Castle review thread.

[Montegriffo]

After spending the last 2 nights in a Newcastle suberb I decided to sleep at Long Meg and her daughters bronze age stone circle. Circa 1500 BC.
Second largest British stone circle with a circumference of 350 yards.

Named after the 12' stone standing just outside the circle


Meg has a series of ring and cup carvings on one of her 4 faces.


The legend goes that a witch named Meg and her coven were turned to stone by a Scottish wizard while dancing under the moon.

I'm parked up next to a no camping sign just outside the circle under a tree about 10 ft from the nearest stones.

[Montegriffo]

There's another story about Long Meg circle. The warning states that a magic spell was cast on the stones which means that if you try to count them you will become confused and never arrive at the same answer twice. If by some chance you do manage to count them twice you will break the spell and heap enormous bad luck on yourself.
Challenge accepted....


I walked around once and counted 63 stones plus Meg.
Then standing by Meg I counted them again. Still 63 plus Meg.

An ominous start to the day but I kissed Meg on one of her rings and am off to Pendragon castle believing strongly that my faith in the Flying Spaghetti Monster , all praise his noodley appendeges, will keep me safe from the curse....

[Montegriffo]

....well there you go. Just completely wrecked the awning on the side of the truck driving down the narrow roads alongside Lake Windermere.
It's lucky I'm not a superstitious man or I would blame it on Long Meg.

[Speaker to Animals]

Too bad the insurance companies are not superstitious, because they will likely blame it on shitty driving.

[Montegriffo]

Thanks for the sympathy dickhead.
The awning was ripped off by an overhanging tree on a very narrow lane.
I bought it second hand for £150 four years ago when the previous one got damaged by strong winds. However I was compensated £250 when a twat on a forklift drove into it and bent one of the arms.

[Montegriffo]

Started the day with a visit to Brougham hall. A 14th century fortified hall with gatehouse and curtain wall. Partially demolished in the 1930s it was bought in 1968 by a couple determined to save it. Since then there has been a long and slow restoration project funded by private donations. It was free to look around so I bought some food from the tearooms and left a small donation.







Originally the site of a Roman observation tower for the nearby Roman fort Brocavum which is in the grounds of Brougham castle.
There was a pre Norman conquest Saxon fort on the site and then a Norman wooden fort before the 13th century gatehouse was built.
The Hall was close to the scene of a bloody battle between the Jacobite army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and Government forces (the Clifton Moor Skirmish), that took place in December 1745.
Between 1941 and 1944 there was a secret tank development facility at Brougham Hall. The project was known as Canal Defence Light (CDL).

It was based upon the use of a powerful carbon-arc searchlight mounted on a tank. It was intended to be used during night-time attacks, when the light would allow enemy positions to be targeted. A secondary use of the light would be to dazzle and disorient enemy troops, making it harder for them to return fire accurately. The name Canal Defence Light was used to conceal the device's true purpose. For the same reason, in US service they were designated T10 Shop Tractor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_Defence_Light


A CDL turret fitted to a M3 Grant tank; the CDL turret is fitted with a dummy gun

[Montegriffo]

Next my first ever visit to a henge, two in fact.

A henge is a circular raised bank and ditch with a central open area thought to have been used as a meeting place and possible site for rituals.


The first is called Arthur's round table and is around 1500 BC in its construction. The smaller and later of the two henges it has had part of it destroyed by a road built across one of the two entrances to the central meeting place.



The second and much larger Mayburgh henge lies only 400 yds away from Arthurs table.
A single standing stone of the 4 known to exist by the early 18th century remains.
Late neolithic its construction was between 2000 and 3000 BC.

[Montegriffo]

Tonight I am parked with a view of Piel Island and the castle which sits on it and tomorrow I will take the small ferry boat across for a look around.



Off to the local pub for a pint now I've finished my homework...

[SuburbanFarmer]

I am insanely jealous of your life right now.

[Montegriffo]

I am insanely jealous of your life right now.

I must admit that I am having a ball.
The truck is burning about £40 a day because of the insane hills I've spent the last week criss crossing but I've been experiencing some awesome scenery.
I have had no trouble stealth camping and the kitchen makes a decent mobile home.
I need to be at my next gig in 6 days so I have to stop fucking about and get down to Wales for the main course before I run out of time.
Spotted my first Muslim today. She was blatantly refusing to integrate by being on a tourist bus wearing a headscarf. I can't prove she was ISIS but I bet she was plotting the downfall of Western culture....