Day Trip to Kent

Took a quick run down to Little Kit's Coty yesterday to grab the photos that were ruined on our New Year's Day trip.

Regarding parking, I'd suggest following the sign to the Kit's Coty Brasserie (drop down off the A229, past the pub then immediate right (back to the A229) then immediate right again). Small car park on the crest. Walk the rest of the road, then cross the road at the junction and follow the steps down straight to Kit's Coty. No good for the Countless Stones though, unless you enjoy a walk.

This was a repeat visit after my New Year's Day trip which resulted in corrupted photos (see my entry for the Chestnuts). I think I must be fated as, having checked 3 sets of batteries the previous night, 2 sets were dead when I got there! Changing camera batteries in the rain is not a pleasant experience...

Anyway, the stones seemed very sad, sitting alone on the edge of the field, caged as they are. There was a lot more site damage compared to my visit on the 1st. Lots of chalked graffitti - childishly scrawled pentagrams probably reflecting the mental age of the idiots who do this kind of thing. Some flowers (memorial wreaths) had been left outside the railings - easily moved, but they seemed very fresh so I left them as they were. The worst damage was at the 'back', against one of the uprights where it looked as if someone had tried to dig a small pit against the base of the stone. I suppose, trying to be reasonable, this damage is minor compared to the 19c names and dates carved into the stones, and to the much more major damage of having had the full burial mound removed which left the uncovered stones as they can be seen today. For all that, I wish these idiots would just leave them as they are, to be enjoyed.

Whilst there, we also popped into the Countless Stones, but I was unsuccessful in finding the White Horse Stone - it's not clearly marked on my map, and the footpaths were extremely muddy and slippery in the rain. Didn't bother with Addington or Coldrum this time round - there's always another day. Rushed back and had a wonderful Thai meal in Welling on the way home.

Time for a Resolution

Looking back at last year, I visited a lot of sites so I guess I'd better use this weblog to record my travels. Over the Yuletide break, my partner and I did a bit of travelling around. First off, we went up to Derbyshire and visited the Nine Ladies of Stanton Moor, before trekking over to Arbor Low. The weather was atrocious, but I managed to take a couple of moody photos of the stones before heading back to London.

Made my first visit to the Ladies last weekend. And what a weekend! Continuous rain and heavy mist/low cloud made for a magical visit. Like a fool, I got the approach wrong and started out from the base camp at the base of the quarry. You have to admire the protesters, living in those conditions! The climb was extremely muddy and quite difficult, but I eventually made it to the top, soaked to the skin.Due to the weather I couldn't stay as long as I wanted, nor could I explore the rest of the moor, but I took some photos and made it back to the car safely. From what I could see (shrouded in the mist), this is a wonderful site, quite breathtaking in it's splendour. I'd read quite a bit about the restoration work to be undertaken and was prepared to be disappointed, but the conditions I saw it in were optimal, and the site was simply awe inspiring. Maybe I'll have to visit in fine weather to be disappointed?

Kent was on the itinery for New Years Day, and we took in Little Kit's Coty, the Countless Stones and the Addington Long Barrow. I did the tour of The Chestnuts at Addington, but something weird happened when I did the dowsing thing because the photos in my digital camera were all corrupted. I guess that means another trip to Kent at some point soon ;-)I intend getting a GPS unit as soon as I can get the money together, to help me find some of the more hidden sites. We intend going down to Cornwall in March, so I'll try to have it by then, and hopefully I'll actually find Zennor Quoit this time round!

Popped down to the London Stone at lunchtime, just to get my fix for the next couple of weeks when I won't be able to get out anywhere...

A very undignified way for the Stone to be treated. People in the lunchtime rush looked at me as if I were mad, taking photos of a wall of a bank! I'm sure none of them had ever looked to see what was there...The Stone seemed to be screaming to be let free. Given the planning permission mentioned in the News Article last year, it looks as if its wish may be granted, but I couldn't see any signs or notices in place, so maybe they've put the plans back. Does anyone have a better notion of timing for the demolition?I'll have to make sure I get down here a bit more regularly in the lunch hour, now I know exactly where it is, to make sure the Stone isn't forgotten and doesn't get lonely, trapped in its cage.