Going Walkabout (British History)

[Mick Harper]

[Hatty]

[Mick Harper]

Nope, you can see the salient characteristic from the map you have so thoughtfully provided. You won't see it though because you have to be M J Harper to see it. And when M J Harper tells you, you'll say, "Oh yes, I knew that all the time."

[Hatty]

You keep the sea always on your left (can you see the sea all the way -- not helped by English drizzle?)? If Avebury was moved northwards the line would cross the Bristol Channel.

[Mick Harper]

Oh well, I suppose you're close enough. Here is the full explanation for the siting of Avebury.

The line from St Michael's Mount to Avebury does not cross the sea at any point. We don't notice this because no road crosses the sea -- but that's because we can divert a road around any inconvenient arm of the sea. But you can't do that with a straight line, you have to choose your straight line with great care beforehand.

And this is the entire point about the St Michael's Line, from St Michael's Mount to the Norfolk coast -- it is the longest east-west landline it is possible to draw anywhere in the British Isles. Why is this so important? Because if you are laying out a system which involves walking from one point to another in a straight line, you clearly can't go across the sea.

Now, if you move Avebury even a little way to the north, and draw the Dragon Line from St Michael's Mount to this new Avebury, the line will now 'fall into' the Bristol Channel. But if you move Avebury a little to the south, and you draw a straight line from large parts of South Wales to this new Avebury, these will also now be cut off by the Bristol Channel. Ditto both chunks of the West Country and or Wales if you move Avebury even a little way to the west.

You can, however, move Avebury eastwards and preserve these always-across-the-land properties but this will mean all travellers from the west will have to go further than is necessary in order to reach 'the in-gathering point' at Avebury.

In other words, Avebury is the unique point in the whole of southern Britain so that anybody anywhere in Western Britain can reach it by line-of-sight without having to cross a body of water and by the quickest route.

This is a million-to-one coincidence if Avebury is sited where it is for any other reason. However I am prepared to bet that it will be discovered that
1. little bits of infilling have already been done by the Megalithic Corporation in eg the Somerset Levels to make sure the sea doesn't get in the way even locally
2. Local mini-Aveburys will be found in bits of Cornwall or South Wales where, despite everything, the sea does interfere with line of sight towards Avebury
3. There is some sophisticated switching arrangements at the head of the Bristol Channel where the two quadrants (the West Country and Wales) join up. [Actually I am just adding this last bit in because we know there are!]

You read it here first. Unless you read it first when we did all this before. Though it will be interesting to hear if anybody actually remembers this from last time. These really important discoveries often get thrown away when first heard on the grounds that they are probably not true. Or too obvious. Or too something or other. It's part of the human condition (remember how your brain is wired) unless you yourself pick it up and run with it. That's the only way to get it wired into your own brain.

[Hatty]

[Hatty]

I always thought that the start of the Autumn Term was designed to allow the harvest to be brought in, which may still be the case but apparently St Michael's day is 29th September and this was the day of accounts and reckoning. The beginning of the universities' scholastic year was heralded by Michaelmas.

[Mick Harper]

Yes, as you know, the universities were founded by Celtic monks who were heirs to the Megalithic Tradition.

[Mick Harper]

[Mick Harper]

[Grant]

Mick wrote

[Hatty]

The most obvious characteristic of the Ridgeway and indeed other ridgeways is they follow ridges whereas footpaths tend to be lower down, in other words it's the 'high road'. St Michael monuments are on mounts or high places; there is a link between height and guiding light as with beacons. Another distinctive Ridgeway characteristic is the whiteness of the chalk soil which can be clearly seen, not perhaps as evident as 'cats' eyes' markings but furrows on a track are the next best thing. {We discussed somewhere the beacon-like aspect of the white cliffs.}

Does anyone know the origin of the expression 'as different as chalk and cheese'? There are some fairly bizarre traditions in southern England, such as rolling a round cheese down a Cotswold hill which takes place at the end of May; is this time of year of lunar significance (and is there a connection with the popular saying that the moon is made of cheese?)?

[Mick Harper]

[Mick Harper]

Actually, having had a bit of a think about this, I realise you don't even need to know this one thing. The stone circle plus something else will tell you all you need to know.

[Hatty]

Chalk appears to be, somewhat counterintuitively, wetter on top of a hill rather than further down, being porous unlike the clay lying further down. It's not uncommon to find alternative high and low routes; the Icknield Way divides into the Upper and Lower Icknield Way in the Chilterns, the lower way is thought to be later (Roman) and follows the spring line while the older drier track keeps to the ridge.