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The three Angels on the Watts Memorial Chapel, close to the Pilgrim's Way represent:  The Way (The Maze), The Boat of the Sun and The Tree of Life. The pilgrim may, however be distracted by the many fairs along the way!

 The Maze, The Beacon and The Maypole.

Map Key
Key		 On a lonely hilltop a maze has been cut into the turf or there is a tradition of people meeting at a certain time of the year. Perhaps, in days gone by a great fair was held with drovers travelling hundreds of miles with their herds and flocks and the inevitable entertainers and sellers who would turn up to take advantage of the assembled crowd. Pilgrims travelling to see the relics of a saint on their special day would also find themselves tempted by entertainers and souvenir sellers before finally getting to the shrine. People perhaps met for the joy of dancing in the open air around the maypole after a long cold winter. All these fairs, saints days and celebrations would be part of the seasonal round and have their own particular lore. A particular saint may bring their own weather, the fair arrive with the first Cuckoo or a flower signal the approaching harvest.
Dance around the Maypole , tread the path of the Maze.  Follow Beacons on hill tops to Fairs & Festivals. Visit special Trees, Parks & Gardens. Carry Garlands of flowers and meet Jack in the Green.   Watch the Morris Dancers and Mummers perform their rituals.  Investigate Ancient Sites , Buildings & Churches   and look for The Green Man . Refresh yourself at  Wells & Springs . Seek out the places of Music and Song ,  join in Community Dancing.  Discover old Customs and Legends.  Follow the Cycle of the Seasons

The area covered in detail is the Thames Valley & Chilterns  traversed by: 
The Thames Path from source to the Thames Barrier 
The old London to Bath Stagecoach Road
With sections of:  
The ancient Ridgeway, Icknield Way, Harrow Way, Pilgrim's Way 
The Great North Road & many Drovers Routes from Wales and The North.
Trading routes with a long history of fairs & gatherings and rich in history & folklore. 
Click Home for this area.
Detailed coverage also of:  West Cornwall, Exmoor and the area around Glastonbury

There is a National  (England & Wales) map and an International perspective is also given to some subjects.

Beacons

Mazes

Maypoles

Beacon Hill Ellesborough

Cuckoos Nest

Maypole

Beacon Hill Ellesborough
One of a chain of beacons across the Chilterns
Lit to warn of invasion or in times of celebration

The folkscape "Cuckoo's Nest Maze" inspired by the turf mazes of the English countryside and the folklore of the Cuckoo.

The Maypole:
Beacon for dancing
and merriment.

Cabbage Hill
The beacon is lit on Cabbage Hill, Warfield to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Chains of beacon hills cross the countryside (now often topped by triangulation pillars or radio masts). Vital from early times as navigation, communications,  mapping points and gathering places for fairs, celebrations and strategic defence. In 1889 Joseph Houghton Spencer plotted lines through barrows, beacons and church towers, considering them the remnants of an ancient signalling system, such as that used during the approach of the Spanish Armada. Later authors interpreted these as mysterious "Ley Lines"Hurst Morris People
The Morris Dancers welcome in summer evenings spent at local watering places!

Breamore Miz Maze
Hidden away in a clump of trees on Breamore Down and cut into the turf is the Mizmaze. The nearby village of Downton held a Cuckoo Fair on 23rd April (these days on the May Day Bank Holiday) when it was said that the villagers opened the gate to let the Cuckoo fly through. The Wise Men of Gotham (Nottinghamshire) planted a hedge to stop the Cuckoo flying away and the summer with it. Clumps of trees are sometimes named Cuckoo Pen after this story.
(Washington Irvine called his native New York "Gotham City" - city of fools - hence the Gotham City of Batman) 





 

Hernes Oak 
The legend of Herne the Hunter is commemorated in the pub sign above. The older sign shows Herne on horseback blowing a hunting horn. The modern sign seems to depict him as a Robin Hood character, perhaps because of his appearance in a popular 1980s TV series: Robin of Sherwood. 
Hernes Oak  

The Green Man
Robin Hood plays were often performed around maypoles in medieval times. He is often associated with the wild man of the woods or the Green Man in modern iconography. Mysterious Green Men stone carvings can be found in some churches. 
The Herbalist
The pub name of "The Green Man  and (his) Still" refers to the travelling herbalist and his portable still used to distill essences (such as peppermint for cordial) from the herbs he gathered. The name is similar to "greengrocer", some of whom would also sell medicinal herbs as well as vegetables (pot herbs).

Warfield Church
The Green Man of  St Michael's Church, Warfield. The stone carving (shown in the tree here) and the stained glass window can be found inside the church. 

MaypoleMazeHillBeaconChurch topped HillTree topped HillTreeJack-in-the-GreenGarlandMorris & MummingsFairs & FestivalsAncient SiteBuildingChurchGreen ManWell or SpringMusicCommunity DanceCustomLegend