21 December 2014

A tale of two solstices.

June 21 I made it to Clent Hills for the Northern Hemisphere Summer Solstice:

"20 strange souls all parked up at Clent Hills. Several rather sleepy kiddies and one teenager - dragged to the top of the hill by mummy at 01:30 - we discussed and agreed that might be embarrassed by parents now but will probably thank them in years to come"

Problem is  for the Winter Solstice Walton Hill will be in the way - and trees around the summit of this will prevent a clear view of the horizon (48 deg. Summer but 129 deg. Winter)  (http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/uk/birmingham

The answer has been staring me in the face... Frankly Beeches - a memorial to George and Richard Cadbury and over which we get a Manhattan-Henge effect in the Autumn.  I don't think it is coincidence that all the streets of our main manufacturing site are perfectly aligned with the hill summit.




So here are the Summer Photos







and then 6 months later.  This time it was just me (and a curious farmer who paused to check me out)