Valley of the Stones

My interest in Sarsen Stones took myself and my brother to the Valley of the Stones this morning. Visits to Stonehenge, Avebury and other places has piqued my interest in the provenance of the huge stones that were brought to these and other sites in the Neolithic. I now know that these stones once littered the Marlborough Downs, and that they are not erratics brought through glacial processes but are the result of a chemical process involving silicification of sandstone which I still haven’t quite got my head around. There is one remote place where the stones have not been cleared from the land, and this is it. We parked near a stud farm (this is horse racing territory) and walked to the site - passing through three huge fields each occupied by a herd of cows accompanied by a massive bull. Fortunately in each case the bull was at some distance, but I kept a close eye on it.

In the early afternoon we travelled to see the white horse carved into the chalk at Uffington, as well as the Iron Age hill fort which sits atop the ridge. It is the only one of the many white horses that is prehistoric, and is quite different from all the others, although it is impossible to see it properly at ground level. But it’s a superb location for a walk on a day like today. Extras added temporarily.