Treburrow in the April Showers
It did not bode well. The threatened rain arrived right on cue, and doubtless the forecast hail and thunder would follow shortly. The field with the theoretical barrow was already occupied by a quantity of mean-looking brown animals and the parking was on a deceptively fast stretch of minor road. Some of the party were inexplicably missing and the omens were looking ominous.
But, as usual, things dowsing were not quite as they seemed. Alan led the damp party off down the lane, while I waited for the stragglers - and by the time I had rejoined the group, they had already ‘discovered’ a monolith, standing somewhat unfeasibly in the corner of a farmyard. Alan felt it might have been a displaced capstone, and the weak water and energy lines running under it implied that it had been moved from elsewhere. (We later discovered that it had been brought all the way from St Clether and wasn’t a standing stone at all!)
Yet this chance acquaintance was of real interest - for if it was indeed a relocated stone, why was there any energy running through it at all? The debate in dowsing circles, about whether earth and water energy is marked by standing stones, or attracted by them, has raged (if anything rages in dowsing) for some time. These lines gave every indication of having been attracted by the bulk of the modern Menhir - over a comparatively short period. A ‘false friend’, as the French might say - but a very educational one.
The rain rained with more urgency, as if to put an end to that line of investigation, and we took refuge in the only open structure in the vicinity - a small, old barn. Inside, we occupied ourselves with a bit of rod twiddling, only to find that we had been led onto a huge earth energy line - one of Annie’s red, white & black specials - the sort you tend to find around genuine ancient sites. So if this line wasn’t anything to do with the random boulder, was there something else around that might be of relevance?
A bit of impromptu map dowsing by David indicated a possible barrow in the field to the east, which was on the way back to the cars anyway - and we were pretty wet already so . . .
