Part 3: A Climb To The Ancestors
Part 3: A Climb To The Ancestors
Being surrounded by so many ancient sites, of Settlements, Forts and Standing Stones, we embarked on a visit to the top of a local hill where there are remains of both a Settlement and a Fort. These close appointed sites were joined in purpose for Ancestors, living day to day and for defence in the event of attacks.
A cool day saw us treading up a timber clad hillside, along tracks washed bare by incessant rainwater and overflowing rivulets, to expose ancient underlying stone. Encountering many beautiful natural sights extended the time to reach our destination, but well worth the delay.
Along the way:
Amid modern forestry methods are some trees with their soft green moss-clad trunks escorting the visitor along a path, past naturally formed rainwater channels which continue down to empty into a far off river.
The pine-stripped hillside still leaves wonders of nature as a new life, in the shape of a very young spruce, struggles successfully to grow amongst a long forgotten stack of hewn timber seemingly abandoned by the wayside.
Now forlorn the ‘farmed’ trees, cut and neatly stacked poignant in their plight, lying ready for sawmills. However the cleared landscape now reveals sights previously enjoyed by our ancestors, far reaching views along the wide Glen. Look closely across the river, you can see the remnants of a circle of stones some of which have been lost beneath the changing path of the river.
On to the Fort which stands proud, its round earthworks still clearly discernible although now fronted by tree tops which would not have been there long ago.
A mere 50 meters away, uphill in a straight line from the Fort, a lone visitor stands amidst the remains of the Settlement, perhaps communicating with the ancestors who once inhabited this site.
The photographs illustrate the ‘Climb to The Ancestors’.
