In which Glyn bravely battles through the podcast whilst suffering from a long bout of man flu, with frequent triggers of the mute button as he splutters into the crook of his arm as instructed by the scientists. But, ever the professional, the listener will hopefully not notice!
I am still in Dordogne so have obviously done nothing in Wiltshire in the last two weeks. But we had plenty to talk about.
Whilst researching something else Glyn stumbled across Potterne Midden. For those that don’t know a midden is a prehistoric rubbish dump. A landfill if you like. And Glyn decided to look into it! This one dates from the late Bronze Age and is vast, covering an area of at least 5 hectares between 1 and 2 metres deep. Excavations revealed pottery, animal bone, coprolites (fossilised excrement), worked bone and antler, bronze metalwork, flints and even human remains. It was first excavated in the 1980s but is a new one on us.
We also discuss the de-declaration of Fyfield Down as a National Nature Reserve. This caused considerable alarm when it was announced a little while ago and naturally people suspected the worst. But it seems when Natural England took a 99 year lease on the Down in 1955 there was a break clause that enabled either party to dissolve the agreement in 2019. The current landowner chose to do this. But the Down will continue to be a SSSI, and access will be maintained under the CRoW Act (Controlled Rights of Way) which identifies part of what was the nature reserve as “open access land”. Natural England will continue to work with the owner to manage the landscape under a new Countryside Stewardship agreement, so we are assured nothing will change. Which does beg the question what is the point of National Nature Reserves?
The main subject of this episode of the podcast is the walk that I did in February 2020 taking in Great Ridge. There is a link to the blog I wrote in the show notes on the Hidden Wiltshire website. This is an 8.5 mile walk part of which follows the Roman Road (the subject of the thumbnail photo), through the heart of Great Ridge Wood. As ever this is an area rich in history and prehistory, with evidence of multiple enclosures along the way as well as some curiously named places such as Snail-creep Hanging and North and South Soupir. The walk also passes the immaculate and picturesque Neolithic Corton Long Barrow which is topped off by a perfect little clump.
Great Ridge is a substantial woodland where the inhabitants of nearby Chicklade once had the right to collect wood. It is now the site of a substantial commercial forestry operation and sporting estate owned by Fonthill Estate, so it’s important to stick to rights of way. But it is also a place where, if you are lucky, you may hear or even see the elusive Goshawk.
Emerging from the wood spectacular views northwards open up, encompassing a landscape full of our favourite feature – bottoms. There are bottoms galore here, several of which are open access, including Well Bottom, Long Bottom, and Whatcomb Bottom.
This is a stunning walk in all seasons but beware it can get very boggy in the wood around Point Pond and Scrubbed Oak, and the track leading from the Wessex Ridgeway to the point where we emerge from it above Well Bottom.
You’ll find the podcast and show notes by clicking on the link below.