Yuletide solstice

21st December 2013

    It was a wild and wet night's walk to Coldrum Longbarrow, without much hope of seeing Sól rise but it was an adventure, just the same. My head torch was necessary to pierce the blackness of the night, and nothing stirred, no bird or animal: they were sheltered from the weather. The only sound was the wind and rain. Even in the woods, the rain sought me out, but as the wind was from the south east, it was behind me as I walked north.   
    I left at 4am for the three hour trek to the Longbarrow. In Platt Wood, the conifers provided relief for a short while at least, but out onto Gallows Hill, I was buffeted just as strongly and with a vengeance. Down into the valley the wind was lighter but the noise of the motorway traffic of the M20 joined the melee. The footpath goes through a tunnel under the motorway and up to the sand quarries where Song Thrushes were singing; their voices carrying above the tumult.
    After changing my gloves to try to warm my hands, I crossed the fields to Ryarsh Wood. And a bright torchlight was directed at me. A young woman out early, walking her dogs, unnerved both of us. We wished each other a happy holiday and I continued to Coldrum.
    There was someone there already. A young man who practises Druidism. He told me his life story. A manic depressive, he was constantly fidgeting and expressive, but quite harmless. He said that he played in a punk band, playing Victorian Punk, whatever that is. I offered him some mead, which he accepted with pleasure, and we spent the remaining time before sunrise chatting about life and the Universe. I ate my soup and drank a cup of green tea as the sky became brighter. Sól hid behind the heavy cloud, so at around 8.15, I started my journey back.
    Gallows Hill is always a hard climb on the return journey and this time was no different. I was now walking into the weather. There were people out and about by now; all sense of solitude was lost. In Hurst Wood, I sat against an old Beech on the north east side, away from the driving rain, and drank a final cup of tea before arriving home to relax and rest.
    Today, 22 December 2013, the sky from my window is clear and calm. Venus is low in the south west  and Altair is above in the west; a prelude to a starlit night.