paul-lawston-blog

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#3 - Knowlton Church and Henge, Dorset

I took this one on the day after my wedding at the nearby Larmer Tree Gardens (Also quite an obscure place!). I’d been many times before as a child and a teenager - the place had a reputation for satanists and pagan rituals because it’s a ruined church that had been built inside a henge monument. A lot of the candle wax and black magic curses had gone at this time but there were plenty of offerings tied to the yew trees at the back end of the henge. It’s a lovely spot and managed by English Heritage so check it out if you’re ever in the vicinity of Cranborne.

[paul-lawston-blog]

#2 - The Brough of Birsay, Orkney

Accessed by means of a tidal causeway which looks like the entrance to R’lyeh, you get four hours in which to visit this small island off the north-west coast of Mainland in Orkney. The island slopes towards impressive cliffs with seabirds nesting on it in summer and there’s a lighthouse at the highest point. Viking ruins near the bottom indicate that this was an important settlement, and in the Orkneyingjasaga it was the scene of many dramatic doings, probably involving people getting hit round the head with axes.

[paul-lawston-blog]

#1 - Chattri War Memorial, near Brighton

A memorial to Indian soldiers who died in WW1 and were cremated on this spot, it overlooks Brighton in a lovely spot on the Downs. I visited as part of a hike along the Sussex Border Path on a very hot day and it’s only reachable by bridleway.