Historical evidence in ones hand

My trial version of some HDR software ends tomorrow, so I thought I would try some more experiments with bracketed exposures. I had been meaning to visit the stream, which runs down from the Heavens, an area across the valley behind our house, as the abundant rain would mean the waterfall would be in spate.

I brought my kit, including a rather heavy tripod, and set up on the ancient trackway which winds around the head of the combe. The waterfall runs down vigorously, slowly eroding the hillside backwards through the layers of limestone, clay and the Fullers Earth. The trackway crosses the stream at the point where the waterfall ends on encountering a harder layer of stone, and the slope of the land flattens out to become a more winding stream across the meadows.

I'm disappointed as my images really weren't very good for HDR purposes, because of the shadows cast by the woodland and my inability to find the right spot for my tripod on the steep slope. It was very warm and humid with the sun coming intermittently between the banks of cloud. I packed up my gear and wandered back along the track. As I looked down along the valley formed by the stream I noticed a man with his dog in the distance, standing beside the stream.

I called out when I realised it was Neil, my near neighbour, who is a trained archeologist and has been investigating the history of the landscape behind our houses in the Horns valley. He has taken me on walks around these woods and fields showing me his findings and his conjectures. We enjoy our discussions and had been due to meet again so it was timely to see him here.

Neil walked up the stream to meet me and when he approached he seemed very happy. While walking his dog he had been digging about in the ground and had discovered a piece of old pottery in the soil which he showed to me. He thinks it may well be Roman in origin which, if he can verify its origins, will add fuel to both of our views that there were Roman settlements close by, probably in the small valley behind him. What an exciting find.

This view is looking westwards towards Stroud town, with the stream in the background running down to join the Lime brook, about three hundred yards further on, which then flows down to join the River Frome at Bowbridge. The houses you can just see in the background are where we live.