Home again from Cornwall after three weeks of gorgeous weather, morning walks to the beach, get-togethers with family and the freedom to trace Alex’s footsteps over the majestic Cornish coastline, down over dramatic cliff-scapes and onto golden sands. Into caves, inconspicuous among the intermittent shadow and sunlight flitting across its face, that stumble back, deep under field and heath.
The fogou is fundamental at both the inception and finale of Alex’s adventure in Alex and the Druids’ Eclipse: A Cornish Tale. It was while in this underground, dry-stone structure of the Iron Age era that Alex was hurled back to the time of the Druid, Merlin. This made my visit to this ancient structure inescapable.
My husband and I headed towards Helston and the Trelowarren Estate where the Halliggye Fogou is located. Although an English Heritage site, it did not appear well known and it wasn’t until we stopped for coffee at a tea-room on the estate that we were given accurate directions to the Iron Age Hill Fort where the fogou was located. Although it was the middle of July, the area was deserted so we were able to park off the narrow lane at a pull-in before setting off up a steep slope, watchful for the sought-after structure. It wasn’t long before a wooden sign pointed us to the fogou, which lay in a small enclosure and was accessed by steep descending slate steps.
Entering the ancient tunnel my clairsentient sensitivities sizzled into life and I became instantly aware of the presence of auras of age-old souls, which blew me away. Thankfully, the bats that sometimes inhabit the structure were keeping a low profile that day, although, having nurtured a juvenile Pipistrelle bat back to health after flying in through my bathroom window and knocking itself out, I have a great affection for the species (but that’s another story for another day!)
Touching the chilly primordial stone walls, I felt I was truly standing with Alex. Feeling his fear, seeing through his eyes the contours, colours and texture of the granite walls.
The experience was phenomenal! If you want a great day out following in the footsteps of Alex (and aren’t afraid of bats 😀 ) here are the coordinates 50.0716° N, 5.1970° W. With lots of crawling around to do, old clothing, a hat and flat shoes are merely a suggestion!
