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Photo Diary for Hill Figures and Megaliths in South England 2024

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Preface

During the travel planning stage, hill figures and megaliths in South England were surveyed and placed on the map (Figure 1).

In the itinerary, I have included four sites to visit, namely: the Uffington White Horse and Avebury Stonehenge and Stone Circle, and the Cerne Abbas Giant and Osmington White Horse, with bases in Swindon and Dorset, respectively.

Figure 1 Hill figures and megaliths in South England

(Left) Around Wiltshire, (Right) Dorset County.

May 20 (Mon) Arrived at Swindon, visited Uffington White Horse  

Check-out Cathedral Gate Hotel
→ to the station

Canterbury West→St Pancras (09:37-10:33)

St Pancras→Paddington

Paddington→Swindon (10:48-12:25)

Swindon Station→Holiday Inn Express Swindon West

To Uffington.
Check-in Holiday Inn Express Swindon West

Holiday Inn Express Swindon West

Took the 9:30 train from Canterbury to St Pancras, taxi to Paddington took a tax and then the 10:48 train to Swindon. Arrived at Swindon at 12:25. The weather was cloudy. Took a taxi to the "Holiday Inn Express Swindon West".
The hotel was a bad choice, as it was a motorists’ hotel, far from the town centre and no bus stop was nearby. After a short rest, called a taxi and went to Uffington. Climbing up to the approach, confirmed that the "hill figure" was drawn by removing grass and placing pebbles of limestone. Went around by taxi to look for good viewpoints to see the total figure of the White Horse but in vain (as same as in the dust 55 years ago).

The Uffington White Horse is supposed to have been created in the pre historic time between 1380 and 550 BC, during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age on the hill of a valley but the reason why it was designed to be observed from the air or space remains unknown.

In the night, bought a ticket on line from Stansted-Eindhoven (Lyanair). The thirteenth night moon was beautiful.
 

    
Figure 2 Uffington White Horse

(Left) Map around the Uffington White Horse.

(Middle) The hill on which the White Horse is there. 

(Rifht) An appoach to the White Horse.

(Left) The best view (Right)  A distant view.

(Left) An aerial view of Uffington White Horse (Wikipedia).  (Right)  The view from the space (Google Earth).

May 21 (Tue) Visited The Avebury Stone Circle
  Hotel→Bus Staion (Town Centre)
Bus Staion→Avebury
 Visit Avebury Henge and Stone Circle
Avebury→Bus Staion
Bus Staion→Hotel
Holiday Inn Express Swindon West  

At 10:15 took taxi to the bus station. Took the 11:05 bus to Avebury and walked around the Stones circularly arranged in the meadow. Also walked the periphery of the Outer Stone Circle. (Later Dr. Robert Fair told me when we met at Ely that in the past they had to buy a ticket to enter the field.)

I wondered where the huge stones of measuring up to 5.0 m high came from, how ancient people carried the stones here and when it was? I could not find anyone who could properly answer to me but after returning home got answers. About the source of stones, i.e., sarsen stones or solidified sandstones, were concluded to have been the products from Marlborough area about 11 km to the east, identified by geochemical analysis. For the transportation, one can suppose that they used rafts on River Kennet which originated around Avebury, flew eastwards via Marlborough and joined the Thames at Reading, but to move a stone of up to 25 tons must not be easy at that time, estimated ca. 2,500 BC.

Took snack and coffee at Red Lion Inn. Happened to meet a lady, who talked to me about her environmental protection activities. Promised her to send my travelogue when written.

(Left) An Arial view of Avebury Stone Circle (The telegraph).

(Middle) A Gate to the field which is used as a meadow.

(Right) A wide view of the field.

(Left) The meadow with sheep.

(MIddle) The peripheral area.

(Right) The Red Lion Inn (https://www.chefandbrewer.com/pubs/wiltshire/red-lion)

May 22 (Wed) Arrived at Dorchester
Checked out Holiday Inn Express Swindon West
Hotel→Swindon Station
Swindon→Bath Spa→Dorchester West (9:22→12:07)

Checked in the hotel
Western Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester

A rainy day from the morning. Took taxi to Swindon Station, took a train to Bas Spa, changed the train to Dorchester West. Dorchester West was a small unmanned station. The rain was pouring, In the Domino Pizza shop that uses the old station office, asked the waiter to call a taxi for me. Presented two 2-pound coins as a gratitude. The Western Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester, an old hotel, was located in the middle of the town. The room given to me was again at the top floor (4th level) but the hotel staff dutifully carried up my luggage. Since it was raining, spent the rest of the day in the room, having bought food in a nearby supermarket. Ate untasty fried rice for supper in a Tai restaurant near the hotel.

Figure 4 Dorchester Hotel

The backyard of the Western Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester viewed from the top floor room. 

May 23 (Thu) Visited Cerne Abbas Giant and Osmington White Horse
Top o Town  (Bus Stop)→Davidson House Nursing Home, Cerne Abbas
Viewed Giants
New Inn→Top o Town (Bus Stop)
Hotel→Osmington
Viewed White Horse
 Osmington→Hotel
Western Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester 

It was a beautiful sunny day. Took a bus from the nearby Bus Stop (Top o Town) at 9:34 to the Davidson House Nursing Home Bus Stop in Cerne Abbas (end of the line). Then, walked down the hilly road and saw the Cerne Abbas Giant at the “Cerne Giant Viewpoint”. I had learnt before that the geoglyph is assumed as a work in the period of English Civil War (1642-1651) and the Giant with erected sex organ was depicted as a parody of Oliver Cromwell. The geoglyph was not as clear as expected, as a visitor from New Zealand whom I met there commented “They should cut the grass and remove the weeds!”

Deviating from the main road, walked along the Cerne Valley, where the water looked very pure. Took coffee at the New Inn. Took a return bus at 12:42 that carried me to Top o Town in half an hour.

After a light lunch, took a taxi at 13:30 to Osmington where the Osmington White Horse ridden by with King George III (1738 – 1820) was the target. This hill figure was created in 1808. The picture was very clear. According to the manager of Western Wessex Royale Hotel Dorchester, it was cleaned and the limestone was replaced three years ago.

The taxi driver was a talkative Romanian. On the way back from Osmington we passed by Sutton Bingham Reservoir. For dinner ate rice noodle at the Thai restaurant.