England Day 5: Varying Kinds of Sacred

Day five of my England trip dawned, and I had to accept that the mid-point of my trip was approaching. But oh, we had done so very much already, and so much more was still to come! On this morning, we had a delicious breakfast (peanut butter in oatmeal is an absolute game changer for how well it sticks to your stomach! Plus the jam Bryony had bought was exceptional with toast) then headed north to Cumbria. On our way there, we made a stop for facilities, and I got to experience my first farm shop.

Our destination was a stone circle known as Long Meg and Her Daughters. The circle is the second largest in England, at 350-feet in circumference. And most of the stones are approximately of equal size, except, of course, for the one named Long Meg, a 12-foot-tall sandstone statuesque lady (all the other stones are rhyolite) with three mysterious symbols carved into her. (A cup and ring, concentric circles, and a spiral.) According to the website “Visit Cumbria,” “Local legend claims that Long Meg was a witch who, with her daughters, was turned to stone for profaning the Sabbath as they danced wildly on the moor. The circle is supposedly endowed with magic, so that it is impossible to count the same number of stones twice.”

We parked in the car park about 200 yards down the country road from the standing stones. After we exchanged hugs, we started down the path. I took random photos of how beautiful the twisting forms of the hedgerows were. I see there are foxgloves in these hedges. Imagine how stunning this must be in summertime. This was also the first time I found out about Bryony’s wonderful tradition of shouting out “mind your fingers, trolls!” when she walks or drives over a cattle grid on the road.

When we arrived at the standing stones, I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the circle, and also quite surprised to see that the road bisected (well, it wasn’t quite at the middle point) the stones. The next thing I noticed were the two beautiful trees at the side of the road. We spent some time before we even approached any of the stones to admire the trees, exclaiming over the mushrooms nestled in their roots.

As we crossed the road from the trees to head toward the first stone, Bryony saw two large shaggy parasol mushrooms that had already been pulled up from the ground. We exclaimed over them, and took turns being very impish and wearing the top of the one as a cap.

When we were done with our antics, we placed one of the mushrooms at the foot of the larger tree, and put the other one on a stump by the road.

I love the photo Bryony got of me looking up at the tree. The orange scrap in the branches is a clootie some past visitor left.

Then we set out to walk around the circle, touching each stone, squishing through the mud to look at all the beautiful details of each one.

I enjoyed how this stone stood at this angle between the two trees.

See the little face in the stone?

A pool of water in a cupped portion of one of the stones.

I stood for a little while when I reached Long Meg. She really is beautiful. Gilly captured this photo of my admiring her.

This (below) is my favorite picture from Long Meg and her Daughters. I love the feel of it, but also, there’s a surprise secret message in it. Do you see it?

Look closely at the leaves on the ground. Doesn’t it look like they spell out “U.K.”? Apparently the leaves themselves were cheering for my long dreamed of trip overseas. Ha!

Next we visited a small country church Bryony wanted us to see. Designed and built by Sarah Losh in 1840-1842, the Church of Saint Mary’s is so unique and remarkable, Dante Gabriel called it a work of genius…“a real beautiful thing.” I personally prefer Bryony’s very accurate description of it as “strange and beguiling.” From the window sills and lintel carved in stone with various creatures, to the animals tucked into the eaves, the outside is already riveting.

Inside, the baptismal is carved like a little pond with floating flowers and seed pods.

The pulpit was made to resemble some ancient prehistoric tree.

Above the front of the church are a series of metal grates that, I believe, are open to the outside air. And there are thick colored glass balls through which the sun shines on sunny days. Everything is so incredibly mysterious and fascinating. I’m very glad we went there.

And then off we set through the Cumbria countryside. It was the most beautiful drive of the trip, and there were some gorgeous drives. I’m sure I amused Bryony with my various gasps and moans of joy as I saw vista after vista. Look left, there’s a giant green hillside covered in sheep with a little house in a valley by a roaring river. Look right, there’s a crumbling stone tower overflowing with moss and greenery. I didn’t manage to capture very much of it at all from the car window.

Our next stop was Blackwell Arts & Crafts House. I had never heard of this particular Arts and Crafts home, and it was really beautiful! The home isn’t as stuffed with objects every which way you turn as Wightwick is. (Trust me, I love that stuffed manor, no shade.) And the style of many of the objects reminded me of the “veering toward the precursor to Art Nouveau” stylings of artists like Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Which is an era of art and architecture that I can greatly admire though I don’t veer quite that direction in my own aesthetic.

When you enter the house, you go through a corridor of dark paneled walls, and then emerge in the grand room.

Another hallway is dark until you are right outside the room, and then two tall thin pillars with trees straight out of Lothlorien lead you into an all-white room that is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. I think it was all of our favorite. 

I loved the story that accompanied this white plant in the display case.

The view of the lake from the room was stellar too.

We closed the place down, and then we headed back home. Dinner was a mushroom and chestnut soup with fresh hot toasted bread and a glass of hard cider. Then we sat around for a couple of hours and just talked…Bryony, Bruce, their son, and myself. It was such a lovely end to a lovely day. We would be visiting our friends Ali English and Annie Griffith the next day to explore the charity shops (and fish and chips!) of Horncastle in Lincolnshire.