South Dorset Ridgeway

The head-high barley was cut a couple of days ago so the view along the ridgeway is back again. The lumps in the foreground are bronze age barrows. Visible a mile away, behind and to the right of the barrows, are the earth ramparts of the huge iron age hill fort called Maiden Castle (which was neither a fort nor castle and has nothing to do with maidens). The spike on the horizon between the barrows, and about 5 miles away, is Hardy's Monument, erected in memory of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, a local lad and flag captain to Admiral Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar.

That's about 3000 years of history in one photograph taken at dusk with K3 + Sigma 105mm macro.

Thoughts, comments etc. welcome as usual.




Steve

The composition is excellent and the overall colour theme gives a wonderful warm, peaceful post-harvest feel to it.
"Head high" barley suggests it was 5 feet tall? Eh?

Thanks
It really was. The ears were level with mine. Never seen it so high before. And during a very dry couple of months, too.

Steve

Really easy on the eye. And trust me, this is not simply damning with faint praise

Jon

You've got it! It's one of a few places on the circuit to stop and take in the view - and know that I'm just the latest person in thousands of years to be doing so.

Steve

Really like this shot Steve - A nice, dark bronze look to the Bronze-Age barrows. Bet it looks really good at a larger size

Brings back memories. I lived less than a mile from that viewpoint before moving to Devon just under two years ago.

What a lovely shot!
Been to Maiden Castle many times, and walked chunks of the Ridgeway. We used to live in Wantage and with friends we would along different parts of it.
We were talking of doing the full thing, from Lyme to Hunstanton, but life got in the way and we are too decrepit to do that now - not uses to hills any more .

Nevertheless hopefully I will be able to visit again one of these years.

Lovely feel to this, Steve. One can sense the mood.

Very peaceful.