First…a quick apology to anyone who saw a Silent Sunday post in their feed this morning. I know it’s not a Sunday. Let me explain…After my first attempt at using the new editor on Monday seemed to go ok, I thought I would try scheduling a post today for later this month…Everything appeared to be going well, until I hit the “schedule” button and a strange comment popped up which amounted to a “you can’t do this for some reason” (my interpretation) and so it was published instead. Don’t really know what I did wrong, and don’t really have the time to look into, so I’m back to the classic editor. Sigh.
Anyway, here’s today’s post…Enjoy!
Visiting the Iron Age…both in real life and in fiction
A few weeks ago we spent a few days away in north west Shropshire, and one of those – or at least, one afternoon – was spent exploring Old Oswestry Hillfort. Dating back to the Iron Age, it is one of the best preserved hillforts in Britain…
I find the Iron Age to be one of the most interesting periods of history and so I loved every moment of walking around the site. I took loads of photos, and I thought it would be fun to share a few of them here.
My novel “Oathbreaker”, is set during the Iron Age (spot the seamless transition there 😉 ). Did you know you can read it for free on Wattpad? It was first drafted in summer / autumn 2018, and at the time the chapters were only given numbers. However, whilst I’d been giving the story a (very) light edit a few weeks ago, which was inspired by the trip to the hillfort, I added in chapter titles and chapter header images too. The photos are all my own, and hopefully reflect one of the themes running through the story: the power and magic of nature, of which there was plenty of both at Old Oswestry.
Hillforts like the one at Old Oswestry would not have been an unfamiliar sight to Eleri and Celyn, the two main characters in Oathbreaker, though they probably would have found the size and scale of the multiple ramparts to be quite impressive.
You can read more about the history of Old Oswestry Hillfort, on this page on the English Heritage website.
The view in the photo above shows the main path up to the top of the hillfort, whilst the one below looks out across the not-very-flat plateau…
The site sprawls across the local area. On the next, very steep hill over, was a lovely woodland which we also took the opportunity to walk around:
Although some people might argue there isn’t much to see today at a site like this, compared to a castle or even a stone circle, (not everyone finds lumps and bumps in the ground as exciting as me 😉 ), the atmosphere was imbued with history. Looking out across the hills, it’s easy to appreciate why the site was chosen: the tribe living there would have had a commanding view of their territory, and should they needed to have defended it from attackers, those multiple steep ramparts would have given them a sense of safety and protection. I can only imagine how fit and strong an invading force would’ve had to have been to run up that hill, carrying weapons and perhaps a shield, whilst the defenders rained down missiles from above, and still be in a condition to fight when they reached the top!
If you enjoy reading historical fantasy with a dash of romance, and inspired by the myth, magic and landscape of the Iron Age, please do check out Oathbreaker. Here’s the story summary:
‘Be my wife.’ The words were so quiet, Eleri wondered if she had really heard them. ‘Please, Eleri. Be my wife,’ he said again, louder and with even more intensity.
Eleri, priestess of the Green Lady, has waited for so long to marry her tribe’s champion, Celyn. Finally, the date is set for Midsummer’s Eve, when the tribes have gathered in the valley to celebrate the longest day at the stone circle perched up on the hill. But nothing is as it seems…
A glimpse of a bird circling over the stones foretells of doom…and maybe even death.
An oath is made. An oath is broken. And Eleri’s life changes forever…
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“Oathbreaker” is a story inspired by ancient history, mythology, and the landscape. Set in the Iron Age, where there is no distinction between history and mythology, and where magic is as real as the ground beneath your feet, Oathbreaker charts the journey of Eleri, Priestess of the Green Lady and the unusual quest she finds herself forced to make…
If you enjoy historical fiction, myths and legends, fantasy, adventure and romance, you might enjoy this too…
Sammi Cox 
Lovely photographs, Sammi!
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Thank you, Elizabeth! It was such a beautiful place to visit 🙂
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Reading this reminds me of my visit to Maiden Castle. Devilishly difficult to capture on film the effect it had on me. I remember standing on the ramparts and visualising a battle, and feeling the panic around me. These places can transport us, as if they were time machines
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I understand that. As I was looking back through the photos I took, I kept thinking, “not sure anyone’s going to be particularly interested in a photo of an expanse of grass, no matter where it’s growing.”
I’ve not been to Maiden Castle, but it’s on “The List”. The power and spirit of a place can be wonderful to experience, but also a little disconcerting too 🙂
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These places transport me. Burgh Castle less so, but Venta Icenorm (Caister St Edmunds, outside Norwich) does it.
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How did you get back to classic editor. I’ve tried everything but can’t find it now. I had a blog written for Sunday. I could not get it to publish. Had to give up. Maybe I can use it some other Sunday.
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I got back to the classic editor via the Dashboard:
From the sidebar I clicked “Posts” (but you can also access the same page by selecting “All Posts”).
Then, near the top of the “Posts” page, where it says “Add New” there’s a little triangle, which I clicked and was given the option to use either the block editor or classic editor.
Hope that helps 🙂
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Great photos, thank you for sharing them and this piece.
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Thank you so much for reading! 🙂
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