Food. Thoughts. Nature

Winter was mild, which means wet on this island, and then the year began in the same vein. So, after my extended hibernation, the hiking boots are out and the bike has been dusted off. The first blog post of the year is on two wheels, beneath blue skies, and with the sort of spring sunshine that makes one appreciate all that nature has to offer.

About 15 miles from my home, out towards Hay on Wye, is an ancient burial chamber I’ve been meaning to visit for many years. Somewhat misleadingly labelled Arthur’s Stone since the thirteenth century, it is actually from the Neolithic period and is around 5,000 years old. 

The weather was perfect for cycling; clear blue skies, lovely sunshine and a tolerable temperature. The sun cast shadows across the lanes, and everywhere the signs of spring were abundant in their colourful beauty; colonies of wildflowers of yellow, purple and white fighting for dominance of the verges, and the lanes alive with the gentle aroma of hedgerows in blossom. The rapeseed fields were glowing in their impossibly bright golden brilliance, almost too vivid to be believed. 

Turning off the B4352 after Moccas Park National Nature Reserve, I was reminded of my proximity to Wales. 25% gradient inclines all the way up Pentre Lane for about 1.5 miles. Gruelling doesn’t go far enough as a description. Torturous would be closer to the mark. I’m not a seasoned cyclist, just one of the fair weather and occasional variety, so such steep roads were a huge challenge.

Arthur’s Stone, ancient, weathered, simple, but somehow entirely at home in the landscape and supreme in its elevated position. What remains of this ancient burial chamber appears to be oriented towards Ysgyryd Fawr in the Welsh Black Mountains. Ysgyryd Fawr has long been a site of pilgrimage for Christians. Legend has it that part of the mountain split at the exact time that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. Given that the burial chamber pre-dates the Christian faith by about 3,000 years, it makes one wonder if Ysgyryd Fawr held religious or spiritual significance for the ancient Brits. 

Standing there, drinking in the view and the ancient atmosphere on a clear spring day, it felt less like coincidence and more like conversation across centuries. The peaceful calm and spectacular vista afforded by such a position, I can only imagine the importance of those buried here, or maybe the respect and reverence conferred upon them. The capstone is estimated to weigh around 25 tonne, no small feat moving such a stone these days, let alone 5,000 years ago, at the top of a hill. 

The lane long ago cut into one edge of what would have been part of the mound of earth covering the stone chamber, though thankfully the lane is not much used. A few minutes in the peace and tranquillity of this location was a lovely reset. 

I suppose the pay-off for such a steep ascent is the ease of getting down on the homeward journey. My steed is an aged Trek mountain bike, two decades and counting this year. It’s been outside and unridden for the last four years, and yet a drop of oil in the obvious places and it’s like new, the Shimano gears as smooth as the day I bought it. A testament to the quality of its build. Though hammering down the 25% gradient lanes made me aware it might be time to treat it to some TLC in the brakes department. 

The ride home, a slightly different route to the one there, offered one final scene that felt delightfully, unmistakably British – or perhaps English in this case. Passing the grounds of the large Garnons Country Estate, I saw a game of cricket being played in the grounds – cricket whites, perfectly manicured pitch and the soothing sound of leather on willow in the late afternoon sun. The slow rhythm of a game that seems to belong entirely to another age. It was the sort of sight that would be almost too perfect if it were invented, a glimpse of a slower, more genteel age perhaps. But there it was, entirely real and entirely charming.

To kick off year two of the blog, I can think of worse things than ancient history, nature and cricket. If the current weather is anything to go by, spring has definitely turned a corner and started the transition to summer. Hopefully not too dry.