REVEALING THE SECRETS of a Stone Circle in Shropshire.

[Music] so let me tell you a story so many books so many stones where is it going to be then where are we gonna take you on this little adventure this be the first one ever since I made that video when I took those of you who watched it down to Kent that was exciting wasn't it no stones involved at all was just collecting the the camping conversion thing to go in the back of the car so I could take you on some adventures so choosing the first place to go has been more difficult than I thought anyway I've made a decision after all this time I'm taking you to Mitchell's fold where Michels fold that's where mixels fold well I'm talking to a lot of stoners aren't I so I gather there's a I guess there's a fair percentage of you know what and where Michels folders but for those who don't it's a moderate stone circle in Wales or is it still in Shropshire not quite sure even if it's not in Wales it still has spectacular views over words and as you can probably see you probably tell it's a very nice day because I'm wearing my sunglasses that makes chase the first really nice date of the year and the first time that I've got out properly to start making a proper travelogue film so if it turns a whole ride at the moment I'm headed north on the m5 just trying to struggle through Birmingham loads of roadworks with Jam but you don't want to know about that so I'll get on with a journey and sue in Wales or was it ruptured by actually you know what and it was a bit outside of our dream but it seems silly when there's interesting things you know along the route that we could visit and we we are the antiquarian Channel after all so see if this works out hey Siri give me directions to rock sitter getting directions seven miles exit 17 winning yep it's not too far out of the way so what does this got to do with us but it's something interesting I don't know if I'll be able to take any photography there but it's something along the way interesting so we've ended up after a rather a halt which I won't involve you in on a peaceful country road in Shropshire and which way slide point the camera first here's not something it's something you don't see every day rather fancy roman villa if you turn around the other way this friends is the remains believe it or not of the fourth largest Roman town in Britain trying to think what the other ones are York obviously London not Cheltenham am I thinking of anyway it'll come to me and this one no interesting thing is I that was a theory once upon a time that this may have been our Thurs Camelot that they took it over well after the Romans left and it was the they took it over as the capital of Britain or at least whatever tribe Arthur was representing third time I don't know if it holds any weight or not always tend to think of Arthur being associated with with Cornwall but there's lots of evidence you know in these Welsh border areas for our Furion battles and that kind of thing so this is all off the top of my head and haven't done any research recently but I do remember reading and being quite convinced at the time so yeah maybe you're looking at Camelot anyway there we have it a little bit bit of an extra it looks like quite a nice place than that anyway this has been rather a long detour I hope the Sun is still shining when I actually get to Mitchell's fold better get back on the road how perfect is that I'm willing to call town so here's the thing do you think those good people of hope all about laughing every time I say we live in hope I do you think they've got bored of it by now at a small mark I don't think I'd get bored of it [Music] I've just tell you the reason them coming here actually is become worse the last time I tried to get me to Mitchell's fold to take footage to take photographs for you I crested the brow the hill just walking up the lane and in the distance I could see many white robed figures the only assumption I could make was that there was a some kind of druid ceremony going on and not being want to disrupt druid so his unannounced I really felt I had to turn back so this is it this is revenge this is by the Drude River hinge hopefully would be fascinating to see if they're up there now like look a bit silly wouldn't it [Music] it's not right here we are turning off the road again a sign on the side circle raise your head [Music] according to colleagues Google Maps as a car park at the end [Music] oh my goodness well I don't think they're true ceremonies going on but I'm not alone such a beautiful evening as notes I wouldn't expect to be alone sir [Music] yes [Music] Wow [Music] suddenly of course after all that frantic driving it's suddenly very quiet this is the first time I've been up here I didn't get this far when I saw druids over there oh I can just see the English Heritage noticeboard has come into view Oh wonderful wonderful because the stones are bigger than I've been led to believe not very many of them great well made it wonderful wonderful there are first things first I think we might have a which turned to stone situation here would you reckon this is the biggest biggest stone of the circle so first impressions of this is the stone circle itself it's not that impressive but then I wasn't expecting an impressive stone circle in and of itself what's amazing about this place first and foremost is where it is really I mean just just look at that they are looking in over into Wales or take some other photography to give you a better idea of how that's that's looking up rather than in in this shot but we're very lucky very lucky indeed to have this this weather now I turn round that way behind see those two Hills over in the the background there they're covered in Cairns and barrows down in the valley down there there was another stone circle which has been destroyed in somewhere nearby there's a or used to be an axe Factory so making this not merely just a not merely a stone circle but a complex and quite an interesting one to decipher at that so anyway I'm going to return to the car now say bye-bye to the witch turned to a stone for the moment of course one important thing you need to see of course is the camping car being put to proper use so this is the first time I really sort of camped open use it properly for the first time cool [Music] hello this is me in the dark 200 yards from the stone circle on the Upper Hill in Wales cooking tortellini in fact I think I think they're over dunnock see that's not the sound what you'd think it is group up mm-hmm good doing a little salt pepper on parmesan but hey Cheers good morning well this is exciting what time is it past 5:00 in the morning sun's not up yet but at least I'm awake so I should get some photography done the kettle's on as he just seen and I'll just have a cup of