Pic. 1, Le Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, France
The subject of this post will link Le Mont Saint Michel (France), St. Michael's Mount (Cornwall), Avebury, Glastonbury Tor, Stonehenge, the Michael/Mary & Apollo/Athena alignments, plus many more ancient sites & features.
The satellite image below shows a near equilateral triangle made up of the St. Michael/Mary line running from Avebury Henge to the Long Rock off Longrock beach near St. Michael's Mount, Penwith, Cornwall, the Apollo/Athena line running from the Long Rock (where the Mich./Mary & Apollo/Athena lines cross), through St. Michael's Mount, then oversea to Le Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France. The last connecting side connects Le Mont Saint Michel to Avebury Henge but also, just like the other lines, runs through or next to many other ancient sites including Stonehenge.
In this post we will have a look at a few sites on the Apollo/Athena line, 1 or 2 on the Michael/Mary line, but a more thorough examination of the many sites appearing on the quite short distanced UK mainland portion of the new connecting line.
Sat. image 1, The St. Michael Triangle; St. Michael's Mount, Le Mont Saint Michel & Avebury connected by the Michael/Mary, the Apollo/Athena & the Avebury-
- Mont St. Michel alignments
In this post I will not only use the line from Avebury practical centre but from the outside edges as well (see satellite image below) the reason for this will probably become apparent later as we see the outside edges line up with features.
Pic.3, Avebury, the biggest stone circle & henge in Europe
Sat. image 2, using the edge diameters of Avebury Henge for the Michael/Mary & Avebury - Le Mont St Michel lines
The Michael/Mary line side
I have already followed the St. Michael/Mary line by satellite in a previous post; (
The St. Michael/Mary Alignment, The Hurlers & The Tintagel - Bodmin Moor - Jersey Alignment; - https://ancientwhisperspenwith.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-st-michaelmary-alignment-my.html)
For another, very brief look at just a few sites on the Michael/Mary line, some that we left out, let's now go back down to Penwith, Cornwal, the western corner of our triangle.
We will go a bit further than our triangle corner to the end (on land) of the St. Michael/Mary line back to Carn Lês Boel near Lands End.
Although not a part of our triangle we can see in the satellite image below the northernmost Avebury Henge diameter edge alignment is running through "The Song Of The Sea" which is a beautiful natural sea arch off Nanjizal (Cornish; nans = valley, ysal = low) beach.
Pic.4, Carn Lês Boel iron age promontery fort & Nanjizal Beach, south west Cornwall
Sat. image 3, Avebury prac. centre & edge alignments at Carn Lês Boel & Nanjizal
Pic.5, The Song Of The Sea natural arch & river at Nanjizal
This is the natural arch off Nanjizal beach known as The Song of the Sea. The picture is taken from a bridge over the river (a river in Cornwall can be anything from a trickling stream to the size of the Tamar.). Where the flow disappears from view it cascades down the rocks onto the rocky beach below. It is easy to see that the same soft sedimentary anomaly that allowed the river is the same that caused the arch & it is a natural straight line & guess what!! - this natural straight line feature is oriented (as you face seaward) to 230 degrees which is 50 deg. east of south - The direction of the midwinter sunset- I can confirm this as I went there this morning (11/02/19) to double check with my compass.
This means that (on a clear sky evening) as the mid-winter sun sets a ray of sunlight will shine down & illuminate the salt water pools inside the arch. Then, as the sun visibly sets in the thin aperture of the arch, a beam of sunlight will emerge from the arch & illuminate the waterfall & river as rosy as Irish gold.
This natural solstice alignment does not run parallel to the Michael/Mary line but it does run parallel to another major alignment that starts at Carn Lês Boel which is the subject of the next post; the Carn Lês Boel - Sea-henge alignment - the solstice counterpart to the Michael/Mary line (https://ancientwhisperspenwith.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-carn-les-boel-seahenge-drombeg.html)
The stream & arch represent a recession (female) line & Carl Lês Boel headland next to it is a protrusion (male) line running in the same direction.
Next we move about 10 miles up-line to Newlyn, Penzance & St. Michaels Mount in Mount's Bay to the corner of our triangle at Longrock.
Pic. 6, Jubilee Pool lido on Battery Rocks, the "holy headland" that gave Penzance it's name
Sat. image 4, the Michael/Mary at Newlyn, Penzance & crossing the Apollo/Athena line at the Long Rock off Longrock beach, Mount's Bay.
It can be seen in the satellite image above that Penzance's "Holy Headland" - the promontory that gave the town it's name (pen = head, sans = of the saints, saintly, holy) lies inside the northern Avebury edge alignment. Also a tiny rocky islet can be seen just under the southernmost Avebury edge line, this is Gear Rock (Cornish; caer = fortress or Cornish Round).
