The high spots, literally and metaphorically, of our first couple of days on the Ridgeway have been the ancient sites: Barbery Castle yesterday, and then today, in quick succession, Waylands Smithy and Uffington Castle.  

Waylands Smithy is the oldest, a Neolithic long barrow started around 3590 BC – modern techniques can apparently date burials that happened there to intervals of a few decades.  The remains on view today date from a slightly later structure.  Uffington Castle, only a few hundred yards further on, was probably built in the 7th or 8th century BC.  Barbury Castle, nearer the start of the Ridgeway, was first occupied about 2500 BC, but the Iron Age hillfort also dates from about 700 BC.  Barbury may have had the longest lifespan, occupied until Roman times, and possibly as late as the 6th century when a nearby battle took it into the kingdom of Wessex.  

All three are impressive sites – here is a picture of Barbury, looking forbidding under grey skies.  

The two castles have commanding positions: Uffington in particular has extensive views through 360 degrees, which is appealing for today’s visitors, and must have presented a formidable challenge to attackers.  The earth ramparts are well preserved, so you can see how the defensive system worked if anyone did get up the hill and attack from close range.  

But it’s Waylands that really piques the imagination.  In spite of the research, and the legends about Wayland shoeing your horse if you left cash outside, we still have a lot to learn about why our ancient ancestors buried their dead there, how far afield they came, and what rituals would have accompanied this.  Did they come up one of today’s tracks from the valley, and transport the body along the Ridgeway?  What sort of ceremonies took place?

We don’t know and may never know with any confidence.  That can be frustrating to someone like me, who studied 17th and 18th century before Anglo-Saxon history, let along pre-history, and is used to documents and records to anchor interpretation.  But it does free us up to let our imagination roam in places like Waylands Smithy, and to conjure up our own interpretation of how our ancestors used this atmospheric spot.