves with the pictures in the small museum inside the house itself.

He may also have been in the curse business as a lead curse tablet was found "For the god Nodens. Silvianus has lost a ring and has donated one-half [its worth] to Nodens. Among those named Senicianus permit no good-health until it is returned to the temple of Nodens)"

As well as the Temple, there is a surviving Bath house which would have been part of the temple complex.

Descending back towards the gardens themselves we came across a couple of statues guarding the entrance to the gardens. Whilst the temple probably dates from 364CE and was in use to maybe around 500CE, the date of these are uncertain. They were originally thought to be Roman but are possibly 16th or 17th century. Likewise the identities are also unknown - this is possibly Pan according to the English Heritage Protection listing

The same source lists this as the Empress Faustina. They are now sited quite a way from the temple complex but were formerly more closely associated. Her hairstyle reminds me very strongly of a statue at the Temple of Sulis in Bath

Chanctonbury Ring

2014-07-27T18:52:00.001+00:00

Sorry for the break - but it was needed. Hopefully it will now be back to the usual weekly postings!

So this weekend was a trip to see some friends in Chichester. I've posted from there in the past and I was sure this trip would provide no new material but I had completely failed to realise how close it is to Chanctonbury Ring.

So a detour on the way home. Fortunately the heat of yesterday had moderated as it's a long climb up. The gradient isn't too bad but there is the ever present hazard of the trail cyclists to contend with - one almost flattened some fellow walkers pet spaniel.

The view from the bottom. Thanks to the magic of a zoom lens it doesn't look that far...

I was glad to see the final approach though! The beech trees were originally planted in 1760 but many were blown down in 1987. They have been replanted and are now of a reasonable size. As well as beech there were ash and oak there today. I was eyeing up the oak apples but they were still green and I left them for the moths.

Whilst the South Downs path which runs alongside the hill fort was busy with walkers and cyclists, most were giving the ring a wide berth and for the most part we had it to ourselves. Whether this was due to its rather sinister reputation or familiarity/disinterest I have no idea but I wasn't complaining.

There is a Romano/Celtic temple on the site but it is now covered by undergrowth - mostly nettles and I wasn't brave enough to venture off the paths that criss cross the small fort. Legends abound here especially the tale of the devil offering a bowl of soup/porridge in exchange for your soul should you circumnavigate the fort x number of times. An old folk memory of ancient rites? Who knows.

It is reputed to be a haunted and "creepy" place where no birds sing and no animals live. There are plenty of tales of people attempting to stay the night and being frightened off and of dogs and horses refusing to pass.

I loved it.

Climbing The Skirrid

2014-03-16T20:59:00.001+00:00

Safe in the magic of my woods I lay, and watched the dying light.
Faint in the pale high solitudes,
And washed with rain and veiled by night,
Silver and blue and green were showing.
And the dark woods grew darker still;
And birds were hushed; and peace was growing;
And quietness crept up the hill;

And no wind was blowing

And I knew That this was the hour of knowing,
And the night and the woods and you
Were one together, and I should find
Soon in the silence the hidden key
Of all that had hurt and puzzled me --

Why you were you, and the night was kind,
And the woods were part of the heart of me.
And there I waited breathlessly,
Alone; and slowly the holy three,
The three that I loved, together grew One, in the hour of knowing, Night, and the woods, and you

And suddenly
There was an uproar in my woods,
The noise of a fool in mock distress, Crashing and laughing and blindly going,
Of ignorant feet and a swishing dress,
And a Voice profaning the solitudes.
The spell was broken, the key denied me
And at length your flat clear voice beside me
Mouthed cheerful clear flat platitudes.
You came and quacked beside me in the wood.
You said, "The view from here is very good!"
You said, "It's nice to be alone a bit!"
And, "How the days are drawing out!" you said.
You said, "The sunset's pretty, isn't it?"

By God! I wish -- I wish that you were dead!

Rupert Brooks 1909

And the above just about sums up my feelings on today's little jaunt. The Skirrid - the Holy Mountain, full of families, children, dogs, noise, etc. Normally it's easy enough to escape the crowds but not today. Not on the ridge to the top at any rate. And yes if I am lying down on the grass with my camera pointing at an early anemone I probably am photographing it and yes it is very pretty, thank you......

Ranting apart, the Skirrid is very pretty indeed on the lower slopes which I guess is why it is so popular. It's a steep pull up through the woods though to get to the mountain itself and I'm a bit out of condition...

Made it to the ridge and although I've managed to make it look empty here - it wasn't. It was a day that required patience... The ridge forms a natural path up to the summit -would have made an ideal formal processional to the Hill fort at the top or to the church of St Michael which was built on top of it. Little trace of both remain now other than some earthworks and a few stones near the trig point.

It's a walk of false summits - as you crest one in the hope that it is "the" top, yet another one looms in the distance... still once you're up on the ridge the gradient isn't too bad and there are some interesting rock formations to provide a distraction.

Rather like these in fact. You can't see the family and dogs climbing all over it. I've had to be creative with my camera angles today. You do get an idea though of how high the mountain loams above the plains.

Having reached the top we decided to take the steep way down to the path that circumnavigates it. This is my attempt to show how steep it was - and that is the Sugar Loaf peak in the distance. This bit was horrible. The path was pretty much non existent and it was very steep.

Add some people and the gradient is much more obvious.

This was our final objective - the Devil's table. Getting here was a real challenge. Most of the pictures of it are taken from the ridge and having scrambled over rocks and terrifyingly steep gradients i can see why.

