For the past couple of years I have mowed a labyrinth into the wild flower meadow in the Top Field as part of the All Year Round Summer Solstice celebration we hold here at the Trust. The children really enjoy it, and were determined there should be another one this year.
So, wielding the trusty Austrian Scythe, I went out in the drizzle on Saturday morning to mow. This years labyrinth is based on a simple Chartres design, as found at this informative website.
An attempt to photograph the labyrinth, balanced on top of a gate holding the camera in the air!
Once the inner circle was established, mowing progressed smoothly. I mowed a series of concentric circles but left stands of uncut grass at the four quarter points in each circle, leaning over the uncut grass to mow a space for my feet then jumping over to continue mowing beyond. Then I went back and linked up the segments in the correct order to create the winding path.
A willing volunteer spent the afternoon walking back and forth through the labyrinth, wheel-barrowing the cut grass out of the maze so that it could be spread and turned into hay. She celebrated the completion of this task by one last uninterrupted, wheel barrow free walk along the path!
The hay from the Labyrinth
If you live locally and would like to visit the Labyrinth, do get in touch. It should be there for a good few weeks yet, before the tide of hay making reaches it.