Wholistic Arts

La Lanzada, Pontevedra We visited this small chapel on a once-defended with a tower peninsula sticking out into the sea, but since then they've excavated a castro on the land side of the last sticky-out bit. It's a really nice, cleanly rebuilt castro with stones of many different colours, suggesting that some had been brought to the site from outside. This is one of those sites with more questions than answers. Obviously the chapel was built here because it was already an important site - the chapel is dedicated to sea-farers, and is still an important place for those who have family working out at sea. But before you get out to the last finger of land, you cross what was obviously once a well defended castle gate with now collapsed tower. While there is plenty of write-up around the castro, the tower has no placard or notice; not even a simple sign with a name that could've offered a clue, such as 'Gothic Tower'. The stones are the same as the castro, but thi...

Heath Wood & Foremark Hall, Ingleby Early start. 10am. I went to Heath Wood near Ingleby. Approaching the wood there were a few stones that could be neolithic or later used by Saxons. Walked round and through the wood but only saw two mounds! Then I walked back on the other side. There was a large area cordoned off with wire fencing. I went inside under the fence, having found the gate later, and saw 4 areas covered with corrugated iron. They were not mounds but probably excavations. I had read an archaeological document to say that one dig concentrated on these four burial mounds. Apparently there are 59 in the wood! They were probably graves of the Viking Great Army 873-8 a.d. and what is interesting is that they had all been cremated. This is currently the only site found in Britain with Viking cremations. They had changed their practice. Another interesting point is that the wood is quite high and because the leaves have not yet formed on the trees I was able to see the vi...

Castro Neixon, Noi a We delayed our solstice by a week to allow for the arrival of the rest of our solstice-watching team; Raye and Dave. We took them to a Castro sticking out into the sea on a little peninsula, which the three of us (Vic, Loreto & Malusa) had visited earlier that year. The castro itself only contains a couple of very large round buildings (although more remain unexcavated), but as a location for a Celtic village we could see it was positioned more for resources than defence. With pine forests a short walk inland, and mudflats to either side of the mini-peninsula (or is that mininsula?!) for shellfish. As always, we pondered over the archeological and spiritual implications of these places, but soon noticed that we weren't the only ones to make a spiritual connection around solstice-time. In the centre of one of the circular buildings was the remains of a recent bonfire, with flower heads scattered across the ashes.  The flowers were various types and colou...

Anglesey The land of King Arthur and Merlin. Raye and Dave's first day was spent investigating...Cliff Castle...a promontory on Holy Island which is a part of Anglesey. Spectacular views...and understandably probably a hill fort although little remains of any signs of past life. The following day we visited Holy Mountain and stopped at the RSPB at South Stack island (lighthouse). Right next to this area was Elin's Tower, a castellated tower. Nearby we walked to an area covered with hut circles. Brilliant, there were about 15 (only 1 shown in photo). They were just like those we visited in Galicia which are called 'castros'. The dowsing rods crossed within each household. Assuming there was a lot of earth energies within each hut. We also found a leyline running right through the village. This was a fantastic find due to the close connection with Galicia. We probably knew this before but it would suggest a Celtic connection. We then visited a few standing stones,...

Petroglyphs in A Caeira, Pontevedra  We took a short drive up into the hills overlooking the city in search of the closest mystical sight we could find. The seasons arrive bang on schedule in this part of the world, so the weekend arrived with heavy rains and winds. Despite the proximity, Malusa managed to fall asleep in the car on the way, but we could see the stones from the side of the road, so we had a look around in the drizzle, a little disappointed that there weren't many to see. But before we left, we noticed a map showing more up the side of the hill. Not wanting to leave baby alone for too long, Loreto put her inside her cagoule and carried her with her - asleep the whole time. We were astonished by the shear number of clearly visible calvings, including the one shown here of two deer mirror-imaged one above the other. What are these things? I'd like to suggest that they are the neolithic equivalent of road signs. They were probably highlighted with paint (a p...

Castle Naze, Buxton   Set out for Buxton at noon. After having lunch in Buxton drove to Castle Naze. Parked the car on the road below the hill-fort. Ventured to the top, walked all around to try to find a way past the stone wall. Managed to scramble through. The Castle is triangular in shape, the point at the edge and then a double bank and ditch protect the back. Walked to the point and searched for a leyline with my rods. Yet again they surprised me. I found the leyline, 23 paces in width, from the rampart side and then stopping as near to the point it could go while still keeping its width. So the point had a triangle without the ley where the rods crossed. Amazing! The views were spectacular with the 'point' overlooking Comb Reservoir below. Dave

St John's Night, San Xoan de Poio It's the night of St John, and we're sitting watching the post-match interviews [Spain vs France, Euro 2012], waiting for the firework display (it's now 23:23 exactly!). We've eaten the traditional sardines and maize-bread, and after the fireworks we'll go downstairs to our own apartment, put baby to bed, then jump over our candles, as is our new custom since baby was born and is still too young to stay up so late to go and jump over the bonfires at midnight.  I was thinking, while trying to start the barbeque to cook the sardines, that the fire represents Leo and the longest day in the most pagan, primitive, prehistoric way, while the fish represents the Christian religion and its merging into (or highjacking of, if you look at another way) the ancient traditions. Together, the two elements represent the most basic elements of food (fish and bread, products of seafaring and farming) and heat. On the summer solstice we n...

