Wayland Smithy

 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