July 2014: Cherington Crop Circle
On 27 July 2014 the usually circles shy county of Gloucestershire received a crop circle with the craziest lay seen in more than a decade. At Parkes Hill Plantation, near the small village of Cherington, farmer Henry Arden was alerted to the circle by the presence of a helicopter.
‘I went up there and found the circle,’ Arden told the Daily Mail. ‘I didn’t really want hordes of people trampling over our finest milling wheat. I was so angry about it I was really rude to some people. However, I’ve grown to love it for various reasons.’
According to the article Arden
and his girlfriend Sarah Jennings – temporarily separated following a ‘falling out’ – repaired their relationship after spending time enjoying its tranquility at the weekend. Mr Arden, who is also a professional photographer, said: ‘Sarah and I spent a wonderful, peaceful four hours there, chilling out. It happens to be on a part of the farm that is astonishingly beautiful.
‘I don’t believe in mystic powers and I certainly don’t want people to think these things are made by aliens, which obviously they’re not. But I have to say, it looks great.’
The circle proved to be extremely popular with visitors, its design featuring what could be some time of code within the outer rings. The real attractions though are a pentagram, weave and swirled areas flattened into the lay. It looks insane, as the detail in the above photograph by Steve Alexander shows.
Parkes Hill Plantation, Cherington, Gloucestershire. Photograph by Steve Alexander.
A few days after the circle was found, and with certain people getting their knickers in a twist over how it appeared, I joined other visitors in the field. It was an exceptionally peaceful, warm afternoon with good company and chat over the circle, its meaning and its source. The overall experience made it my favourite formation of the season.
View photographs from my visit in the gallery below. It’s interesting just how different a circle can look from the air compared to ground level.