It is said to be the site of an inundated fortress where green-stone axes were made & some greenstone axes that have been found around the country are said to have originated here. The rock has a red light sighting pole on it.
Pic.7, St. Michael's Mount near Penzance, Cornwall
Now let's shoot up-line 130 miles to Burrow Mump near Othery in the county of Somerset.
The Avebury edge lines further accommodate this site.
Sat. image 5, Michael/Mary line (Avebury diameter) at Burrow Mump near Othery, Somerset
Pic.8, St. Michael's Church (ruin), Burrow Mump, Somerset
Burrow Mump is not very far from Glastonbury, with a church ruin very aesthetically crowning it's summit. The church, predictably enough, was dedicated to St. Michael , just like the ruined church on Glastonbury Tor, of which the tower is the only remnant.
Glastonbury Tor is the next feature just 10.40 miles (16.74 km) upline.
Pic.9, St. Michaels Tower on Glastonbury Tor amid the mists of Avalon
Sat. image 6, Michael/Mary line (full Avebury diameter) at Glastonbury Tor
In my last-but-one post I showed the satellite image above with just the single, central line but using the Avebury edge diameter definitely further accommodates the Tor. It is easier to see that the Tor points in exactly the same direction.
If we travel further upline about 35 miles (56.3 km) we get to Roundway (or Oliver's) Castle on Roundway Downs.
Sat. image 7, Michael/Mary line (Avebury edges) at Roundway Castle near Devizes, Wiltshire
Pic.10, Oliver's Castle iron-age promontery fort, Roundway Downs near Devizes, Wiltshire
Roundway Castle is the remains of an iron-age promontory fort on Roundway Downs near Devizes in Wiltshire.
It is also known as Oliver's (Cromwell) Castle probably due to it being the site of a very bloody battle in the civil war where the Roundheads (Parliamentarians)were trapped on the promontory & forced over the edge of the ridge by the Royalists.
It is built on a dramatic & very high ridge in otherwise flat landscape, again suggesting a seismic event, common on alignments. In fact take note of the look of this landscape & compare it to Pewsey Downs, also the site of a hill fort (a little further on in this post) on the Avebury - Mont St. Michel line. Both ridges even point the same way.
Roundway Castle is only 7 miles (11.27 km) from Avebury Henge.
So, back up to Avebury & let's follow the Avebury - Mont St Michel line.
Pic.11, Avebury, Wiltshire, the largest stone circle & henge in Europe
(Click on image to enlarge)
(Click on image to enlarge)
The Avebury - Mont St. Michel line
While studying the Michael/Mary & Apollo/Athena lines with the satellite facility it suddenly occurred that if you joined Le Mont St. Michel in Normandy, France with Avebury Henge it would make a near-equilateral triangle. The corners of this triangle would consist of the Long Rock off Longrock Beach which is next to St. Michael's Mount, Penwith, Cornwall, Le Mont St. Michel, & Avebury Henge which is the heart of the Michael/Mary alignment on UK mainland, what else could you call it other than The St. Michael Triangle?
Sat. image 8, The St. Michael Triangle
I decided to follow the new line by satellite from Le Mont. to Avebury. I intend to look at the French section at a later date as the maps for reference are not so easily available, but it looks like the distance down the Michael/Mary line from Avebury Henge to Carn Lês Boel, the point where it meets the sea, is the same as the distance down this new connecting line from Avebury Henge to Le Mont St. Michel.
As I examined this new line I was surprised at how many ancient sites it passed, especially as Old Sarum, near Salisbury & Stonehenge came into view.
So the sides of the triangle consist of famous alignments & seem to unite a lot of very well known ancient sites.
We see on the satellite images below that the line, beginning from Avebury practical centre, runs next to Silbury Hill (see pic. below), the largest man-made hill in Europe - a neolithic structure built during the early phases of Avebury Henge. Very soon after it bulls-eyes West Kennet Long-Barrow with the left side Avebury edge line hitting the outlying barrow.
Pic.12, Silbury Hill, neolithic man-made mound
Sat. image 9, St. Michael Triangle at Avebury, Silbury Hill & West Kennet Long Barrow
West Kennet Long Barrow (see pic. below) near Avebury in Wiltshire is one of the largest & most impressive burial mounds in the country. It was built over 5500 years ago in the neolithic (new stone age) era & was in practical use for a good 1000 years. it stands 300 ft. (91.44 meters) long & 10 ft. (3.04m) high with a 45 ft. (13.71m) interior passage. Inside there are 5 chambers, 2 on each side & 1 at the end in which the remains of at least 46 bodies have been discovered, some cremated & some unburned. Most skeletons were disturbed or incomplete suggesting they were removed from time to time probably for ritual purposes.
