Aqua Sulis and Cheese

[strigils]

Helps me a little bit in digesting your ....anecdote

Recalling that has reminded me what a headcase he was, the reason for the black and opium was he loved opiated black hot knives, fukin lethal.

Right enough of all the hedonistic stuff need to get back on track - I blame Shutree

[Joe 90]

The acid was strong as well so what 10 were like is anybodys guess.

I should imagine he is still having flashbacks and outer body experiences.

[strigils]

^ He was always weird, heard years later he had his own software company, wouldn't surprise me as he was a nerd.

Anyway got a trip to Lacock and another place tee'd up.

[Shutree]

I hadn't thought about this before: Is it a fair assumption that the Strigils moniker was inspired by the Roman baths of Bath?

[strigils]

Back on track after dipping our toes into the murky world of solstice hippies, popped out for a visit to a few sites a bit older than Bath.

Avebury that was previously mentioned, just some random shots.

The whole Avebury site is much more impressive than Stonehenge imo, there are quite a few stones missing, presumably carted away or smashed up for building materials by the bloody Italians, erm Romans. In the picture above in between the two larger stones there is a small one on showing on the wood edge, its actually a concrete marker denoting were the original stone sat, there's a few dotted around, especially outside the main circles as presumably the thieves thought you'd not miss the odd peripheral one.

Avebury

Took a walk around the main circle as shown in the aerial and topographical shots above.

The earth works are pretty impressive considering this was all done by hand some 3,000 odd years ago, and it was here i spent a creepy night when i was 15 on a 85 mile hike.

Some of the stones are huge, the ones above dwarf you when standing next to them

The hairy hatted pub was closed due to COVID and this turned into a bit of a theme for the day. Undeterred we pushed on to visit another ancient site i camped at.

[helge]

hairy hatted

Kind of common in the english countryside ?

[strigils]

Next was Silbury Hill, it was a lovely spring day weather wise.

Its striking that most of the ancient sites have roads passing right by them, presumably as ancient as the monuments themselves.

getting a bit closer there is car park with map showing how many monuments are in the vicinity

Silbury Hill - a few facts

Silbury Hill is a prehistoric artificial chalk mound near Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site. At 39.3 metres (129 ft) high,[1] it is the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe[2] and one of the largest in the world; similar in size to some of the smaller Egyptian pyramids of the Giza Necropolis.

Composed mainly of chalk and clay excavated from the surrounding area, the mound stands 40 metres (131 ft) high and covers about 2 hectares (5 acres). The hill was constructed in several stages between c.2400–2300 BC and displays immense technical skill and prolonged control over labour and resources. Archaeologists calculate that it took 18 million man-hours, equivalent to 500 men working for 15 years to deposit and shape 248,000 cubic metres (324,000 cu yd) of earth and fill.

On my hike i camped atop this.

Some burial mounds on the way to the pub

we passed and stopped of to snap a typical English water meadow with a village in the background, an willow trees having had a haircut last year by the looks of it.

Got to the pub which was shut due to COVID

[strigils]

Kind of common in the english countryside ?

Indeed Helge, particularly in the south, most have preservation orders on them so owners have to maintain and periodically replace the reed thatch, not a cheap job. They dont usually replace teh whole thatch, they remove the top layer about 1 foot.

Thatch houses are very comfortable in winter as its brilliant insulation. Some of the older houses still have thatch in the core dating back 400-500 years and seeds for that time have been recovered and propagated and stored as part of the Kew seed bank.

https://www.kew.org/wakehurst/whats-at-wakehurst/millennium-seed-bank

[strigils]

Undeterred by a lack of hostelry we decided we push on and visit Rick for lunch

busy day in tut market town but looking forward to some fish....

Well even Rick let me down, was only open for Takeaway evening time https://www.rickstein.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Rick-Stein-Marlborough-Menus.pdf

Took a quick pic of a typical flint cobble building

Marlborough is a lovely old town and has a rich history but parking is a pig so as we were in the vicinity and reminded of the tree thread i said we'd go and look at one England's historic trees, firstly though a quick snap of me dads old school. Lots of young ladies trouping about which sadly for my dad was not allowed in his day - no snaps as that would be creepy.

[strigils]

So visiting an old friend in Savernake Forest.

Not looking its best, the forest is mainly Oak and Beech which comes into leaf late so all a bit bare.

some big old boys in here.

In times past, more precisely before 1987 when the great storm hit the UK and Michael Fish turned out to be as reliable at forecasting at Mystic Sausages, they used to collect, log or burn fallen trees and branches.

