Mud on the Barrow Downs

[ladyofastolat]

There was a strange and unfamiliar glowing ball of light in the sky this morning, so I thought I'd get out nice and early before it decided to go away again. My knee still isn't up to long walks, so I just did about 6 miles, centred on Five Barrows. Five Barrows, as the name suggests, is a hilltop conglomeration of at least eight barrows. Even the experts don't seem to know how many there are, barrows presumably being like the stones in stone circles when it comes to uncountability. The Megalithic Portal says there's one main barrow and "four or five" smaller ones, but proceeds to tell us that "they supposedly consist of one disc, six bowl and one bell barrow." However, the website does warn me that I may be viewing yesterday's version of the site, and advises me to register in order to receive the most up-to-date information, the world of prehistoric momuments presumably being one so fast moving that yesterday's information is worthless.



The way was rather wet and perilous, and prone to enormous puddles leaping out at saying "None shall pass!"



The barrows were pretty much impossible to photograph in any meaningful way, so here are some poor attempts:

All I will say is that here are "some" barrows. (Or, if barrows are uncountable, should that be here "here is some barrow.")



This barrow exhibits a very prominent fried egg structure, which proved to be anything but prominent when I tried to photograph it - not helped by the fact that I had to do this into the sun. I expect the barrow wights (Wight wights?) had something to do with this.



I think this picture was taken while standing on the main barrow, which is surrounded by a gorse-filled ditch. Half a ditch, anyway.



Leaving the barrows, I saw that something very Probably Ritual had recently happened on it, or was about to happen on it after I left.



And then back to the car, by way of a deadly path and some very muddy woodlands:





After failing to photograph the barrows properly,

Comments

[rubygirl29.livejournal.com]

Great pics, but I don't think I've ever heard of "Free Range Bees." Is this a British phenomenon like barrows?

We have neither in the US ... though I'm sure we have rogue bees that belong to no established hive roaming the wilds of our back yards and gardens. :-)

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I've no idea what they mean by "Free range bees!" The footpath runs through the grounds of a very large private house, and these notices are to discourage people from straying off the path. Last Easter, bunn ignored the warning and made a brief detour to examine a plant, and didn't return screaming in terror, chased by hordes of bees. I suspect they're a myth, perhaps to prevent walkers from discovering the secret spy base they have hidden in the shrubbery.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Britain does indeed lead the way in pressing for better conditions for bees. In most countries, worker bees are trapped in individual hives, leaving bare millimetres around their bodies. They are drip-fed nectar throughout the day and night, and left to buzz out their meaningless existences. In Britain, on the other hand, they are usually left to fly free, to the envy of their apiarian neighbours across the channel.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

It's not just the Wight wights that get up to these tricks - in Dorset we have Nine Barrow Down which, according to my copy of Prehistoric Dorset, is an "impressive linear barrow group consisting of 18 barrows..."

I think the ritual (hare-and-hounds maybe?) must have already taken place - how else to explain the sunshine?

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Maybe Isle of Wight locals couldn't count beyond five, while Dorset ones, being more educated, could count to the heady heights of nine. Or maybe barrows multiply over time, and there really were just nine (or five) back when the places got named.

You're probably right about the hare and hounds thing. Apparently the local Hash House Harriers were out in the area today at much the same time I was. I'm not sure how I managed to miss them, unless they're like Morris dancers in that "an 11 o'clock start" means "at 11 o'clock, start idly thinking about beginning preparations for driving to the rendezvous." I didn't know about these people before. They sound nice. I'd almost be tempted to join, if it wasn't for the whole running thing.

[jane-somebody.livejournal.com]

I think Hashers are a lot like Morris dancers, certainly insofar as copious supplies of beer seem to be an essential part of all activities :-)

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Perhaps barrows come and go at will? This would be why the people at Megalithic Portal need daily updates.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Maybe. I've been to several stone circles and standing stones that are reputed to go wandering around on certain nights, so it would seem quite unfair if barrows weren't allowed the same freedom.

[lycoris.livejournal.com]

We had that strange and glowing ball of light here too. It seemed friendly, I think we should let it stay. ;)

Those are some lovely photos - looks like a nice place! Free range bees ... wouldn't that be, well, all sorts of bees? Bees tend to be free range, it's in their natures ...

[thecatsamuel.livejournal.com]

Fantastic, atmospheric photos.

I have camped with free-range midges, but the bees are a new one!

[jane-somebody.livejournal.com]

Aha, I see the sign of the Secret Ritual of Hashing :-)

Nice photos! There was (probably still is) a gate at the bottom of the field at the back of my grandparents' house that either looked exactly like that, or without the water but with Mud of Extreme Squelch, which was always an interesting obstacle to navigate when heading out for a walk. It was, I think, due to the cows that mostly occupied that field, and annoyed Nanna by licking her windows and leaving smeary marks all over them.