Blackdown Rings

chirp54
Oct 29
3 min read

Sometimes GPS is a lifesaver. Sometimes it's a frustrating pain in the rear. Our search for Blackdown Rings proved more the latter than the former. We set off down the road knowing the general direction of the place we wanted to visit. The GPS (let's call her Geeps, for short) sent us down this narrow path between two fields, Every time the path curved, Geeps would say, "turn slight right", "turn slight left" as though there were an alternative. It finally said, "Turn left and your destination is on the right." We were in the middle of nowhere by a field. Hmmm. So down the next path we went, listening to Geeps directing us onto the main road and in a circle back to the field. Playing a hunch, Bruce parked the car in a small clearing and we started to walk. We happened upon an older man and asked him if he knew where Blackdown Rings was. "Right here," he said, pointing to a different field. Okay. We moved the car to that field and went in the gate.

We passed a giant stone that was a memorial to Russell Baker, "Who gave his time to the Village and the Rings, a generous supporter of this parish." He must have been quite a man.

The gate had warned us that there were sheep in the field so we were prepared for them but not necessarily for the vast amounts of sheep droppings we encountered. Meandering around the field, taking in the view was not possible. Looking down and avoiding piles of poo was the order of the day. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for sheep. When I visited the Lake District a few years ago and discovered that they don't have sweet little "baa baa" voices, but actually sound like they're yelling at you, that clinched it.

Shortly after we arrived, several other cars pulled up and walkers with their dogs on leashes piled out of the vehicles and made their way through the gates and into the field. This is apparently a favorite spot for "walkies".

We saw that there were three small signs in the field so we headed for the first one to see if we had actually found what we were looking for.

Hurrah! we had found the site of an Iron Age settlement and later, an imposing Norman Castle. The Iron age people would have lived within the fort in roundhouses made of wood, mud and dung. It’s easy to understand why Blackdown Rings was chosen for the site of a fortress, being located at the top of a hill where spotting enemies approaching would have been easy. It's also close to the River Avon. No, not that River Avon. This is a good time for a small digression. In Celtic languages Avon means River. When Roman invaders asked what the name of the river was, the Celts answered, "Avon," meaning "It's the river." (Apparently they didn't bother to ascribe names to the waterways.) Consequently there are at least seven rivers with the name Avon in England. I find it amusing that the river Avon is essentially, the "River River."

Anyway, back to Blackdown Rings. We let some sheep pass

and headed across the field to the site of the fort.

It's unknown if the site saw any continued use between the end of the Iron Age and the Norman Conquest, but when William the Conqueror's forces arrived in Devon after 1066, Blackdown Rings was still impressive enough to be exploited by his forces. They reinforced the foundations and built a motte and bailey castle, the existence of which is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

At the site of the castle, a large stone tablet points the way to notable locations in the area.

The view from the hill was lovely. The greens and browns with little touches of bright yellow were like something straight out of a John Constable painting.