A short walk to the Neolithic.

My health is recovering pretty well so I’m going to do what I promised to do a few months ago, crank up the Sherborne Time Machine to full charge and host a short “walk and talk” at 1100 on Saturday 1 November (the day after Halloween). It being All Hallows Day, (the day after Halloween), it gives us the best chance of completing the time travel unscathed…or at least unbothered I hope by ancient spirits.

The walk is entirely on public footpaths. We will also have a speaker from the Sherborne Archives who will talk about the local and remarkable folklore of the features we will visit.

We’ll visit a spooky spot that I’m certain is the site of an unrecognised 5500 year old Neolithic Burial mound - mostly but not completely ploughed out - and the megalithic orthostats that remain there. It’s a very special place with remarkable and curious folklore attached to it. You can make your own judgement on my assessment and the stories associated with this liminal site. But I guarantee the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up, and you’ll feel a shiver in your spine.

We’ll then follow the ancient Anglo-Saxon defined “Hundred” Boundary (1250 years old) downhill.

We’ll then conclude on the road at Ducklestone Mill where I’ll talk about the indomitable Mrs Cross, Sherborne’s last miller. After that you are free to walk back into the village along the road after you have unfastened yourself from the Time Machine.

So:

Date: 1 November

Time: 1100. It should take us about an hour and a half as we stop to discuss certain features.

Location: Meet at the driveway entrance to Oranges Farm. You may be able to park at Ewepen car park (NT)

Duration: Less than an hour

Distance: About a mile and a half, maybe 2 depending on your route back

Weather: If it rains, it rains.

Please let me know if you intend to come - it helps manage my expectations on numbers.

The walk is at your own risk. If you get dragged into the underworld or the ancient past, it’s on you….