Ancient Stones in Shropshire

[spindrift]

Last weekend I drove up to Shropshire in the north of England. My friends live close to the Long Mynd walk (of 6 kms) on the high moorland of the Shropshire hills. I leapt at the opportunity to see the fabled Bronze Age Stiperstones. In an area probably most famous for its myths and legends, the Stiperstones' ability to inspire writers and artists owes much to its geology. Mary Webb and DH Lawrence are among those who have felt a special connection with the landscape.

The remarkable ridge of the Stiperstones is made of quartzite, an extremely hard, crystalline rock which sparkles in the sun.

This rock was formed around 510 million years ago, when this would have been a white sandy beach or shallow sea. The character of the landscape also owes much to the Ice Age. The freezing process shattered the rocks, building up layers of rough scree and creating jagged outcrops. Bronze Age (2400 BC - 700BC) people buried their dead up on the ridges which must also have been ideal locations for look-outs.

It is true to say that I felt a compulsion to walk up and onto the ridge even though it was raining heavily. I brought a small stone back from near the top and I have put it in my garden to bring me luck. to protect me.




The Stiperstones in the distance.. pity about the rain.

[spindrift]

I climbed up closer. The rocks were slippery with lichen and rain.



I was nothing if not determined . My host felt he had to follow me along with his whippet! My hostess refused to budge from the car.

There was a cloud-burst overhead - rain splattered onto my lens. I could see for miles in every direction.

I climbed down with regret. I wished I had been up there by myself.

Down in the valleys the sun briefly came out

The few houses up there are built with the local stones.

[lola]

Beautiful, Spindrift. Are some of those formations cairns, then?

[imec]

What a beautiful look at rural England spindrift - thanks so much!

(I used to live not all that far from here in Cheshire - but don't recall ever seeing this area)

[spindrift]

Lola - Yes, there are cairns up there but the weather was so bad that I didn't have time to look around. I was afraid that my best woolen hat would be ruined! The Heathland notice does say that Bronze Age people were buried up there. I wonder whether some are still there?

Imec - you lived in Chesire? well well

[bixaorellana]

What dreamy wild beauty this is, Spindrift!

I'm sure being in the rain must have been uncomfortable, but it made for wonderful pictures. My first thought was, "what a shame she couldn't have seen it in proper respectful solitude." I see you felt the same. I so hope you have a chance to return.

Is "back to purple" a reference to heather?

[spindrift]

Is "back to purple" a reference to heather?

Bixa, I've never heard of that saying...

It IS wild beauty! I love it it up there. I'd like to stay in a little stone cottage in the heart of the moors. My friends told me that people either love or hate Shropshire. Some move up there but have to leave after a while. They feel they can't 'take' it. I am sure that wild energies abound in the area. When I arrived at the Stones I said 'hello' and when I left I said 'goodbye' and felt a little foolish but I'm probably just mad.

[Deleted]

I can't think of any more appropriate time to go walking in such places than in the rain. It multiplies the stark beauty. Wet stone has much more character than dry stone, which is why some people think the buildings of Paris are far more spectacular on rainy days.

[bixaorellana]

Spindrift, it's from the Nature Reserve notice in your OP, the last paragraph:


Thanks for expounding on how the area affects people. Yes, yes -- I can identify with your attraction to the place and feeling you needed to formally acknowledge the Stones.

[spindrift]

Oh dear! I hadn't read that far down the page.... There is plenty of heather up there so it has to refer to it. It is not in bloom yet but the gorse is.

[Deleted]

Just wonderful pictures, Spinddrift! I can just imagine living on top of that hill and looking down an all that beautiful rolling countryside.

That last picture with the stone house, is it still in use in some way? I wonder how old it is?

[spindrift]

the old stone house is next to, perhaps adjoining, an old pub. These are hidden away in a remote valley with a river flowing past. Unfortunately I couldn't get out of the car to take more pictures because my host's whippet was in the back with me, he had put the child locks on and wouldn't release them in case the whippet ran off and never came back. It was most frustrating. That whippet goes everywhere with them. to make matters worse the Jeep had blacked-out windows.

[komsomol]

Isn't that a barn instead of a house?

[spindrift]

yes, it is a barn or store-house...sorry.

[Deleted]

Oh it's a barn. I though maybe it was used as a small house at one time. In the UK there is quite a big business in converting old barns isn't there? Larger one mostly though.

[spindrift]

Yes, Deyana, it could have been anything...

[Deleted]

Would have been an awful house with the big hole in the door!

[frenchmystiquetour]

What a beautiful and evocative place Spindrift. I've been to several similar areas in France with ancient cairns, menhirs or dolmens. I liked the line in the sign saying "When the clouds come down, the Devil sits in his Chair". A place like that certainly would give rise to a lot of ages old legends. Oddly enough, I am just returning from a rainy megalith hunting trip this afternoon. The instant my wife and I pulled our car up to a trail leading to a dolmen, the rain began. She stayed in the car as I ran (or slipped in the mud mostly) up a forested hill to try and find the dolmen. Of course there were no signs in the woods pointing to its location and about a dozen trails but I did find it after searching for about 20 minutes. Once in front of it my camera wouldn't take a non-blurry photo, my wife's repeated cell phone calls to me (wondering what was taking me so long) wouldn't connect and then I sort of got lost trying to get out of the woods. As soon as I got back to the car the rain stopped. I think somebody was testing my determination.

[Deleted]

The local spirits were just telling you to come back on a better day.

[spindrift]

I've decided to send back to Shropshire the stone I took from the Stiperstones ridge. I don't want more bad luck . See how superstitious I am!
My Shropshire friends will be visiting me in June. I shall ask them to replace the stone.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Kerouac - Yeah, the local spirits sure do know how to give a hint.

Spindrift - Try throwing some salt over your shoulder. See if that changes your luck.

[spindrift]

^ - I'll do that, FMT

[frenchmystiquetour]

Oh yeah, you better check if it's the right shoulder or the left shoulder. Throwing it over the wrong shoulder could have a negative impact.

[spindrift]

[Deleted]

I was admiring these nice and cool photos again as we begin to build up to a new heat wave...

[spindrift]

This week my Shropshire friends came to stay and I was able to give them my Stiperstone and they will replace it where I found it on the top of the ridge. I'm glad that I've sent it back to where it came from.