Ground Report – Wayland’s Smithy, 15/07/06

This crop circle is clearly well known after its coverage in the national news, as always from a range of viewpoints, in this case not all negative!

From the air it is clearly very impressive. The 3D quality at certain angles is stunning and the way the design appears different from different angles is also extraordinary.

Fortunately I was able to visit this formation within a week of its arrival, but the sheer number of visitors in just that short space of time means that any observations must take trampling into account, maybe more so than usual!

The number of visitors is a key feature of this formation. The location next to Wayland’s Smithy Long Barrow, although not so obvious as last years amazing crop circle which was aligned to the ancient site, is still easily accessible to the general public. The extensive media coverage within only a few days of its appearance and the actual design itself have brought hundreds of people flocking to visit it. In my opinion this can only be a good thing! For people who might have forgotten all about crop circles since the early nineties, this formation could have stirred something which compels them to go there. Some have never even thought of visiting a crop circle before, but now find themselves standing in a field wondering what it is all about.

The fact that there is some unusual intricacy to the lay of the crop (which I will come to later) in this very crop circle also interests me. During my visit I heard more than one discussion about the pattern of the crop in the largest squares.

The landscape in this area is stunning everywhere you go. In the field where this crop circle is located the views are not quite so picturesque, but the peacefulness and tranquillity are really inescapable. Walking through woods to get there adds to this feeling. Having seen so many aerial photos of this formation, it actually seemed smaller on the ground than I had imagined. On walking inside, where there were many visitors enjoying the last of the evening sun, the size still seemed noticeable.

The flow of the crop inside the formation is a little messy in places but is actually mostly very neat. The edges are generally crisp and the crop laid fairly flat to the ground. Considering the number of visitors there seems not to be too much damage so far.

The crop flows from the central star shape towards the outer edges of the formation, and the narrower pathways which form the columns seem to have been laid before the rest of the crop in each section.

It is in the largest of the square ends of the columns that the lay of the crop gets really impressive! As can be seen in many aerial photos as well as those below, the crop has been woven in small sections made up of ‘square’ segments which overlay each other.

It is difficult to work out which of these sections was laid before the other due to the overall flow within. What is very clear, however, is that none of the crop in any of these end sections has been laid particularly flat to the ground. As each part overlaps another this creates a raised effect as can be seen in the image below.

These are the kind of details I find really exciting! Particularly, (as I have said previously), in a crop circle so easily accessible to the public.

In my opinion this formation is an ‘ambassador’ for the crop circle mystery. To get noticed, to impress even some sceptics, to encourage so many people to have a closer look and then when they do to reward them with something they still can’t really explain is what it is all about!

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