Pic.13, West Kennet Long Barrow, Wiltshire - a small part of Silbury Hill visible in top right corner of picture
Pic.14, West Kennet Long Barrow entrance
Sat. image 10, Silbury Hill, West-Kennet Long-Barrow & outlying tumulus
Then, just 3 miles (4.82 km) down-line from Silbury, the alignment runs through Pewsey Downs (satellite image & map below).
As shown in the satellite image above this line also passes through spectacular ridges on down-land again suggesting seismic activity, the area is peppered with barrows (tumuli), earthworks etc..as can be seen in the map beneath. Also a neolithic camp on Knap Hill & one of the most spectacularly placed long barrows on the crown of Walkers Hill known as Adam's Grave.
Pic.15, Pewsey Downs, the Alton Barnes White Horse landscape image, Milk Hill, Wiltshire
Walkers Hill, Pewsey Downs, Adam's Grave on summit
Photo. by Frank Laumen; http://www.visiblesigns.de
Pic.16, Adams Grave long-barrow, Walkers Hill, Pewsey Downs
Shortly after this the river Avon joins on the right-hand side & accompanies the alignment southwards.
Then, while still in the Vale of Pewsey, the alignment passes through the site of Casterley Camp, an iron-age/Romano-British hill-fort (site) that also has had religious functions identified.
Sat. image 13, Casterley Camp, iron-age hill fort
Plan 1, Casterley Camp
Then another 7 miles (11.27 km) down-line we cross Salisbury Plain & reach the most famous ancient site in Europe, if not the World.
Pic.17 Stonehenge sun-rise
Sat. image 14, The line at Stonehenge with the river Avon
As can be seen in the satellite image above, the line passes Stonehenge at a point where the river Avon starts meandering & moving to the east
Pic.18, Stonehenge
The earliest evidence at Stonehenge consisted of 4 to 5 pits, probably to hold wooden posts which date from 8500 - 7000 BC making it early neolithic. The earliest phase of the main structure was a henge (circular ditch & banks) which was constructed at around 3000 BC
Sat. image 15, the Duke line at Stonehenge
The Avebury diameter alignment runs down the east side of Stonehenge crosses the meandering Avon approx. 4 miles (6.44 km) down-line, then runs down the west side of the impressive fortress site of Old Sarum, 2 miles (3.21 km) from Salisbury as the crow flies.
The centre of Old Sarum is exactly 6 miles from the centre of Stonehenge down the alignment.
Sat. image 16, the Duke line at Old Sarum near Salisbury
The mighty raised earthworks at Old Sarum, near Salisbury,were raised about 500 BC & it continued to be used throughout Romano British (known as Sorviodunum) & medieval times housing a royal castle & a cathedral. It was already an iron-age hill fort but there is also evidence of a neolithic settlement as early as 3000 BC.
The ramparts were raised around a circular hill yet again suggesting volcanic/seismic action, commonplace along fault-lines.
Sat. image 17, the Avebury - Mont St. Michel line at Old Sarum
Pic.19, Old Sarum, Salisbury
Another 5 miles (8.04 km) down-line we pass through some earthworks in Odstock Copse near Clearbury Ring, an iron-age hill fort overlooking the Avon valley. Also passing through Grim's Ditch here; part of series of earthworks (probably bronze-age) that run through the counties of the south.
Sat. image 18, The line near Clearbury Ring
Map 2, Clearbury Ring iron-age hill fort, earthworks & Grims Ditch
A further couple of miles away, and passing from Wiltshire into Hampshire, the line follows Grim's Ditch south then runs through Breamore Miz Maze & barrows, close to Breamore Manor House which is built on a hill fort & later a priory (see map below).
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Sat. image 19, The line at Breamore Miz Maze & barrows
The turf maze is a quartered "Chartres" style labyrinth. It is a scheduled ancient monument but it is difficult to age. It has been claimed to be bronze age or constructed by the local monks. There is a bronze-age barrow & field system very close by, though. Also The Giants Grave long-barrow is in the adjoining field to the east, as can be seen in the map below
Pic.20, Breamore Miz Maze
Map 3, Breamore Down - miz-maze, barrows, fort, field system & ditches
The alignment hits the sea about 30 miles (18.64 km) further south at Hengistbury Head, Christchurch but not before passing close to Christchurch Castle & Priory (both medieval) , through the mouth of both the major rivers the Stour & Avon & through ancient settlement, barrows & dykes on Hengistbury Head itself (see Satellite images & map below).
