Four of us had been camping up at the Giant's Head farmhouse. We rose before dawn setting out to walk a couple of miles to the Trendle above the Giant. Despite fine weather the day before, dawn was lost in thick fog. The grass was heavy with dew. Descending the along the spine of the hill's spur, we found the Trendle despite the fog. It is an ancient earthwork 150 feet above the Giant's outstretched hand. Some maintain that the town Maypole was sited here until its conversion into a ladder in 1635. We descended around the Giant to the pathway beneath.
Here, as we sat eating our sandwiches, two comrades emerged from the swirling mist. They were using a map of Canada to guide their way. They had travelled overnight from London. They joined in the feasting and helped in the collecting of dew from the chakras of the Giant. This was followed by breakfast at the Giant's Head campsite.
Later that day the fog cleared up. It was like another world. The town filled up with tourists who took photographs of the Giant and visited the ruins of the Abbey and St. Augustine's Well. Only the more astute would have come across the eighteenth century masonic grave under the Yew tree in the graveyard. Likewise, many no doubt miss the eye in the pyramid to be seen in the church.
The fifteenth century Abbey Guest House is still intact. René of Anjou's daughter, Margaret, who became Queen of England, had council here during the Wars of the Roses. In more recent days the building has been visited by Winston Churchill, and is connected with the Digby family. The feeling of rustic charm was enhanced by the traditional twig broom and iron cauldron that were on display in the main room.
A trip was also made to Tout Quarry, Portland where Christine Fox's sculpture Serpent includes seven stones aligned with Cerne Abbas and the nearby St. George's church. The seventh stone is fashioned as a goddess to balance the Cerne Giant.



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