Castle Ring, Cannock Chase Started out in the morning in new car. Went to Castle Ring in Cannock Chase. I drew a line on my Ancient Britain map where I thought the Belinus leyline was. According to my calculation it disects Castle Ring. Further research had shown that another source thought it disected Meon Hill near Stratford-on-Avon, so I needed to visit both! As an aside, I also found that a couple had come up with a theory about 'leylines'. They thought they were natural tracks made by animals, posibly migrating herds, and then used by man later as communication networks, interesting. At Castle Ring I walked completely round the large hill fort. My rods crossed all round the perimeter except for either side where I found the leyline, 23 paces in width again, disecting the site in a SW-NE direction. Looking NE in the distance was the coal power station at Rugely. Castle Ring was thought to have been occupied around AD 50, by the Celtic Cornovii tribe.The fort at it...

Castro Landin We took a drive out into the Galician countryside on an unseasonably hot and sunny day, the Spanish wing of our ever expanding team now with another new member: Loreto's Mum. I don't think she knew that this day-trip was part of our Soltice-Equinox expeditions, because we'd invited her along for a picnic. She waited with Malusa under the shade of some enormous pine trees while Loreto and I looked around, then later, she went with Loreto while I took a siesta with Malusa. It occured to me that many of these places, be they monoliths, dolmens, or Celtic villages, are usually quite close to pine trees. As we sat under the trees, I realised that people had been sitting under trees on this spot for literally thousands of years. The castro itself is particularly unusual. While the circular stone houses cluster together in places in the typical honey-comb effect, some are further spread apart, and one is square (see picture)! It must have stuck out like a sor...

Hints, Staffordshire Started out to Hints in Staffs, near a clump of trees called 'The Devils Dressing Room'. Apparently, this was part of a quarry! (Vic/me often found quarries nearby our places of interest, even Aston Curcus!). My dowsing rods told me that the line ran along the road beneath. We then followed this leyline which was taken from a book by Anthony Poulton-Smith "LEY LINES accross the Midlands". We continued to follow the line along the B5493, interestingly the ley did not follow the road direct but weaved around it. On one occasion we stopped the car by a farm and at the entrance from the edge of the road to the gate (yes, 23 paces) was the line. We then continued on the road to Seckington, a beautiful village. The church was quite inspiring. Then we went round the side and found the motte and bailey. Wow, this was impressive. The motte was very big and the hill part almost perfect in shape with a flat top. Although the bailey was encircled by a...

Dolmen da Barrosa, Portugal Loreto and I had found this place literally by accident one time during a day-trip into Portugal. We'd decided to take a wander onto the back-roads and just saw a sign for a dolmen and said "Hey!". So, wanting something to do to mark the Solstice, we waited for Mum and Dad to come over for New Year, and took them there on the way home from Porto airport. The dolmen is on the other side of a smashed open wall, and on a nice-sized square of land enclosed all round (except the smashed in entrance!). Next to the dolmen (beautiful specimen, I might add) are the remains of a house of similar dimensions as the dolmen, and in alignment with it. The year 1914 is calved above the door. Dad and I pondered over who would construct a building so close to a dolmen, and why it might have been abandoned. Then Malusa, the youngest member of the team, drew our attention, walking in circles on the leave-strewn ground, singing loudly and enjoying the echo of...

Heptonstall James and myself started out early at 09:00. The plan was to head off to Sylvia Plath's (poet) resting place. Heptonstall is very bleak and there is only one way into it! Also planned was to visit a well, Reap's cross, Standing Stone Hill etc. Stone circle, standing stone and a well. In the ancient hilltop weaving village of Heptonstall, overlooking Hebden Bridge, stand two churches, both in the same churchyard, one in ruins and the other one still very much in use.The chapel was erected between 1256 and 1260 and was dedicated to Thomas a Becket who was murdered in 1170, became a saint in 1173, and was a popular symbol of resistance to state authority. The aura of the ruined church was spectacular, looking across to the 'new' church over a lot of grave stones was eerie. One account on the internet suggests that there are over 100,000 bodies buried there! Another says 10,000. Whatever it is they lie below the stones that are above the surface. We the...

Castro de San Cibrán de Lás, Ourense At the same time that Raye and Dave were looking at hill-forts in Bakewell , the Spanglish section of the team were up in the hills near Ourense, checking out a fantastic hill-fort of our own. This castro is on the brow of a hill (as always), but with a circular wall around it of immense proportion. Further up the hill is a smaller circle of an inner compound, and between the two are hundreds of round houses, like a honeycomb. As we walked on the top, I helped Malusa jump down off a large rock, and I noticed that the floor beneath her made a hollow echo. I stomped around a bit, and Loreto agreed that it sounded like the whole hill was hollow. Castromao We also visited a second hill-fort, which looks like a more compact version of the one mentioned above, on a steeper incline, although this one is in a worse state of repair. It looks as though some archaelogical work on it has been abandoned (maybe they ran out of funds), because a lot of it is ba...

