It's impossible to judge the time of day in England in June; the shadows don't begin to grow long until very late in the evening. It's after 6:00 as we leave Ripon for York and I'm beginning to wish I had that Magnum Bar I wasn't able to finish in the car park at Rievaulx Abbey.
We take the A roads, making a quick stop by the Devil's Arrows near Boroughbridge. This row of three standing stones with fluted edges, looks like the flight of arrows. They are ascending in size with the smallest two in a field and the tallest at the opposite side of the road adjoining the field. I had tried to find out more about them online before leaving for the UK but, like Stonehenge and most other ancient sites of this sort, there is little to be learned. They remain a marvelous mystery.
Back in York, we decide to go for fish and chips. It seems incredible to me that I haven't had fish and chips yet, and I have to remind myself that I'm only on the second full day of my trip with eleven more to go. Our meal is fresh and hot, and authentically wrapped newspaper; we eat our fish and chips sitting in the car near Clifford's Tower as the shadows grow longer and longer.
Having forgotten to buy drinks, we head off to a pub near the riverfront. A half-pint of Theakston's ale goes down very well as Eagle Eye Cherry plays loudly on the jukebox. It's my second half-pint of the day, and even though I know it's silly, I feel like a bit of a lush. A quick walk by the waterside finishes off this long, incredible day. A tour boat on the River Ouse drifts by slowly, playing incongruous Calypso music as the wind, which seemed to grow colder by the second, buffets me from every side.
Back in my room at Feversham, I pack my belongings which have found a temporary home here. We are all a little quiet and reflective. I am torn emotionally – sad to be leaving Yorkshire behind, but excited about the prospect of our trip north (toward Scotland!) to Catlowdy in the uppermost reaches of Cumbria tomorrow morning.
Erected in prehistoric times and distinctively grooved by millennia of rainfall, the tallest stone is 22.5 feet in height, making this the tallest menhir in the United Kingdom after the 25 feet tall Rudston Monolith. The other two stones are 22 feet and 18 feet tall respectively and it is thought that the alignment originally included up to five stones.
The name Devil's Arrows is mentioned by John Aubrey who visited and drew the stones in 1687. There is a legend, which goes back to 1721, that says the Devil threw the stones, aiming at the next town of Aldborough. He stood on Howe Hill and shouted, "Borobrigg keep out o' way, for Aldborough town I will ding down!". However, the stones fell short and landed near Boroughbridge instead.
Read more about the Devil's Arrows at Wikipedia.