Foggy discovery

Thankfully able to get out of the house on what turned into a foggy and damp day. Only managed a short walk on the hunt for the legendary Long Stone which is a megalithic structure near Minchinhampton.

I’ve been aware of the stone for a couple of years but never bothered to visit as I heard it was a bit of a pain to locate but it really wasn’t. The big issue was walking along a fast road with no pavement in foggy conditions. It was ok but thankfully we left well before the light started to fade, otherwise we would have had to abandon plans till another day. The stone itself is in the corner of a farmer’s field and very close to the Gatcombe Estate where Princess Anne lives. I don’t know the area very well even though I could theoretically walk there from my home.

The stone itself is about 2 metres high and was covered in a yellow lichen and pretty dewy cobwebs. Someone had stuck an unlit candle in it and, I assume from the stare the local farmer gave me, they may get gatherings of people up there doing all sorts of things that don’t fill him with joy!

One of the legends is that the stone runs around the field at night and another is that if you pass your baby through one of the larger holes then it will be protected from catching the measles or suffering form whooping cough. Looking at the size of the holes I’d suspect that you’d be at great risk of having to call the fire brigade out if you tried that.

There were quite a lot of people out in Minchinhampton either walking or exercising and lots of people said hello and seemed very friendly.

It was quite nice to be walking in the fog. We don’t often have days that are foggy all day long and I like how everything can look so soft and feel that bit calmer and quieter.

Went to a farm shop afterward to pick up some cabbage and allouette potatoes (new favourite). You pay by leaving money in an honesty box so no need to think about masks and social distancing.