Martin Down and more

Dry and then some. Martin Down and the surrounding predominantly arable and grassland landscape has the appearance of our own domestic savannah. Cranborne is currently rocking a palette which heavily leans brown. Todays' walk was to reconnect with an area I used to roam frequently, though had not walked in some years. Maybe ten years. It's a glorious landscape, marked all over by six millennia of human activity, Mesolithic hunter gathers first roamed this downland, though they left scant evidence of their presence beyond flint tools, those who came after on the other hand were more giving, sculpting the land into barrows, banks, hillforts and dykes spanning prehistory; Roman roads and villas speak of one phase of colonization; centuries of Medieval farming and hunting have maked the land too, speaking of peasantry and privilege, in many respects an England still recognizable today; more recently the 20th century saw industrialized farming and military activity adding their mark. This is a landscape clearly favoured and well used by our ancestors, still used today. Standing on Penbury Knoll (listed as an early prehistoric hillfort, though I'm not so sure) I surveyed this world in awe. Walking here is walking in the footsteps of our forebears, and you feel it. It was surprising how little the old routes we'd take had changed over a decade, Norris and I knew this place well. A stunning landscape, even in it's current desiccated state a lovely walk.

Bokerley Dyke

Believed to have originated in the Bronze Age, 3000 years or so later and Bokerley Dyke still remains a striking feature as it cuts through the sweeping chalk grassland of Martin Down in Cranborne Chase.

Martin Down

The Chase (Cranborne Chase) is a versatile landscape, a mosaic of woodland, grassland  and farmland, mostly arable, though some grazing. Today we were roaming Martin Down, an extensive tract of chalk grassland. This landscape has been favoured by our ancestors for thousands of years; they've hunted it, farmed it, occupied it and ritualized it, their works litter the land, layer over layer of rich history.  The photo is taken from a robbed out Bronze Age Round Barrow, whether robbed by 'archaeologists' in antiquity or by treasure hunters, I don't know off hand, although the scar left by their endeavours is clearly visible. Lovely day for walking, I was glad to have got out early, mind, as it was really warming up by late morning.  

Berry good

If you're of the school of thought or tradition that says, berries (sloe, hip, haw and so forth) should be, or are best, picked after the first proper frost, then now's your chance.  Frost still clings in the shadows this morning, puddles have opaque crusts and the shrubs are laden with useful fruits. Come fill your boots!

Cursus's end

The Dorset Cursus would have been a magnificent monument and expansive feature in the Neolithic landscape. Comprising of two joined sections, the Cursus is a linear feature of two parallel banks and ditches running for 10 km north east/south west across the undulating north Dorset landscape. For the most part nothing of this vast monument remains visible above ground. Though some of the associated features still remain visible. The earliest of these features are the Long Barrows, the focus of collect burial, these monuments pre-date or are contemporary with the Cursus, with one being incorporated in the bank. At the north eastern terminus of the Cursus are several Long Barrows, a couple of which are tree crowned, and when approached from the right direction create a striking silhouette on the rise. I love walking these archaeologically rich landscapes, and they don't come much richer than Cranborne; although the Cursus and Long Barrows are Neolithic, all the ages are represented. Bronze Age Barrows, earthworks and enclosures, Iron Age settlements and earthworks, a Roman road, right up to the mid 20th century military firing ranges, and evidence of the hunting and farming practices in-between. Fantastic. I really feel I'm walking in footsteps of the ancestors, in their landscapes, their monuments and activities come to life in my minds eye.

Return to Cranborne

It's been a few months since I walked over Cranborne way, and I couldn't have chosen a better day for my return.  Weather wise, it was my favourite type of winters day; the sky was clear, but for well spaced blobs of candy-floss cloud, which allowed the sun to show off it's growing strength, and the air was suitably chill, chill to the point where you could really feel it going down. Lovely. I approached Martin Down from the hamlet of Martin, I love the view or the chalk grassland as it rises up from this direction. Reaching the top of Martin Down's rough grassland, I could see the world of the Chase laid out before me, it's a splendid tapestry of mixed farmland with broad hedge lines, chalk downland and pockets of woodland. And it feels timeless. Criss crossed with rights of way, it's a landscape of boundless walking opportunities, and always the possibility of the surprising. 

Breather

A butterfly stops briefly for a breather on a Common Spotted Orchid before alighting once again to rejoin the aerial foray. 

Broomrape

Broomrape (Orobanche). I'm not certain which of the Orobanche family this is, although I think it's Knapweed Broomrape (Orobanche elatior). Broomrapes are parasitic plants, and having no chlorophyll, and so no green leaves or the ability to photosynthesise, it takes all its nutrition from its host plant. Listed as 'widespread though not common' it is not too common a sight in the places I walk, although here on Martin Down is one place I usually see it. An interesting plant on several levels. It's always a pleasure to spot the unusual.

Burnt Tip Orchids

Burnt Tip Orchids (Neotinea ustulata) on Martin Down. A really beautiful and rare (ish) sight, I counted 14 this year.

Roamin snail

One of Martin Downs roaming Roman snails. This one appeared to be marked with black paint, maybe as part of some wildlife research project. 

Cowslip

A few early colonizers are staking their claim, though soon the grassland of Martin Down will be swathed in an expanse of egg yolk yellow as beautiful Cowslips (Primula veris) take over, so much so that the land takes on a yellow hue. It's quite a sight to see.

