Driver Jatt

Standish Wood (Disabled Woman and Witch Content!)

I don’t know what to make of this.

The woods themselves are relatively small. Around a square mile at the most but as the saying goes “big things come in small packages” really resonates here. Because it’s true.

Let’s rewind.

I left Birmingham in the morning with a box of something for someone. I can’t remember what happened with the rest of the day but when the days targets were met and it was coming to late afternoon rush hour, a decision was made to explore the nearest place to me. Which happened to be Standish Wood near Stroud in Gloucestershire.

There’s a steep single track tarmaced road leading to the car park which is free. Once parked and footwear changed for something more suitable the exploration began.

The first thing I noticed was that this forest sits on rocks. Literally. It struck me that the tree roots around here are incredibly shallow. They spread across the lane rather than into it. That’s when on a hill I came across a tree with lots of pictures of a young lady pinned on one side. On the floor were three jars.

I assumed this is where someone died, the young lady in the pictures. The jars must have been for the candles. Morbid really.

Walking around and through the woods made me feel overwhelmingly sad and then I met these two middle aged women. And everything changed!

They were both dressed middle aged hiking. I can’t explain this but that’s how they looked. One of them was wheelchair bound. Not any old wheelchair though. She was in a pucka off road wheelchair. I didn’t take pictures because… well duuuh!

So these two women were absolutely hilarious. The one with the wheelchair would go to places where I’d think twice about walking, her friend would call her out for it and call her an idiot because she’ll get stuck. Then the one in the wheelchair shout out to her mate and tell her that she’s a waste of legs! IT was hilarious!

Anyway, I told them about the pictures of the young lady on a tree and mentioned about how sad it must be. They told me not to be sad. It was possibly an offering, or something to do with witches. I clearly looked puzzled to them which isn’t really a good luck. They then explained that Paganism was here before the Abrahamic religions turned up. These woods are a sacred site for ancient rituals and it attracts druids, witches who do things like honouring the changing of the seasons to communing with the spirits of the land.

The two women then took me around the woods and showed me the wild garlic that was growing there and these shelters which were sometimes made under tree roots. Some of these shelters had evidence of burning too. Perhaps something to do with the offerings?  

Britain is incredibly amazing with a rich history which we sadly collectively choose to ignore!

So, use www.frigate-express.co.uk please. It helps fund our trips around the country.