Week 10: Stonehenge to Highclere — A Crooked Trail or Two

Since August 13, when the Cameron Peak fire broke out, my virtual run from Land’s End to John O’Groats has shifted into mainly a virtual row, erging my way overland, up Great Britain.

Air quality in northern Colorado continues to be poor, as the Cameron Peak Fire continues to burn. We had a few “Air Quality Action Day Advisories” in the past week when the air was particularly bad, and other days when the reports just said “unhealthy.” Do these distinctions matter?

Personally, I’m opting for what I consider the safer option, staying indoors, given that I only have two lungs and am hoping I can make them last however long the rest of me does. So I’m doing my best to make peace with the rower, despite my decades-long love/hate relationship with it. (I came across this meme which I think captures the camaraderie of rowers perfectly!)

But the brilliant thing about erging is that it DOES seem to maintain aerobic fitness well; last week after the snow came through and the air cleared a bit — and I was able to get out on the trail for a couple of runs — I was pleasantly surprised to still feel pretty fit on the trail, despite nearly a month without any running. So, thank you, Concept2… while I’d much rather be out on the trail than erging in my garage, I’m grateful to have this option to help me stay sane.

The other bit of good news is that the weather has been (at least somewhat) cooperative, so the firefighters have made some progress. After about a month of zero-to-4% containment, the fire is now about 15% contained. All of us in this region (and across the West) continue to be amazed by the very, very tough work wildland firefighters do, and I hope they are able to stay safe and healthy.

So… back to Great Britain…

We started the week at Stonehenge, which of course is a global icon of prehistoric ingenuity. But the first point of interest we passed after Stonehenge — Woodhenge — is less well known, though it represents part of an ongoing series of discoveries in and around the Stonehenge site.

It wasn’t until 1926 that Woodhenge was discovered, when this aerial photograph of a wheat field revealed six concentric circles in the soil. When the site was excavated, these dark spots turned out to be empty sockets that had formerly held large upright timbers.

1926 photo posted at the Stonehenge Stone Circle news page. Woodhenge is the dark circles just to the left of the center of the photo.

An artist’s imagining of what the Woodhenge site may have looked like in Neolithic times.

Though it is impossible to know for certain how the site was used, the presence of human and animal remains, as well as the careful placement of the timbers, suggests the site had a spiritual, ceremonial purpose.

A successful patient of the Hawk Conservancy Trust is released back into the wild.

A baby kestrel being examined and banded by the Hawk Conservancy Trust

Next up on the route this week is the Hawk Conservancy Trust, which educates the public about birds of prey, while also serving as a treatment and rehabilitation site for injured birds. The Trust also leads projects that simultaneously engage the public and help raptors, like the Nest Box Project (which supplements existing nesting habitat with safe nesting spaces) and the Kestrel Population Monitoring Project (which tracks kestrel populations and aims to identify ways to support them).

Further down the road, after passing through Andover we make a sharp turn north. Shortly thereafter, we pass Laverstoke Mill, an historic site whose history spans more than 1,000 years. And it is now occupied by the Bombay Sapphire gin distillery.

Laverstoke Mill, home of the Bombay Sapphire Gin distillery

As early as 903, Laverstoke Mill was owned by the Abbey of St. Peter in Winchester, about 15 miles south. By the time the Domesday Book was compiled 183 years later, two mills were noted to exist on site. In 1719, equipment for manufacturing paper, as well as a printing press was established on the site, and starting in 1724 bank notes for the British Empire were manufactured here. Over time, the site continued to grow and employ more workers; by the 1850s, cottages were built to accommodate the mills’ workforce.

Over the course of the 20th century, the industrial economy changed; in 1963 printing ceased at Laverstoke and by 2005, the site sat vacant. In 2010, the Bombay Spirits Company purchased the site, and in 2014 the new distillery opened. The site is now what appears to be a healthy mix of new and old: old buildings repurposed for the distilling process, plus (as you can see toward the middle of the photo above) new greenhouses, where the botanical ingredients that flavor Bombay Sapphire gin are grown.

