Whitsbury Castle Hillfort

We were back over Whitsbury Hill this morning, it's a glorious landscape of mixed farmland, grassland and woodland, criss crossed by shaded tracks and secluded paths. It's on the border of Cranborne Chase, Sumner country, and a landscape incredibly rich in archaeological heritage and monuments. Above the village of  Whitsbury is Whitsbury Castle, a good sized multivallate hillfort dating from the Iron Age. I've visited most of the hillforts in the region over the years, though never this one, and was surprised by it's size and the impressive nature of its ramparts and ditches, which remain (for the most part) in wonderful condition. Here's a link to its Historic England listing. Sadly it's in private hands and public access is only around the periphery, though I'm wondering if it might not be worth my while putting my archaeological hat on and seeking permission from the land owner to have a wander about.  I'd love to have an explore.

Whitsbury

We were walking in the beautiful borderland between the New Forest and Cranborne Chase today, proper Sumner country, around Whitsbury exactly. A wonderful rolling landscape, a tapestry of fields and woodlands, connected by a network of shaded paths and droves. It's a real rural landscape. The canopy of the woodland running along Whitsbury Hill is filling out casting dappled shadows over a mass of flowers, the floor is a carpet of bluebells dotted with clusters of Yellow Archangel, Greater Stitchwort, Red Campion, to name but a few. There's so much energy in the land it's infectious, there's literally a spring in your step and a smile on your face, as we walked that scene from 'Spaced' where Tim and Bilbo are walking came to mind, and my smile broadened  further. I stood for a while in secluded woodland, wholly immersed in spring, the heady scent of woodland flowers fills the warm air and the sun kisses my face, it's pure bliss, man. I took three breaths, breathing in the woodland as I did. Stood there amongst the stands I felt really connected to everything, and it felt good. In fact, the whole walk felt good, I must come this way more often. For the most part, and apart from the local inhabitants, of course, this is a forgotten landscape, or more a landscape few know about. We regularly walk these paths for hours without seeing a soul. Hey, I'm not complaining, mind.

Breamore landscape

I've always been a big fan of artist and archaeologist (amongst many other things) Heyward Sumner, whose artwork captures the essence of our English rural landscape so very beautifully. And, today I was literally walking in Sumner country, the open chalk landscape between Fordingbridge (Sumner lived in South Gorley near Fordingbridge from 1904 to 1940) and Salisbury, specifically the area around Breamore House. Sumner knew this region well, living in it, walking it and exploring it, recording the archaeological landscapes of both the New Forest and Cranborne Chase. Two of the landscapes I particularly love to walk and myself know quite well (big headed, I know). Walking the land behind Breamore is like walking through a carousel of Sumner illustrations. And what strikes me, is how little the regions landscape appears to have changed since Sumner's time.  Take this photo which looks down a well worn drove, Sumner would most certainly have known and walked, up to Clearbury Rings (Iron Age Hillfort) or as Sumner knew it Claybury Ring, a landmark he illustrated. I reckon he'd as easily recognize all his old haunts, just as easily I recognize the landscapes he drew and painted.