An appeal for volunteers from local communities is being made to take part in a very special historical experiment on Saturday 19th March when communication is attempted between ten ancient hillforts.
At dusk, on the evening of the full moon this March, north east Wales’ Heather and Hillforts Project and Cheshire West and Chester’s Habitats and Hillforts Project will be heading for the hills. The experiment will involve local people close to ten hillforts on the Sandstone Ridge, the Clwydian Range, Mynydd-y-Gaer Corwen, Halkyn Mountain and the Wirral, trying to communicate between the hillforts using torch light.
Flares will be launched from the hillforts followed by torch light at Maiden Castle, Beeston Castle, Kelsborrow, Helsby, Burton Point, Moel y Gaer Rhosesmor, Penycloddiau, Moel Arthur, Moel Fenlli and Caer Drewyn.
Iron Age settlements can be found on many of the summits of the Sandstone Ridge, Clwydian Range and surrounding hills, dating back around 2,500 years. Most of the hillforts across the surrounding landscape can be seen from each other. The experiment, originally scheduled for December 2010 but postponed due to heavy snow, aims to see if the glowing fires could have been seen across the hills and acted as a communication or warning system.
Flares will be fired from the hillforts, and volunteers will be invited to help with this mass experiment by manning each of the ten hilltops by signaling with torches in an attempt to make contact across the landscape. Places are strictly limited, so to register to help as a volunteer for your local hillfort, visit www.heatherandhillforts.co.uk/
Erin Robinson, Community Participation Officer for the Heather and Hillforts Project, said “We have chosen the evening in March because of the full moon. Not only will this hopefully provide us with extra light in the evening, but also because it will create even more ambiance for the experiment, where we are trying to recreate something that may not have been done for around 2,500 years, since the Iron Age.
“Circles, such as the full moon, are very important features of Celtic Art; fluid and concentric images being favoured by our prehistoric ancestors, perhaps seen as a symbol of continuity of birth, life and death or the seasons. The moon would have helped to define seasons and to mark festivals, both very important as the Iron Age people would have been farmers, growing grain such as Spelt and Emmer.
The experiment takes part on the day before the March equinox, marking the beginning of Spring in the northern hemisphere.
Once registered, volunteers will be sent information packs with exact timings and locations to meet and what to bring.
Further details about the Hillfort Glow can also be found at the newly launched Habitats and Hillforts website – www.habitatsandhillforts.co.uk
Heather & Hillforts and Habitats and Hillforts are Landscape Partnership Schemes funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