The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty dominates the next stretch of this week’s route. The region has been inhabited by people for more than 5,000 years, so this AONB includes sites ranging from the Neolithic through the Bronze Age, Roman, Medieval times and beyond. Its rolling hills and “chalk streams” also create perfect habitat for rare butterflies and birds. Sarsen stones dot the landscape; these rocks of silicified sandstone are the same type of rock that most of the boulders at Stonehenge are made of… indeed, archaeologists recently confirmed those stones were quarried from Marlborough Downs, a bit off our path but a part of the North Wessex Downs AONB.

Sarsen stones (and a few cows) at the Fyfield Down National Nature Reserve, within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

And finally, anyone recognize this comfy little country abode? It’s Highclere Castle… these days, better known to PBS viewers as Downton Abbey.

Highclere Castle: yes, friends, let’s stop here for the night!

Although the current building dates to 1679, an earlier castle stood on the site, which dates back to 749 when - according to the Highclere website - “an Anglo-Saxon king” (I’m guessing this would’ve been Cuthred, King of Wessex?) granted the estate. Like Laverstoke Mill, it appears in the Domesday Book. It was rebuilt as Highclere Place House in 1679, and then in 1842, Sir Charles Barry, who also designed the Houses of Parliament, transformed Highclere House into the present day Highclere Castle.

Like its fictional television counterpart, during the First World War, Highclere Castle was converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers run by the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. In the Second World War, during Operation Pied Piper, when children and other civilians were evacuated from London to avoid becoming casualties of the Blitz, many children lived at Highclere. Today, it is open to the public as a tourism destination.

Fancy a pint?

Unlike the Naylor brothers, who pledged to “abstain from all intoxicating drink” during their 1871 walk on this route, I’m not at all opposed to popping into interesting-looking pubs along the way. Here are a few along this stretch of the journey:

Not far from the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Amport, the Hawk Inn offers food and drink (and a lovely outdoor terrace) along the Pillhill Brook. It’s also dog friendly! And as a special bonus, it offers a “plant burger” with all-vegan ingredients, so it’s worth extending a stay beyond just a pint of local beer.

The Poplar Farm Inn, built from old farmworkers’ cottages.

In Abbotts Ann, just south of our route through Andover (and just upriver along Pillhill Brook from the Hawk Inn), sits the Poplar Farm Inn. This pub was originally two farmworkers’ cottages, which were converted into one building. A few years later, the proprietors acquired an old barn, disassembled it and reassembled it to expand the pub.

A fire in 2005 destroyed much of the building, but it was restored carefully (including newly-thatched roofs) and the proprietors mention they hope the pub ghosts weren’t harmed in the blaze and are enjoying their restored digs.

In Whitchurch the Bell Inn is a traditional 15th-century pub that offers a mix of old and new. Its timbered ceiling and walls represent classic pub ambiance, but the pub also offers an electric car charging station and its menu changes frequently depending on which local ingredients are available.

Reviewers praise the beer selection and the roaring fire in the winter.

Sustenance for the Hungry Vegan

It may be part of a chain, but Pizza Express in Andover is a great option for vegans passing through. Launched by Peter Boizot in 1965, who had traveled in Italy and lamented not being able to find authentic Italian pizza in London, Pizza Express has an entire vegan menu… even vegan sorbet!

Pizza Express has a whole vegan menu. And their Andover employees seem enthusiastic!

Satisfied customers at Mumbai Brasserie.

Also in Andover, at Mumbai Brasserie there are a lot of vegan options. The restaurant’s founders enjoy music, so there are monthly concerts in the restaurant… including an Elvis tribute night!

The menu looks great and if online reviews are to be trusted, the atmosphere is fun and festive.

A brief detour south of our route, in Stockbridge, is a riverside pub with abundant vegan options. The Mayfly, named for its position on the River Test, is a traditional pub on the outside, and offers a diverse menu inside. Chef Robert Pike created a traditional menu drawn from locally sourced ingredients, including nearby Laverstoke Park Farm.