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Thursday 30 May 1998
The Cotswolds Tour bus wasn't quite ready to leave Bourton-on-the-Water
but we were, and made our way back to the car to find our last stone circle of the week,
the Rollright Stones. |
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The Rollright Stones are so called because they are close to the twin villages
of that name. There are two circles of stones and one monolith. This is the larger of the
two stone circles and is known as the King's Men.
Legend has it that these are the petrified figures of knights who were in the service of an
ancient king, and that they come to life once a year at the dead of night. |
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The stone is of a softer substance that those at Stonehenge and Avebury, and
thousands of years of wind, rain and the acidic sweat of curious fingers have eroded the stones
leaving them in the gnarled twisted shapes that we can see today. |
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Across the main road from the circle is the King Stone (below) - supposedly
the very king who the knights were commanded by. The railings prevent further damage by sweaty fingers but do not add much to the mystery and
atmosphere!
A short distance away is a smaller circle of larger stones that lean towards
each other in a tight group. Not surprisingly, these are known as the Whispering Knights. |
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This photograph was taken looking from the King's Men. I thought to camp out throughout the night to catch the whisperings of the knights. What
would they say to each other? What were they plotting? But I thought it was nothing to do
with me and a nice warm bed was a better option! However I have since asked locals and one
offered this chilling tale...
"I heard the stones one night. There were two voices..." His voice went chill and low.
"One said, 'Ooh Barry, are you sure no one will find us?' and the other voice said, 'Ohhhh,
Doris.....!' " A chilling tale indeed! |
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