Mark Home Alone

Badbury Rings

21^st July 2012

With Cal being in Australia unexpectedly, I thought I’d so some activities that would be difficult for Cal, such as long walks and air shows (not another one??) YEP there are lots over here, and I’ll try to make the most of it – over the next few weeks the Vulcan Bomber will be at a number of air shows that are held over some of the southern beaches: Eastbourne, Brighton and Bournemouth. Hopefully I’ll get to see this aircraft fly – for £60 I can get my name on a commemorative plaque that celebrates the 60^th anniversary of the aircraft’s first flight – the plaque is housed in the bomb bay. Anyway, so much for the Badbury Rings . . . back to the subject at hand.

Today I thought I’d do some walking around a number of the Iron Age forts that exist around the area. Ten years ago we visited Maiden Castle, which is HUGE, I wasn’t going to visit that, but did plan to visit the Badbury Rings and Figsbury Rings, and drive ‘round the back of Old Sarum (apparently it looks awesome from the back-side (you’re well below the level, so you look up at this impressive structure). So with my National trust walking guide printed, and my backpack packed it was off to Badbury (right near Kingston Lacy . . . hmmm, have we published that blog yet? Maybe not – something else to put on line before I post this). I love the features you see in the satellite images - the fields to the west of the rings were flat-ish, one wonders what's under the surface ??

The rings date back to the Iron Age (about 500BC), but there is evidence of Bronze Age round barrows (about 2800BC to 800BC), and flint tools from about 4000BC. The rings are also at the cross-roads of two Roman roads: Ackling Dyke, which ran between Dorchester (Durnovaria) and Salisbury (Old Sarum, or Sorviodunum); and a road running from Bath (Aquae Sulis) to Hamworthy near Poole. One of the main reasons for the occupation is that it is on relatively high ground (100m above sea level). After the Romans came the Saxons, who eventually conquered Dorset (to become part of the Kingdom of Wessex – oh, all those dead kings . . . see, it all links together J). There was some thought that the Saxon invasion of Dorset was held off by a Briton army in the west, perhaps stationed at Badbury Rings. It has been suggested that this could be one of the legends of King Arthur, and that Badbury could be the "Badon" of the legend of the Battle of Mons Badonicus (around 500AD).

Irrespective of the history, I found the site to be one of the most tranquil places I’ve ever been at. There is such a sense of peace in the groves of trees, notwith- standing the cows, and the hum of traffic on the road between Blandford and Wimborne. A great place to spend in quiet reflection and prayer for those back home at the time of the death of Cal’s father.

The wildflowers here are so different to those back home, so I couldn’t resist taking a few pics (you might notice one with the rings in the background).

After visiting the Badbury Rings, and a 5km walk later, I thought I'd earned enough credit to have a pint - well at least one (1 pint = 250 cal, 2 hour walk = 600 cal), and even if I didn't have enough credit, I was still having a pint (£3 each, rather than the £3.80 in Salisbury). In the end I only had one pint, but did add a side of chips :-).

After enjoying a quiet one in the sunshine (and yes only one – it was not followed up by six noisy ones) it was back to Salisbury. Opps, almost let that go unremarked . . . sunshine!!! Summer has finally arrived (now that Cal is back in Aus). I was beginning to feel a bit tired (not slept a lot in recent nights) so it was off home, rather than off to the Figsbury Rings – that will need to wait for another day . . . maybe on the way home from work one day this week.