Sat. image 20, the Avebury - Mont St. Michel line hits the sea at Hengistbury Head, Christchurch
Sat. image 21, the Avebury - Mont St. Michel line, Christchurch Castle & Priory & the mouth of the rivers Stour & Avon
We have seen in the previous post-but-one the Tintagel-Bodmin Moor-Jersey line pass through the mouths of the major rivers in that area & now here's the Avebury - Mont St. Michel line after accompanying the river Avon south, passes through it's (& the river Stour's) mouth.
Sat. image 22, the line at Hengistbury Head
Hengistbury Head is a scheduled ancient monument & is an archaeological site of international importance.
The tumuli/ barrows & settlement are bronze-age (3000 - 1200 BC) but there is evidence of usage as early as the upper paleolithic (later early stone-age - up to 40 000 years ago). Also extensively in use through Romano-British era, usage declining in the Dark Ages.
After passing through ancient features on Hengistbury Head, the line enters the sea & heads for France.
Map 4, Hengistbury Head, ancient settlement, tumuli & dykes
Normandy, France
When the line hits land again in France, it runs down the eastern extreme of the Normandy peninsula near the coast until it reaches the islet of Le Mont Saint Michel.
Sat. image 23, St. Michaels Triangle with the Avebury - Mont St. Michel line at Normandy & Le Mont St. Michel & the Apollo/Athena line
Pic.21, Le Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, France
Le Mont Saint Michel is a tidal island off the western coast of Normandy. It has more than a passing resemblance to it's British namesake St. Michaels Mount & acquired it's dedication under similar circumstances. It was first known as Mont Tombe but was dedicated to St. Michael in the 8th century when St Aubert, bishop of Avranches built an oratory there after witnessing a vision of the arch-angel making it a popular pilgrimage site. A Benedictine Abbey was built there in AD 966 but it has been a fortified site since ancient times.
It is shorter in diameter but taller than the Cornish mount due to the height & grandness of it's buildings.
Sat. image 24, the Avebury - Mont St. Michel line meets the Apollo/Athena line at Le Mont St. Michel
Pic. 22, Le Mont Saint Michel, tidal island
Pic.23, Le Mont St. Michel, Normandy, France
The Apollo/Athena line
Now that we have reached the Avebury - Stonehenge - Mont St. Michel line & Apollo/Athena line crossing point,there is just time to take a brief look at the Apollo/Athena side of the triangle.
The Apollo/Athena line is one that I have had trouble tracking with my satellite method. Perhaps it doesn't work over such a distance but I can get it to go within 5 miles of Skellig Michael off the Irish coast, then to run through Penwith, Cornwall, UK to Le Mont Saint Michel in France but then it runs down Italy & heads for Egypt - completely missing Greece & the Middle-East. still, it's good as far as Le Mont.
As most of it from here is over the sea, it shouldn't take long. Also, on The Lizard in Cornwall, (the point at which the line enters British soil) there are plenty of ancient remains & churches that the line passes fairly close to but none remarkable enough to mention in connection to the alignment alone.
Sat. image 25, The St. Michael Triangle
After passing over Cudden Point promontory near Prussia Cove, the line runs through St Michael's Mount to the start point of our triangle at the Long Rock off Longrock Beach.
But let's follow the Apollo/Athena line past the triangle corner & over Penwith until it hits the sea again.The line runs alongside Gulval church then, about halfway across the land runs into the small area of moorland at Boskednan.
Boskednan Moor holds an absolute feast of ancient sites including; the Men-An-Tol (Cornish - stone with a hole), Mên Scryfa (pron. "Main Skreefa", Cornish - stone with inscription), Boskednan or Nine Maidens neolithic stone circle, Venton Bebibell (Cornish - well of the little people) holy well, Carn Galver (Cornish look-out carn/tor) neolithic tor enclosure, etc., etc., etc.
Sat. image 28, Apollo/Athena line at Boskednan Moor, Penwith
Pic.24, Men-An-Tol, Boskednan Moor, Penwith
The Men-An-Tol holed stone (pic. above) is now thought to be the re-arranged remnants of another stone circle on the moor while Mên Scryfa (below) probably stood as a menhir long before it was inscribed with the old latin; RIALOBRANI CUNOVALI FILI which translates as; ROYAL RAVEN (or CHIEFTAIN) SON OF THE GLORIOUS PRINCE.
Pic.25, Mên Scryfa inscribed stone, Boskednan Moor, Penwith
Pic.26, Mên Scryfa inscribed stone & Carn Galver neolithic tor enclosure
The alignment then hits the sea near a long cairn on Trevean cliff & heads oversea towards Skellig Michael, another island, that houses a 6th century monastery dedicated to St. Michael off the south-west tip of Ireland.