Penbury Knoll

The views out over west Dorest and beyond from Penbury Knoll were fantastic this afternoon, and spring was certainly hinting heavily at what's to come. Gorse blazed bight yellow, green shoots and spring blooms poked up through the hedgerows, over the grassland and about the wooded dells. Bird song filled the air, hares darted across the fields and all around the land appeared alive with activity. The air was fresh and sweet, blown by a gentle breeze on which birds of prey soared. So peaceful, so natural, everything as it should be. It was bloody marvellous! So different from yesterday when I cycled around Bournemouth, all chaos and anger, choked up with its sticky, hot, dirty air.  From our hill top perch Dorset extended out before us, but you could see further, into Wiltshire and maybe beyond as well. At times like this I could just sit taking it in for hours.

Down and out

 And the hills they are hollow and home to the Fey, 

Who dance on Midsummer's Eve, 

Some people don't understand when I say, 

These are the things I believe.

Damh the Bard

Well these hill, whether still home to the Fey or not are certainly hollow. Like so many Bronze Age burial mounds these two on Martin Down near Bokerley Dyke show the scars of having been robbed out, historically. Many of these ancient monuments have legends associated with them, and many of those legends would have included stories of items of great wealth buried within. It could have been looters of any period, although more likely it was early antiquarians, and though the latter may have been the precursor to modern archaeologists their motivations shared more than a passing similarity to those of the the looters. Just described in more noble terms. Look at the collections in the British museums, a lot of that stuff wasn't donated, if you get my drift. And the moral of this I thought? Well, that nothing is sacred, nothing magical, nothing taboo and that all believes go out the window when there's capital, monetary or cultural involved. We can be quite shallow animals really.

Bench

Set on the exposed chalk grassland hillside of Martin Down is this memorial bench to a Dawn V Beedle on which are carved some fine words. 'Tread softly now the downland paths and let your spirit soar', Dawn V Beedle must have loved these downs. And why wouldn't you. Fine words indeed. It would surely be rude or disrespectful not to heed them.  So, I walked the downland paths, and indeed my spirit soared.  Autumn is turning to winter and with it the weather, chill winds raked the down over which the carrion birds hovered and crowed their songs, grey clouds threatened rain and even dropped a drip or two, and there was ever present that treat of worse weather lurking, that said, occasionally the Sun did brake through illuminating the landscape like a benevolently roaming Eye of Sauron, momentarily turning back time to late summer. Which was nice.  The land looks so bare, the woodlands skeletal. At this time of year every thing's opened up, you can see into those places, across and through those vistas which were shielded and shrouded at springs verdant growth. The last leaves are falling, as are any remaining fruits and you can feel that the land is taking a well deserved rest. There's beauty in all the seasons if you look.

Harebells

Ah, the Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), one the most delicate and beautiful of wildflowers, yet often found set in such exposed situations, is flowering in swathes across the chalk downs. Its flowers have the look of fragile pale blue crepe paper and are so wafer thin. The Harebell is often said to tremble in the breeze, though rocking to and fro in todays stiff wind it looked as if they were barely holding their ground. 

Summer fruits

I saw and picked my first ripe Blackberries of the season today.  Quiet early I thought for Blackberries, though the berries I picked were on the whole sweet and juicy, a few were a touch tart but not that it made eating the fruits unpleasant. It was great taking in the Sun and some of natures bounty. One of the joys of walking is the opportunity to forage as you go, just pastime now, although part of our very existence for hundreds of thousands of years. Blackberries have been found in prehistoric contexts dating back 8000 years or more, it wouldn't have been so long ago that individual, family and community seasonal foraging activities would have been common. Though sadly our disenfranchisement from nature during the second half of the 20th century has meant it remains only as an echo, a shadow of what it was, pursued by a minority. They don't know what they're missing out on.  It may sound strange, but I get a real feeling of connection when engaged with nature in this way, a feeling of timelessness continuity, engaging in the same activities as my ancestors and their ancestors before them, doing something human.  As I said, people don't know what they're missing. 

Burnt Tip Orchids

The Burnt Tip Orchids are beginning to flower and they're exquisite, each stem crammed with flower buds, each flower a marvel of intricate detail and rich colours. I've seen them nowhere else on the down and feel blessed to have stumbled across this group; I counted 18 stems today, all in a linear grouping no more than 10m by 3m; they really represent an isolated community. 

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue's (Polyommatus bellargus) darted about Martin Down this afternoon; this chalk grassland species is restricted to the South and Southeast of England where it's often spotted in large numbers. When its wings are closed it's near impossible to see, but when its wings open its shock of blue stands out clearly amongst the prevailing greens.

Martin Down

Windmill Hill from Bokerley Dyke, as it crosses Martin Down; nice.

Grim's Ditch

Grim's Ditch appears to be a generic name given to several lengths of prehistoric earthen bank and ditch works from around the country; why they're named such and what the origins or purpose of these sections of earthwork were, remains a mystery. This Grim's Ditch runs through Martin Down on the Hampshire/Dorset border, near to where it joins Bokerley Dyke; though there's some conjecture as to whether they represent different features or are part of the same bank and ditch monument, just one (Bokerley) being more developed or reworked at some point. It's thought to have it's origins in the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age, a time of developing conflict, with a growing population and territorial disputes; interestingly, during the same period we see the early development of that iconic of Iron Age monuments, the hillfort, develop. What  the exact purpose was, and land tenure would sure have been part, Grim's Ditch is a great prehistoric feature running through some stunning landscape. From up here on the down, it's easy to see why this landscape, rich, varied and bountiful has remained so desirable and popular since prehistory.