After the storm it was noticed that woodland and forests where fallen trees and boughs were left to rot down recovered far more quickly that those which had been cleared, so now the sight above is far more common

Savernake is an ancient woodland covering 4,500 acres and is managed under 999 year lease by the forestry commission from the Earl of Cardigan and you can walk freely about it, its lovely summer time with its green canopy and soft leaf litter.

The trees start growing beards young in here, below is a couple of young oaks with moss skirts.

So where is the big boy

Here appropriately named is one of England's monumental trees. It is Sessile Oak, girth about 10.5m at 1.5m high. It is estimated at about 1,100 years old so was standing when William the Conqueror was hunting stags in the forest, probably predates the road.

At least its still with the other trees, you do often see some old oaks which stand alone, one up the road from me "Cromwells Oak" now stands fenced off in a field with no other trees, kind of sad.

Not my pic, but one just to show the old boy still has vigour. Course Oaks in the UK are mere babies compared to the Bristle Cones and Sequioas in the US but we do have Yew Trees estimated at over 3,000 years old and i plan a pilgrimage to the Fortingall Yew.

[Joe 90]

Nice tree pics and interesting trivia.

[helge]

old oaks

Some 25-30 years ago, letters were sent from our forest districts to the Queen.

They stated: The oaks are ready.


Massive amounts of oaks were plated in 1807.

The year when the shameless terrorists from Engerland stole our Navy.


Anyone for..oak ?

[Mendip]

^^ As far as I know, the vast majority of old, heavy oaks were cut down during the 1700s and 1800s for shipbuilding during England's naval heyday and the woodlands have never really recovered. The further inland you get, away from the dockyards, the more ancient oaks there are, purely due to the cost and logistics of transporting the heavy wood.

I'm sure you know much more about this Strigils...

[strigils]

The year when the shameless terrorists from Engerland stole our Navy.

The nasty Sweeds planted loads of Oaks in 1830 to attack your lot as well.

[strigils]

I'm sure you know much more about this Strigils...

Tall and straight Mendip, most old oaks survived as they were twisted and already hollowing. Good short article on the New Forest, a favourite place of mine to camp over the years. But yes also ferrying huge timber in horse and cart times on shite roads made it impractical to move it large distances.

https://newforestguide.uk/history/new-forest-shipbuilding/

[helge]

The nasty Sweeds planted loads of Oaks in 1830 to attack your lot as well.

They are Asian Barbarians and I'll take your word for it.

Few years later we went "steel" and gave the Germans a proper beating at the battle of Helgoland.

Unfortunately we were overwhelmed in the landwar.

The swedes had offered to help, but probably forgot that.


That was then. After that no more large minorities in Denmark, which is the recipe for a peaceful nation.

Thanks for your betrayal, Sweden

You did us a favour

[Neverna]

Thanks for adding to the thread, Stig. It's always nice to see the British countryside. I look forward to my next visit, whenever that will be.

As for the places you posted about, I think I went to Avebury as a nipper but I can't remember much about it. But I do remember going to Bath in my teens; and, of course, Stonehenge.

[strigils]

^ they are quite touristy places, but i live in the epicentre of it, what is nice though is the lack of tourists at present.

Went to Lacock the other day and whilst a few peeps were out enjoying the weather it was relatively speaking deserted. Pics to follow.

[helge]

they are quite touristy places, but i live in the epicentre of it, what is nice though is the lack of tourists at present.

This,Bath, karaoke bar does look deserted.

[strigils]

^ Shocking, they never had that type of racy fare in my days, the Dandies would be spinning in their graves.

[helge]

Hardly worse than Moon Raking

[strigils]

Hardly worse than Moon Raking

Was a very respectable profession in Devizes 200 years ago, late at night with the moon out you can still see the odd chap gazing into the crammer hoping to spot cheese after closing time.

[strigils]

Lacock tomorrow - weather has been lovely.

A couple of pics on the way there

The George Inn on Sandy Lane, yet another in a seemingly endless procession of closed pubs due to COVID. Sandy Lane is a tiny Hamlet in which every house has a hairy hat except the pub but the road is narrow and to dangerous to stop and take pics.

The view across the valley is vice, out yonder is Bath

I miss eating these, perhaps a trip to Roses Butchers

Spring is pretty, and they smell lovely when you walk through them

The destination is in sight.

[Joe 90]

Nice part of the world,not seen any bluebells up north yet.

[strigils]

^ It is a pretty part of the UK Joe. I feel guilty for saying this as i know there are a lot of businesses hurting but its even nicer without the crowds. Was chatting to a couple of renters (i'll explain why that term tomorrow) in Lacock and they have mixed feelings depending on if you run a business there or its your home.