Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm. The craggy faced enigma found in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds

Ancient sacred sites in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds
Hello and welcome to the ride.I’ve just ridden through the Cotswold village of Sandford Martin on the way to seeking out three sacred sites from pre-Roman Britain. These all take the form of mysterious standing stones.
My first stop will be the Oxfordshire village of Enstone, made famous by the Formula 1 factory which has produced Benetton, Lotus, Renault and Alpine cars for the track.But Enstone has a much more ancient history, deriving its name from a standing stone called the Hoar Stone. Hoar, h-o-a-r, is an old-English word for old.
Having ridden through Enstone and past the Hoar Stone on the B4022, completely missing it, I’ve turned to make another approach along this lane from the tiny hamlet of Fulwell.
And here it is on the left, hidden from the B road, but not on this little lane. It’s there in a small wooded enclosure.
Yet these are the ruins of a large single chambered tomb, although today only comprising of three large stones, one of which is almost nine feet high. It probably dates from around 3000 BC.
These stones make up the burial chamber, which was once covered and surrounded by earth in the form of what we now describe as a long barrow.
The stones form three sides of a rectangular box chamber open to the East with the remains of the fallen and broken capstone in front of them.
The blocking or portal stone to the chamber is missing.
Think of the community effort in quarrying and erecting these huge stones some 5000 years ago.
It’s a magical site, one that will, no doubt, draw me back time and time again.
Having ridden back through Fulwell, on to the B4022, and now down this lane, I’m heading to Taston, the next stop on my itinerary, where another ancient standing stone has greeted passers-by for at least 5000 years. At Taston, there are two ancient sacred sites for the price of one: Thor’s Stone & Taston Wayside Cross. The people who constructed them, though separated by millennia, speak to us through their monuments, from worlds alien to our own.
Here’s the turn for the village.I’ll park right in the middle, by the green, next to the medieval cross, or rather the ancient base and shaft to what once stood here as a cross.
Thor’s Stone, thrown down here by the god Thor, to become part of a cottage garden wall.
The village name of Taston itself is a transmutation of Thorstan, the Old English equivalent of ‘Thor’s Stone’. This ancient stone has had the same name for a very long time.It is possibly the remains of a single chambered tomb, like the nearby Hoar Stone I’ve have just visited, or possibly a single standing stone like the nearby Hawk Stone I will see later.
And it faces the new ideological kid on the block, the medieval cross, which dates from merely the 14th century, and stands as a rival to its pagan predecessor.
Both are amazing survivors, one counting its presence in millennia, the other in hundreds of years.
Away now to the next standing stone, which has brought me here to the tiny hamlet of Dean.
There’s the 18th century Dean Manor up ahead.Following Dean Manor’s walls, I’m following this narrow country lane looking for a gap in the hedge that will announce the start of the footpath to the Hawk Stone.
There’s the gap in the hedge up ahead on the bend.And the beauty of a light motorcycle is that you can pull off the road and park up just about anywhere.
Let the walking commence, being careful of course not to damage any of the crops.
I’m looking for an ancient standing stone known as the Hawk Stone.There it is in the distance.
Why the Hawk Stone? Well apparently the name derived from some aspect of its shape, the top being like a hawk in flight. My favoured option is that Hawk is a corruption of the word 'hoar' meaning ‘old’, like the Hoar Stone at Enstone I visited earlier.
And here it is, the lonely giant of the fields. About 8 1/2 feet high and well over 3 foot wideIt’s not just the size of the stone; it’s the way it interacts with the location, and the landscape it sits within. It beholds the fields for miles around, king of all it surveys.It appears to be purposefully a single stone, not one side of a burial chamber as at Enstone, but who really knows? What we have here is a craggy-faced enigma.
And talking of craggy-faced enigmas, the farm land on which this megalith stands belongs to TV celebrity Jeremy Clarkson. This is a field on Diddly Squat Farm.In fact Clarkson has named a lager made by him and the Cotswolds Brew Co. after the stone standing next to the field where the barley is grown for the lager.
May some of the ancient spirit of the Hawk Stone enter those who partake of Clarkson’s new brew.
I’ll now leave this ancient sacred stone to its solitary majesty.
If you’ve enjoyed the ride today, please Like, Subscribe and perhaps even Share, and I’ll let you know when I’m next out and about.
© John Dunn.

[@ed.barker7069]

Thanks for showing us around these places John. So much history and so many unanswered questions. I've watched a number of your vids and pleased to hear that the sound has improved noticeably. As a matter of curiosity, have you sold your Enfield? And any particular reason why you chose the F over the X model Honda?

[@drjohndunn2898]

Thanks for the comments. Loved the Enfield, especially for country lane chugging. Very comfortable. But whilst that old push rod single had character, it was down on power for main roads. The newer overhead cam 350 might rev a little more freely, even though horse power is even less. Chose the 500 Honda for some main road capability, to get me further afield, when time permits. It weighs no more than the Enfield, which I like. Big tank too relative to its fuel consumption. Why the F? I’ve never ridden a bike with a screen or fairing, so habit was the reason. It’s fine for one or two nights away. Love the free revving engine, though far more gear changes than the Enfield!

[@ed.barker7069]

@@drjohndunn2898 Thanks for your reply. I hadn't really looked at the F model before but it's a nice looking machine. I'm glad you're enjoying it. All the best. Ed.