The first of many (hopefully)

 

Just had an email through with the first 'geocachers' doing two of my walks in the same day! I've not had feed back yet but hope they had a good time. I will include any images and comments on the site when appropriate.

But thought it would be good to put these pictures up of the church door at Stoke Pero. A beautiful place which is Anglo Saxon in age, and has great barrel vaulted ceiling. It's the highest parish church on the moor and overlooks the valley where 'the last queen' story walk resides.

Nobody knows what these words say, so if you do then you should get in touch. I am sure it's something like keep quiet, or please close the door it's drafty on the moor! The door is actually quite dark and tricky to see but the photos really show the carvings pretty well.

It is definitely worth a stop by if you are doing the last queen walk.

Faery brew and The Heather Drink

I found this bottle at the end of 'The Last Queen' walk in Horner woods. At first I thought, oh there's some litter, I'll take it home and put it in the recycling rather than leave it here spoiling a beautiful spot. But then I noticed it was not that new, the glass looks hand made and the words sandblasted onto the glass were unique.

This is no bottle discarded into the hedge by louts this is a piece of art placed in this special place. The engraving says 'A woodland house in a row of three' does anyone know what it is and why it was there?

I do know that I am not the first artist to do a trail in this place and am intrigued to find those who have trod the path before and pick their brains.

I thought I might brew some special beer (when I've given it a proper clean!!) ready for another walk. It does remind me of a story I used to tell around schools and festivals called The Heather Drink. It was based on a Scottish legend about the Picts who were early medieval people living in the highlands and brewed a drink from the purple heather.

It was said to taste like nothing on earth and anyone who tasted just a drop would become free hearted, fearless and fair. It's one of those great stories that has it's feet on some good historical truths and blends them with true storytelling guile. Ask me and I shall be happy to share it with you, and in return you could share your heather drink with me.

The last cache and the Billy Witch

Well, all three logs are now in place, the files are dressed up and in their requisite locations and all that’s needed now is storywalkers!

On Monday I dropped off the last cache box in Culbone woods and found one of these bugs. They are huge, the one in the photo I took the day before as it had been trying to fly through our kitchen window. They are called Cockchafers (I kid you not!! have a look at this Wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockchafer ) though I like the name Billy Witch more.


Apparently they were serious pests back in the days before pesticides eating oak leaves mainly, and in ancient Greece children used to tie muslin to the bugs feet and watch them fly in spirals! When this one opened it's wings I was surprised at it's inability to fly up, it just seemed to kamikaze around into the lights (which we then turned off) and he then kamikazed into us!!

 When we dropped the cache and log book off, there were so many people walking the woods it was quite a surprise. One couple suggested it was like Blackpool promenade! Great the woods are walked though and a little shame that the tea making shack of yester year is no longer there at Culbone.

This is round the back of the church, and it's not the best picture but you can see a little chap with pointy ears and a long piggy nose. We wondered if all the residents of Culbone looked like this at one time!

And finally Art on the trail, this walk is so rich in many ways and to find impromptu art just on the path is very refreshing.