Recently, Gawan Mac Greigair bought an Ordnance Survey (national mapping agency in the United Kingdom) hiking map, and found a place of worship symbol in the “middle of bloody nowhere.†“It’s 4cm to 1 mile, so it’s the right scale to be able to include symbols for intriguing things in the landscape, including historic monuments, ancient earthworks, places of worship and so on,†said Gawan. Wondering what that particular one actually was, he decided to go and see it for himself.
“I happened to have a free afternoon on that day, and there was heavy fog blanketing the top of the North Downs all day,†he said. “I couldn’t resist the chance of an otherworldly walk in mist.â€
“The North Downs is a range of chalk hills in Kent (which give the White Cliffs of Dover their whiteness)–it’s classed as ‘Ancient Countryside’, and it is full of secretive nooks and crannies, and has a long history. I had seen this symbol on the map before and it had intrigued me because it seemed unusual that a place of worship would be located quite far from any village and that it would be right on the edge of a woodland.â€
Following the Map
When Gawan Mac Greigair purchased an old Ordnance Survey hiking map, he thought it would pique his interest and lead him to some hidden gems in his area. What he didn’t expect, however, was the discovery of a lifetime, that turned him into a true believer…