Landscape experiences

During the EPCL project it has become clear for me that the English project and the Bjäre project have a lot in common especially when it comes to ways of looking at the landscape. I still felt there were many things to discuss and experience in this topic and chose to go to Lancashire for a staff exchange spring 2003. I went there in mid-April and I must say we were extremely lucky with the weather; it was warm and sunny and we, as well as all English people, really felt that the spring finally had arrived.

During the first day I spent a lot of time in the office in Preston and was introduced to the English computerised tools for planning in landscape as well as archaeological issues. It was especially good to see how the Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) maps were actively used in this matter. I was also very impressed by the collection of badgers in the office.

Jo Clark was my very terrific "cicerone" during my stay in England and all working days we spent exploring the landscape in the Lune valley and the Forest of Bowland, as well as some areas on the Yorkshire side of the administration border. At the medieval motte and bailey Castle Stede we began our landscape-tour with a meeting with a journalist from a local newspaper. She was very interested especially in castles, but also in the outcome of the project. The Preston office had asked us to check out a couple of sites in the valley; one because of a reporting that ploughing had disturbed it, and one because of some strange features had been seen on an aerial photography. The first site; a circular ditch-feature, was happily enough not disturbed at all, it was a field close-by that had been ploughed. We had a good meeting with the landowner though, who was genuinely interested in the site. The other site was rather intriguing; on the aerial photo some earthworks could be seen but also a mound-like feature. The site was located close to the River Lune and we had to cross a field full of young bulls to reach it. The mound-like feature definitely was a mound, very large though and the location was a bit strange, even though we knew of a parallel setting of a burial mound in the very same valley. In fact when visiting the site we could notice no less than three similar mounds which made it all even more interesting. Whatever it is…

We spent some time exploring and discussing landscape, survival of monuments and boundaries, and the differences as well as similarities between our projects areas and their specific problems. During our exploration we actually found a couple of more ordinary looking mounds not registered in the SMR, which was extremely lucky of us. Their appearance and setting were very much alike the Bronze Age mounds of the Bjäre peninsula and they really made me feel at home. I'm still not sure if it wasn't arranged just for me.

The upland moors of Forest of Bowland as well as the moors on the Yorkshire side were visited as well. The highest hilltop, which actually is a mountain since it measures 2373 feet (I have just seen "The man who walked up a hill and came down a mountain"), is located on the Yorkshire side and is named Ingleborough. On the very top an Iron Age hillfort is situated and inside it is very distinctive to see traces from circular houses. We decided to climb Ingleborough to experience the upland moors, it was a beautiful walk but the wind was very heavy and cold. The hillfort was very impressing where it was situated on top of the world, or so it seemed, and its location was easy to understand.

During the Easter weekend we went for a landscape-archaeology trip further south where we visited Avebury and Stonehenge. We decided not to do the tourist thing so instead we parked quite a bit away and explored the whole area and surrounding landscape by foot. It was a very nice way to visit the sites and to get a more deep understanding of the monuments within the landscape.

For me it was a great week with a lot of meetings; from wonderful tea-parties to birthday-parties and office-gatherings as well as meetings on a forest-trail. I have also met up with places and the people working with and in them as well as with vicars and undertakers very curious about my line of work… My way of understanding places and landscapes have absolutely got new input and my work has got a new kick-off.

Of course there is a lot more to say, -about the heavy Crusty Steak Pie, Fish ´n Ships[Chips?] and Black Sheep ale, the Stone Henge ale and the beautiful sign in a café telling off children. Corfe Castle, Leslies great Land Rover and the very appreciated (?) herrings. Very few dangerous animals though and only really nice people! Thanks all of you to make my visit so pleasurable.

Jenny Nord

Impressions