The Long Stone

“We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life.”
Ray Bradbury
Our last full day on the island and the weather forecast is more promising so a spontaneous last-minute wander out to The Long Stone, believed to be the remains of a Neolithic long barrow.
As we drove away from our cottage in bright sunshine and headed west along the coast there was an ominous grey veil over the Solent. By the time we’d reached the turning for the site it was throwing it down, hail, snow, the works. Another couple of miles and it had cleared, enough for us to decide to take the walk up from Mottistone to the site. The name Mottistone is thought to derive from the Saxon ‘moot’, moot-stone, or meeting place.
Shrouded in myth and mystery, the stone is all that remains, although probably not in its original position, the barrow having been damaged and excavated over the years. It’s thought bodies were laid out as carrion, and when picked clean the bones were interred in the long barrow. The area is rich in history, with an Iron age enclosure on the nearby hillside (right of the stones) and Bronze Age burial mounds.
Great views across the coastline from the top, which heralded another shower heading in from the west so we headed back to the safety of the car and headed off to The Wight Mouse Inn, a C17th coaching Inn, for a late lunch. By the time we’d settled in the shower hit – glad to be indoors.
Enough excitement for the day, we had packing to do for our 7.30am ferry back to the mainland tomorrow.