Dorset Magic

How wonderful to be up in the air again. My first flight this year - what joy! Putting on the safety harness so that I can lean out of the helicopter safely, then walking out to the helicopter, getting in and clicking on our safety belts. Two friends came with me, one of whom had never flown in a helicopter before and was tremendously excited.

Up in the air and away! Looking down as the land falls away, leaving a wondrous tapestry beneath, green fields, houses, tennis courts, barns, farms, roads, rivers, villages and - less attractive - sprawling and expanding towns. We were flying down to Dorset, the county of Iron Age hill forts, over 20 in number, some of the main ones being Maiden Castle, Hambledon Hill and Badbury Rings. Over the years, I think I must have flown over most of them and am amazed at their vast construction often built as huge landscape marks to express the power and prestige of the local Durotrigian tribe leaders. Others were built as defensive man-made fortification structures to ward off other tribes. People did live in them, and some like Chalbury were very densely populated.

My heart always gladdens as I fly over the endless green fields stretching as far as the eye can see - no concrete to be seen anywhere! The very air seems different and surely it must be, away from pollution; just pure glorious fresh air! This is an ancient landscape and the wonderful hill forts serve as a constant reminder. It was a long flight to reach the crop circle lying just beyond the famous chalk figure, the Cerne Abbas Giant, etched into the hillside, dating back to the late 17th century. He has been likened to Hercules, a Saxon deity or some Celtic figure, but whatever he is he looked magnificent yielding his mighty club to ward off all attackers. Despite his splendour, he is nevertheless a relative newcomer in this historic landscape.

Buckland Down, Near Cerne Abbas, Dorset. 26th May 2018. Barley. c. 180 feet overall diameter (55m) A symmetrical design with circles and crescents. Despite only being two days old when photographed, the growing crop was already obscuring the design.

Sadly it was a hazy evening, and the crop despite being having been flattened only two days before when the crop circle appeared, had risen up quite dramatically, owing to the original sparse crop (shown in the overhead photograph) and the very hot weather, with the result that the circle no longer had a clear definition. Trying to capture circles in their perfect state is a problematic exercise as some are heavily laid, others very lightly as with Cerne Abbas circle; also one needs to fly when it is sunny, a pilot is available and before the circle has been cut out by unhappy farmers, or damaged by many visitors; so all in all several factors are involved which sometimes do not always work out!!

 

Crop Circle Tours
The time speeds by so fast and it is now the end of May. If you would like to join me on either of my tours, the places are filling up and there are four places free for the 24th July tour with optional extra of a special private entry evening visit to Stonehenge and three places left for the 1st August tour with the optional extra of a flight over the circles in the evening. Both will be happy and relaxed tours full of excitement and like-minded people. We will have a wonderful time. Those who maybe cannot walk as fast as others can come at their own speed.

If you would like the amazing experience of the private evening entry to Stonehenge, you can book separately without going on the crop circle tour, but I need to know before the 13th of June.

Sharing helicopter flights with me is another special excitement and I have quite long list already of people longing to come. It is often at short notice as I need to get up in the air quickly as previously explained.

Happy summer, with my love and best wishes,
Lucy.

Flying is very expensive, so I thank you so much those who have contributed to my work. If you do feel able to donate please visit my website's funding page.

The First 2018 Crop Circle

It has arrived - the first crop circle of the year! Lying between Crewkerne and Mere, just off the A303, it appears that it may have been there for some time as the flattened crop inside the circle is rising up. This image was taken by Nick Bull and he has kindly allowed me to put up it on my web site. Some people may have been worrying that the circles had left us but in 2013 we did not see a crop circle until the 2nd June in East Field, nr. Alton Priors, Wiltshire.

Once we get our first circle more seem to follow quite quickly, so will this happen this year?

Spring is really with us after another spell of gloriously warm weather. I have been driving down the little Sussex lanes, some so narrow that it is impossible to even open the car door to get out, so I take my pictures from an open window. Clumps of bluebells, ragged robin, stitchwort, primroses, and violets — what a joy!

