The Solstice Spiral

The highest point was called The Gin and Tonic Terrace from the beginning. It was a sun trap on the highest point with just a sneak peak of the view to the southwest. 

Once the gorse was cleared the view opened up and of course the prevailing wind changed the feel up there. 

After the gorse was removed in 2022. Where there was gorse there is now bracken and also trees planted in 2024.

    2023 and the gorse arrived

And the seed bank of foxgloves received light and so germinated 
            Trees planted and fighting for light

It is the place I gravitate to for sunrises, sunsets and key moments in the year especially at the equinox and solstice. The panoramic view is rewarding and there is a ledge where I have sat with friends over the years taking a moment to reflect on the passing of time.

Sitting below the G&T terrace Winter 2023

The Winter Solstice 2025 was particularly special. I spent all day with friends (sunrise at the Giant's Grave followed by a trip to Swinside Stone Circle). After lunch we headed to Bel's Wood and shared stories from the last year and hopes for the next and waited for the point of standstill which was 3.03pm. I started to call the platform the Solstice Stand.


I have not planted the Gin and Tonic Terrace with trees as I wanted to keep the view across the Lyth Valley. However the flaw to this plan is that there is nothing to suppress the gorse growing back and obscuring the view again. The gorse was cut last year and I have let the broom grow free and this is competing well with the gorse and gives an amazing splash of colour in spring but also has the potential to block out the view again.

An idea linking these two themes (how to suppress regeneration and a place to celebrate the solstice) began to form in my mind. If I installed a piece of rock art on the ground I could formalise the Solstice Stand and the rocks and walking on them could supress new growth.

I came up with two options:

Firstly to lay out the Fibonacci Spiral on the ground with the centre facing south. I was drawn to the idea of building this shape which is found in nature into the landscape.

Fibonacci Circle and a Snail shell

Secondly to borrow a pattern from ancient rock art. One of my favourite places to visit is Little Meg (near the better know Long Meg and Her Daughters, Little Selkeld, Cumbria). There is a wonderful piece of rock art on one of the curb stones. Although the meaning of prehistoric rock art is unknown this piece has always prompted two complementary ideas in my mind. That of continuity (with the spiral repeating the pattern of the sun in the sky to infinity) and that this moment is unique and precious and needs to be appreciated (the concentric circles landing on this moment). The way the two shapes interlock with one another gives a complexity to these ideas and I gave myself a 60th birthday present of this motif as a tattoo so that I have these ideas with me at all times. The rock art was carved around 5,000 years ago.

            Little Meg Rock Art in reality and represented on my arm!

On the early May Bankholiday Monday some friends joined me at Bel's Wood. After lunch we headed up to the Solstice Stand with rocks to add to those I had collected and started to layout a pattern. I quickly decided that the spiral from Little Meg worked better than the Fibonacci spiral as it is more compact and the centre aligned with the area where we have stood and sat over the years. I drew out a size that fit into the landscape with some blue rope and everyone started to gather & lay rocks.


  



I was amazed how quickly we made the beginnings of a spiral and at the energy of my friends and their contribution including hauling some huge rocks to the top of the hill!


We tested the spiral as we went along and renamed the installation The Solstice Spiral !

 

In that one session we completed 3 limbs of the 5 limb spiral and we also started to install some magic into the place!



Since that day I have carried rocks up each time I have visited and have nearly completed the 5 limbs of the spiral.


I realised that there was just the right amount of space in the correct orientation to add the concentric circles part of the motif and I have now laid that out with blue string and started to collect more rocks. I have moved the large chunky rock into the centre.

On June 21st 2026 at 9.24am (BST), the point of standstill, I shall be there adding the final stones to the Solstice Spiral. A realistic goal will be to complete the concentric circles by the Autumn Equinox. It is getting harder to excavate stones from the bracken and gorse but I can work slowly over the coming months and see how it goes. Blending the two is harder than it looks. Luckily I have the design on my arm to work from at all times!



The larger rock nearer the top of the photo is the centre of the concentric circles yet to be constructed.

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