Bakewell and Pilsbury Castles We set off with the intention of going to two places. The first a motte and bailey in Bakewell. At the tourist information and the "local" said there was no castle in Bakewell! When I explained it was a bailey and motte and showed a picture there was still a sign of disbelief..."well if it is there its not visible?" Anyway, we proceeded and walked up, yes, Castle Hill! Behind a bungalow was a small field and a gate. We felt, as often happens on these expeditions, that we were trespassing. It has been left and is more like a copse with trees and bushes,but nevertheless is still there. What a find. It made sense that this would be a good position for a castle. It was difficult to capture in a photo because in order to get a clear view by stepping back the bushes then hid it. So, the two photos are taken one at a distance and the other close (but too close to get the feel of the 'bowl' effect inside. A bit of history: Edward the ...

Hemlock Stone, Nottinghamshire The Hemlock Stone stands near the summit of Stapleford Hill adjacent to Bramcote Hills and the park. The Hemlock Stone is felt by many to have been the site of past activity by the Druids, the priesthood of the Celts. It would form a natural focal point, a temple and altar for Celtic festivals such as Beltane, where the ancient practice of lighting fires on the stone during the night before May Day continued until the early 19th century. The combination of the stone with the surrounding oak woodland (the oak being a sacred tree for the Celts) and a nearby 'sacred spring' all add credence to the idea of Druidic use. On older maps the spring is shown as the 'Healing Well', just to the north-west of Stapleford Hill. This now lost natural spring was used by gypsies and miners alike as a place to wash and a local 'cure-all'. Local folklore even conjures up the idea of witches at the site using the poisonous hemlock plant in their poti...

Castle of Sobroso & Castro de Troña, Mondariz We took a drive up to the recently restored castle of Sobroso, way up on top of a very high hill. One of the most interesting facts about the place comes from relatively recent history - in the 1930's a journalist bought the place and began to restore it with the intention of living there, but once the fascist Franco regime took power, he was executed and his possessions passed to the government, who used it strategically during the civil war, but after left it to ruin. Also in the area is a church built right on top of a castro (Celtic village). We took a look around, and were surprised to find half of the church burnt out, even though the sign on the door shows that it is still a functioning church. It struck me, as dad went round with his divining rods, that the castro, the castle, and the church have all been built on this hill for the same reason - it contains a natural water source. If you're looking to set up a village a...

Castle-an-Dinas, Cornwall Castle-an-Dinas is one of the largest and most impressive hillforts in Cornwall, sited in an imposing position on the summit of Castle Downs with extensive and panoramic views across central Cornwall to both north and south coasts. It features in Cornish legend as one of the seats of the Duke of Cornwall and folklore has it that Cador, Duke of Cornwall, and Ygraine, King Arthur’s mother were killed here. That the site has attracted such mythic associations may be a reflection of its continued significance from its prehistoric beginnings into the Post-Roman and Early mediæval periods. This hill fort in the Parish of St.Columb Major is a scheduled monument of great importance. It is 700 ft above sea level and commands extensive views, it occupies a strategic position overlooking trade routes through Cornwall, this was a natural site for an Iron Age fortress. It covers an area of 20 acres and is one of the largest of its kind in Cornwall. The defences comprise t...

Pilsbury Castle, Derbyshire I can't believe it is Mabon (autumnal equinox) time again already. I ventured out just after Hartington in Derbyshire on a gated road to Pilsbury, after that I walked along a public footpath to the site of Pilsbury Castle. Pilsbury itself is a shrunken village which dates back at least to Anglo-Saxon times. At the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, it was part of the Manor of Pilsbury and Ludwell. The site of the monastic grange at Pilsbury is likely to have been here in the sheltered spot overlooking the river. The large present-day houses can be traced to the late 17th/early 18th century. I braved an onslaught of sheep, having strayed into a field off the public footpath. As I opened the gate a lot of sheep came from all over the field to 'attack' me! They weren't afraid either, so I legged it to the next field. Eventually I arrived at the site. I could sense how things would have been over a thousand years before, and probably even befor...

Lago de Castiñeiras, Pontevedra By the "Lake of Chestnuts" is a fantastic dolmen, called Chan de Castiñeiras, built in the centre of a large mound, presumably part of the original structure. A short walk away lies another, although that one has the top missing and is barely visible from a distance. A quick check with the compass showed us that these two were alligned perfectly from North to South. A little further south of the ruined one, we saw another group of stones - we went to check them out, but they looked too natural to be a constructed site; they also fit the North-South allignment. Maybe the two man-made ones were built along the line of the naturally occuring mound? After a picnic, our newly enlarged party (Dave & Raye, Vic and Loreto now with baby Malusa) went to the Chan de Arquiña - the last site that Vic and Loreto visited while the latter was still pregnant with Malusa. It was nice to sit on the dolmen with the baby and remember being there in the fog wit...