A view of The Druid Stone near Bledworth

Image: © Neil Theasby Taken: 30 Dec 2020

Sitting in a private field with no public access, this glacial erratic has survived in situ for countless centuries. No doubt once it sat in a clearing in Sherwood Forest, before witnessing deforestation and enclosure. Its saving grace was probably that it was simply too big to move or easily break up. My photograph was taken from the south. The view from the west or east would have shown that humans of the past created a rough hole through the rock - "According to local folklore, sick children were passed through the hole in the Druid Stone in an attempt to cure childhood illnesses such as whooping cough or rickets, with speculation that the act of passing through the stone symbolised the rebirth of a healthy child" - says Atlas Obscura.

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