Westward ho

We’re out and it’s down the A303 !
We pass Stonehenge and then it’s a pooch stop !

So it’s nature , oddities , and the odd architectural gem or folly !

Wyndham’s Oak is also known as the Silton Oak or stumpy Silton.
The oak tree is about 1,000 years old and the oldest tree in Dorset - trunk measured 38 feet (12 m) in circumference! It’s named after Sir Hugh Wyndham, a Judge of the Common Pleas who used to sit in its shade while contemplating cases, and reputedly used as a gallows to hang rebels convicted of roles in the Monmouth rebellion! Whilst not yet in full bloom it’s impressive with limbs shooting in all directions !
The church next door is also worth a look at its interesting gargoyles and porch roof !

Onward to Camelot and Cadbury Castle , formerly known as Camalet!
It has been associated with King Arthur's legendary court at Camelot and has been a military stronghold for over 4000 years and the first earthen ramparts were raised in the Stone Age. During the Iron Age the fort was occupied and locals made their stand against the Romans. They were defeated in AD 70, and the successful Roman aggressors went on to burn down the fort and surrounding village! By AD 500 the fort was again standing and extended by Ethelred the Unready in AD 1000. In the 16th century it was suggested that this site was the stronghold of King Arthur during the 6th century! However Merlin has either used a magic spell or it was again destroyed as there’s no castle and all that’s left is a big green hill with impressive views all round !

Back on the road we head to Yeovil to revisit the famous follies of Barwick Park !

Jack the Treacle Eater was built possibly in the 1820s and comprises an arch of rough stonework supporting a sort of spire with a door on the left-hand end ! It is topped by a statue of Hermes, the Greek messenger, representing Jack. The story goes that the Messiter family employed a messenger boy called Jack, who ate treacle to give him the energy to run to London. The turret has an inaccessible door leading to a single small room.
The Fish Tower got its name from the fish weather vane, which was attached to the top of it. This had disappeared by 1950s. The Fish Tower is a cylindrical tower made of rubble and is about 15 m high. The cap is made of ham stone with decorative markings on it.
The Cone is 22m high and the cone part is set on a cylindrical base, which is dissected by three arches. The cone has seven levels of pigeon holes in it and is crowned by a ball finial.
Weird weird weird !

The day draws in and we head off through very narrow hollow path roads , bounded by sandstone and over hanging tree branches that form an ancient cylindrical pathway !

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