However it was worth it ( I think). Understandably we were the only ones daft enough to do this.

Actually it was well worth it if only to find this little glade on the left of the stones. A perfect little hollow with rocks and grass and twisted hawthorn trees. And most of all silent, blissfully quiet.

Apart from the raven calling overhead. I don't mind them though.

The Severn Bore

2014-03-02T22:25:00.002+00:00

Apologies if this is even more disjointed and rambling than usual. I've been up since 5am and I do like my sleep.

The early start was needed if we were to catch the Bore. Despite living fairly close to the Severn I've actually not seen it before. Today though was supposed to be a good one so...

The river Severn has the third highest tidal range in the world, only the Bay of Fundy in North America and Ungava Bay ( Hudson Straits) are bigger.

The tidal range on the Severn can be as much as 15m (49ft), this combined to the 'funnel' shaped estuary causes the incoming tide to create great a bore. The front of the oncoming surge of water creates the wave.

Just waiting. The bore doesn't keep exact time; it can be early or late.

As you can see we were not the only ones awaiting its arrival. You can just about see it starting to come around the corner

The first indication it was close was the noise and the smell of salt in the air. The surfers were all ready and waiting. And then the bore arrived. Here the surfers are just picking up the wave.

Passing by - the surfers give an idea of the height of the bore this morning. It was expected to be a 4* one so worth catching.

The Bore hit the banks with a bang,

This gives a good impression of the impact on the banks as it went passed.

Compare the shot of the river one the Bore had passed with the first one. The sand banks have disappeared and the river is a seething and writhing mass of water. Very surreal in that the water in the middle with the tidal impetus was rushing inland whilst the water at the edges was still making its way down to the sea. The result was patches of pure calm, almost like velvet intercepted by undulating waves of water.

Pure Magic

A break in the clouds

2014-02-23T21:40:00.001+00:00

A weekend day with no rain? Unheard of!

Quick let's go to the seaside and enjoy the sun...

Beautiful blue sea and sky at Weymouth

Even a miniature ruined castle. Built in 1541 most has been lost to coastal erosion. It was designed specifically as part of the king's network of coastal defences to protect against both French and Spanish attacks.

After 1664 it was considered to be of no military importance and was struck from the military register. The castle dungeons were even used as a mint for striking coinage at one time.

The weather had been so bad that most of the boats seem to be tucked up for the winter still. Many of the harbourside houses have sandbags heaped up against their doors to keep the high tides they've had recently where they belong.

Chesil Bank . One of three main shingle features in the UK, this is a barrier beach. Although the ridge is 48ft above mean high tide, the recent weather saw waves breaking over it and the JCBs are busy putting the shingle back where it belongs.

This seems appropriate given the Winter Olympics going on at the moment. Weymouth hosted the sailing events for the London 2012 event.

One final shot - sunset over Portland Bill. No time to really wander around here so a return trip will have to be planned.

Given Up but Going for Gold anyway

2014-02-09T20:54:00.000+00:00

No not blogging! But trying to go walking in this weather. Spent a very nice afternoon in Bath though listening to Prof. Hutton give a talk on the Ancient Mysteries. Much better than trying to tramp through the mud at the moment.

These are a few pictures from the new Dvizes Museum's Stonehenge exhibition showing the treasures excavated around the monument.

It's a new £750K state of the art gallery which means lots of space around the artifacts and lots of pretty graphics. Personally I prefer the older style displays with more content than style but then I'm a bit of a luddite I guess.

Still on with the pictures:

Firstly a reconstruction of the Bush Barrow burial

Many of the artifacts on display were found here including the two gold lozenges. A very high status burial indeed.

This large lozenge was found on his breast

And the small one to his side. It is somewhat overpowered by the display!

Another small gold disc. This is a gold fitting for a dagger sheath.

Some gold jewellery as well - a gold cylindrical bead bracelet or necklace

Finally more body adornments- these were labelled as belonging to the Shamen.

It was lovely to be able to see some of the finds from Stonehenge and the surrounding area and fitting that they are now displayed at Devizes rather than in a remote museum in London.

Imbolc? Candlemas? even Groundhog Day...

2014-02-02T18:38:00.002+00:00

Getting tired of all this rain.

Thankfully I don't live on the Somerset Moors ( the Levels) but even up high the rain is endless, the ground sodden and the grey depressing. It hasn't even been terribly cold so it doesn't feel like winter has even begun let alone started to give way to spring.

Unusually there was a bit of blue sky today but no one felt like going far. More storms are forecast and it is only a temporary respite.

So we headed out to Stoney Littleton barrow again with the plan of walking a bit in the general area.

Some definite signs that things are starting to grow. But then again they haven't really stopped. There is still flowers and ripening fruit on the alpine strawberry in my front garden. It really shouldn't be doing that until early summer...

An absolute torrent rushing through the stream which is far higher than usual.

The barrow - I've photographed this many times before and really my heart wasn't in it today. Still it looks pretty.

There was someone just inside communing with the ancestors so we didn't want to disturb him by lingering long.

Walking on it was muddy. Really really muddy. Even with proper boots and gaiters it wasn't pleasant and wellingtons would have been better.

We did persevere for a while but faced with this and a long stretch that was actually flooded we gave up and retraced our footsteps back to the car.

I opted out of the boot cleaning that was subsequently required. Well it wasn't my choice of venue so it wasn't my fault the boots got so filthy was it!!

A nice afternoon spent watching the rugby instead especially as Wales won yesterday so no need to fret about the score. That may change through as the competition progresses...