Drumming to a Different Beat
Getting up at pre-dawn on a cold, dark December morning after a late and convivial evening would not be something I would normally sign up for.
However, my daughter persuaded me I should join her expedition, and I clambered into her VW Campervan at some ungodly hour to drive over to the area between Fleet, Aldershot and Farnham, known as Caesar’s Camp. It was Friday 22nd of December, the date of the Winter Solstice and thus the shortest day of the year. I was about to witness the sunrise on this auspicious day, something I had never done before.
We would walk up through the woods and heathland and climb the steep escarpment, to where we could expect the best view of the sun putting in its daily appearance, albeit after a bit of a lie-in.
We travelled with three of my grandchildren and parked up to meet up with my daughter’s friend and her two young boys. It must have been some sort of job to persuade youngsters to emerge from their warm, cosy beds, but once out into the countryside, they seemed relatively enthusiastic.
As we set off, I reflected on how lucky we were to live in such proximity to an extensive area of heathland and woods, a brilliant place for hiking and mountain biking. The entire area, used predominantly as a training area for the Army, extends for some 260 hectares, while the actual ancient Iron Age Hill fort of Caesar’s Camp extends to just 26 hectares. For simplicity, we always refer to the complete area by this name.
Initially, it was pitch-black, making progress tricky, although then the sky lightened; I was told it was still some while before sunrise proper. That would be at four minutes past eight.
We were going to walk to Caesar’s Camp proper, 177m above sea level. The final ascent up the steep slope of sand and gravel had us all breathing hard, but it was rewarding to reach the plateau and look over to the twinkling lights of Farnborough Airfield below us.
As we waited for the allotted hour, the kids all chased around and climbed trees, and the adults just took in the wonderful views beyond the airport and over to the distant metropolis.
As we waited, we were joined by half a dozen people who had approached from the opposite direction, carrying what looked suspiciously like small drums in carrying cases. This friendly group, from Church Crookham, were not pagans or druids but were keen to embrace nature and drum a welcome to the Solstice sunrise.
Drumming in 2024
They invited us to join them and I was even handed a drum to be banged as the sun finally broke through. The group leader then made a charming little speech about welcoming in the new year.
Unfortunately, the drumming had encouraged half a dozen ferocious-looking cows, all long unkempt, matted hair and enormous sets of horns to approach us. Trying to be brave, we all looked around for a suitable tree to climb should the need arise. Although scary in appearance, the cattle were simply inquisitive, and they soon sauntered off.
With the sun well and truly risen, we then made our way back, walking along the ridge to take an alternative path down to where the vehicles were parked.
Winter Solstice at Caesar’s Camp
Back home in Fleet, I decided my early morning activity warranted a decent breakfast, so I strolled into town for breakfast at the excellent Frankie’s.