The Ring is truly a haunted place. High on a windswept hill, a ring of trees with a shady path one can follow around the ancient sacred circle... It is said that no animals live in the ring, or in the trees that make up the ring. I must admit, it seemed very quiet there for a summer day in July...
There is a legend that if you count all the trees in the Ring, the ghosts of Julius Caesar and his army will appear. There is, however, a corresponding legend that the trees of the ring can't be counted, and that every attempt to count them will result in a different number.
Another associated legend is that if one walks widdershins around the ring seven times on a dark or moonless night - some legends also say Midsummer Eve at 7 pm, some say May Eve at midnight, during the time it takes a clock to strike the hour - the devil will appear and offer you a bowl of soup or porridge (depending on the legend). Some report that if you accept the devil will get your soul - but it seems like an awful lot of trouble to go for a for a free bowl of soup or porridge, so I favor the legend that syas if you accept the food , he will grant you one wish
Fairies and UFO's have been associated with the ring (see Folklore on the History page.) As well as the hoofbeats of phantom horses and the ghost of a man on a horse. If you walk the ring three times rather than seven, you will supposedly be rewarded with the sighting of a lady on a white horse. The ghost a white-bearded old man has been seen also, and he is reputed to be the ghost of a Druid searching for lost treasure or a Saxon killed at the battle of Hastings. Interestingly, at Chancton Farm, below the hill, a cache of Anglo saxon coins were unearthed in the mid-1800's!
Many people visiting the ring have reported feeling uncomfortable, and many who have attempted to stay overnight at the ring have failed. A paranormal group attempted the stay in the 1960's and was successful, but had an eventful night, complete with the wailing voice of a woman around the outside of the ring, the sound of a church organ, and feelings of intense physical pressure.
Other visitors to the ring have reported sudden paralysis of limbs and one man was picked up,levitated and then dropped on his back, resulting in injury. On another occasion, a visitor was knocked to the ground by an unseen force and a crucifix pendant was torn from around his neck. The crucifix was found, but it was very hot, as if it had been in a fire.
I was too busy trying to avoid stinging nettle plants to count the trees, but we did have our own interesting experience there. As I was walking down the path on the west side of the ring, my daughter ran on ahead. I called to her to return, and kept walking. I heard footsteps up ahead and saw a figure on the path, standing slightly to the side of the path in the shade. I began walking toward the figure, assuming it was my daughter (it was about her size, that of a ten-year old) and it dashed into the trees and brush on the side of the path. Then I started to run toward the area, remembering the profusion of nettle plants and sincerely worried for her bare legs, when she came running around the bend!
So, it wasn't her that I saw. When I asked her why she ran off, she said that she thought I was running behind her, playing by chasing her!
I took a few pictures of that area, none of which turned out. When we returned to the car, I found that the film had somehow become unwound! The picture that you see above was taken as we approached the ring, and it was on another roll of film. I feel fortunate to have this one, considering the circumstances.