tea and some porridge and I'll get up up back up the hill back up to the stones and see what I can see orange melon hurry up Lou or else I'll miss the light do I look a bit stupid than women it's just six o'clock as far as I can tell and I'm on schedule to be at the stones for sunrise it's blue in Chile but hey part of the course that's what I signed up for I guess all in the name of bringing you some nice film each and oh good morning good morning good morning [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] when I knew I was going to be coming up here I kind of assumed that the the prime motivator was to make one of my little stone escapes and a little video portrait of Mitchell's fold set to music but you know having been here for some time and wandering about I'm getting used to how it presents it so I don't think I'm going to sorry that if that's a disappointment but I think I'd be stretching the point if I did because with the the stone scape portrait the the the beauty is in the detail being able to relate the stones look at the individual stones look at their relationship to the the foliage the surroundings immediate surroundings and and it's an environment but because Mitchell's followed the stone circle itself is put anywhere else you know you'd think well you know what's the big deal this place is about the landscape I mean as I said before if I was going to compare it to anywhere I'd compare this stone circle to Castle Rica and that's an extraordinary place wouldn't hesitate for a moment to do a stone scape of that you know because the stones themselves are so characterful but here they're a little dim mean they're a little diminished shall we say and the real story I guess about this site is the fact that it is a complex that it's related to you know burials nearby there's another stone circle down the road well not anymore there isn't and the astonishing views and especially on a on a day like today so long story short I don't think I'll be doing filming for a stone scape I don't think it'd be a good idea to put the drone up anyway with a sheep nearby farmers coming backwards and forwards and that kind of thing I think I'll leave the landscape peaceful Cheers so let me tell you a story the local people round here survived on the milk of a fairy cow once upon a time she could produce endless milk as long as no one tried to fill more than one bucket but hearing of this a witch milked her into a sieve and continued until the cow dried up and departed in protest at this ill-treatment now the witch was turned to stone for her spite and the other stones were set up around her to pen her in another story it tells of a local farmer who blew up some of the stones must have been quite recently to use some of those stones to to line up pond but afterwards he was said to prosper no more let that be a dreadful warning to us all well that's it I think my duty here is done as I say I don't think I can there's much to be gained from making a particular film with music about them because I can't do justice to the landscape look this is about this is the best I can do this is fun isn't it oh it's just a fantastic place but the stones knit I suppose I could count them one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven that's not counting the recumbent down there which I think actually was a upright obviously once upon a time and was comparable in size to the big one there and would have would have made a portal entrance I suppose so anyway that's it that's Mitchell's fold I hope you're inspired enough to make a visit one day make it on a good day though make it on a good clear day because it's all about the view up here it's all about the landscape right beside me here we've got the English Heritage plaque which it says the stone circle was constructed in the Bronze Age over 3,000 years ago using dollar right stones from nearby Stapley Hill staple yeah I think it's that little pimple you can see just above the plaque there but over 3,000 years that seems young to me don't buy it it's dated to the Bronze Age according to the plaque but then again like the Cumbrian circles it seems to be associated with an axe factory nearby now if that's the case axe trade was a Neolithic activity was it not the sort of the clues in the name a bit once we got bronze surely the trade in stone axes is going to cease anyway maybe it's just me being an amateur and not knowing his stuff making stuff up I don't know but it needs looking at leads investigating out of people date stone circles are they reliable at all hmm homework [Music] not so fast I haven't left yet do you know why no of course you don't look you see see that hill up behind me there I've just discovered that is the source of pick right the stone used for axe making battle axes particularly I'm told anyway I can't really leave without going up that hill I've just come down the hill from the carpark coming down to the bottom of the Lane but leads up to Mitchell's fold turn the camera around into this field here apparently once upon a time there was a stone circle here now completely gone anyway that's where we're headed what you got a remember of course it's on I'm doing this so you don't have to [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] well so I guess the question is it's been worth it climbing all the way up here well I feel great I didn't halfway up and let mind telling you but the view from up here is quite spectacular down there is Mitchell's fold and tan there I can see the car but I suppose the point of making this journey is you know I didn't expect to find a quarry or any stone axes up here but it's just knowing I've done it and getting a sense of the landscape and [Applause] standing with stones I suppose it's only by being here standing with them that we can get beginning to get an idea of what they were truly all about I suppose and yes standing here is an education this landscape meant something to them whether it was commercial who knows axis they didn't trade the pic right stone ax is quite so far as stuff from Langdale perhaps but nevertheless the presence of this complex here speaks volumes so Mitchell's fold bit more than a diminutive stone circle quite special [Music]

Channel: The Prehistory Guys

Views: 7,242

Keywords: standing with stones, thestonestalk, michael bott, rupert soskin, podcast, archaeology, ancient history, megalithic, neolithic, bronze age, standing stones, stone circles, burial sites, long barrows, ancient history podcast, neolithic europe, neolithic art, neolithic man, megalithic sites, megalithic archaeology, megalithic culture, megalithic europe, megalithic monuments, stonehenge, avebury, heritage, ancient heritage

Id: kylfkoharGA

Length: 28min 12sec (1692 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 06 2019