Last year I did a post on White Horse Hill and told you of some of the Legends surrounding them. One place I did not get to see on that occasion was Wayland Smithy so today I will remedy that and show you what I missed on that occasion. Wayland Smithy is situated just off the Ridgeway path (about a mile of so away from White Horse Hill & Uffington Castle) and is a Neolithic Burial Chamber my wife & I walked along to it on a Sunny morning
So this is Uffington Castle White Horse Hill is over to the left out of site
This the ridgeway that you walk along if you come from Blowingstone Hill, it's quite rough in this part
The other side is not so bad
and seems to go on for ever
Eventually you come to where the Smithy is situated
You will notice these concrete blocks in the way. They are to stop 4X4's driving further along the Byway and to save it getting churned up. Shame they don't stop the landowners with their tractors they do more damage
Still stopping them keeps it is good condition
anyway you get your first view of Wayland Smithy
And this is it
The front of the Burial chamber
you can get in part of it though my wife & I remember being able to go inside more of it in the past
It's what they call a Long Barrow
and is long
So now for the legend. If you leave your horse outside the Smithy at night with a silver coin (Grote) then in the morning you will find it freshly shod . You can read a more detailed version in Berkshire History's
Have a good Easter
You chose a gorgeous sunny day for your walk. We are so fortunate in this country to have so much of our heritage preserved. Very informative post with great photos Bill. Have a good Easter.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of this place before. Thanks for taking us along.
ReplyDeletePerfect for a day of exploring. Wonderful shots.
ReplyDeleteThat's the sort of place I'd enjoy visiting!
ReplyDelete