There is nothing like a walk in the countryside to allow one's thoughts to see the world in a different light; a calm and peaceful place where nature reigns supreme; thus for a moment allowing oneself to came terms with life and all its ups and downs. To breathe the clean fresh air, to listen to the birdsong all around and the gurgling of the streams as they wend their serene way, ever going with the flow. I was brought up in the country and would find myself quite out of tune and breathless were I to live anywhere else for long periods of time.

In a previous letter, I wrote a little bit about the treasures found on Petersfield Heath. Twenty-one Barrows have been found, but, due to the cost and time only two have been excavated. The others consist of a mixture of different types of barrows.

Burial urn found on Petersfield Heath

May 19, 2016 | by Katherine West

'In this fourth season of excavations on Petersfield Heath two of the three sites excavated had points of particular interest. The most exciting find is a presumed burial urn found under Barrow 8 close to its centre. The urn was placed in a tightly fitting pit, and the archaeologists and volunteers had to painstakingly excavate it and lift it complete with its contents for laboratory micro-excavation. Its full story will only be revealed over the coming months, but it is already clear that it is a Collared Urn, a ceramic type dating roughly to 2000 – 1500 BC. Collared Urn burials are not uncommon in the Early Bronze Age, but the Barrow 8 example seems to have associated organic objects. These could be further rare and significant finds to add to the mineral - replaced wooden handle from Barrow 13 and the half tree-trunk from Site 24.'

Picture: Stuart Needham
http://www.peopleoftheheath.com/burial-urn-found-petersfield-heath/

This age-old island is full of ancient archaeological treasures many of which are still undiscovered or not yet excavated. Others are well known and frequently visited by people from all over the world such as magnificent Stonehenge, the wondrous stone complex at Avebury, plus the largest and a man mound in Europe Silbury Hill together with a host of other stone circles, mounds and iron age stone forts; ancient tracks and by ways known to our ancestors as they made their way over this sacred isle.

Back to Crop circles and the forthcoming season. What amazing circles will we see and where?

There are a still a few places available on my two tours. The first is on the 24th July with the optional extra of a once in a lifetime private entry visit to Stonehenge in the evening. The second tour, on the 1st August with the optional extra of a flight over the fields and sacred sites after the tour — will be a very special occasion. Please get in touch as soon as possible as the tours are very popular.

Still more excitement, if you would like to come with me and share the costs on one of my helicopter flights. The helicopter takes three people plus the pilot. It is so very helpful to me as the cost of flying, plus continuing with my important research currently focussing on the temporary relief of Parkinson disease, is so enormous that I was not sure if I could continue at all this year.

My love and best wishes,
Lucy.

April General Letter ~ Spring has Sprung

This email is to tell you that nothing has happened in the fields so far this year and that I am still in the land of the living and raring to go, despite two bouts of a particularly vicious `flu!

Being of an optimistic nature, and due to the fact that we had such a wonderfully warm and sunny day on Saturday, I decided that the time had come to check my cameras and charge their batteries in anticipation of some great event.

Surely this must have been one of the longest winters ever? At least, that is how it seems to me. Just when we think that spring has sprung, along comes another batch of snow!

This wonderful image of Silbury Hill and its surrounding countryside was taken by Simon Young on Sunday 18th March this year. It illustrates winter in all its wonder and I understand that he battled the freezing wind and snow to climb all the way up to the top of Waden Hill to look down to take this fantastic picture. Freezing, but my goodness it was worth it!

In order to assess what is happening in the fields, I chatted to a farmer this morning who tells me that nature has a marvellous way of adjusting itself, and as the weather forecast is for the mid 20’s Centigrade this week, the crops may suddenly start shooting up quickly.

If you would like to come on either of my summer crop circle tours, please remember to book as soon as you can. The first one, with the optional extra of a wonderful private evening entry to Stonehenge taking us right up to the stones, is on the 24th of July. The second tour, on the 1st of August, has the optional extra of flying over the circles after the tour. This is a fabulous way of seeing the circles from the air and includes flying over the famous Silbury Hill and the ancient Avebury stone complex. Both tours are filling up.

If you would like to share one of my helicopter flights please let me know. They often happen at quite short notice as I never know when a circle is going to appear. It is an experience of a lifetime and something you will never forget. I will write to you as soon as anything exciting happens.

My love and all best wishes,
Lucy