Round and Round Like Demented Hamsters!

...well, after two days of driving between Airman's Cross (perhaps someone should point out to Wiltshire Council that calling a roundabout "Airman's Corner" is stupid on every level!) and Longbarrow Roundabout, the dedicated few had definitely begun to feel like demented hamsters.

It was a great pleasure to see Ian West, the Lib-Dem Wiltshire Councillor for the Till & Wylye Valley Division and Chair of the Winterbourne Stoke Parish Council at the head of the procession.  But as a friend on Twitter (#tragicyclist) pointed out - John Glen MP (Con) was rather noticeable by his absence.

Thanks to all who took part over the two days - we achieved STAG's aim of getting publicity and considering what a young organisation we are, have done surprisingly well. Why did people come ot to demonstrate at all in such an IMBY, rather than NIMBY, way?  Good question. well posed.  

Well, if you live with the A303 day-after-day, or you are a villager harassed by impatient rat-runners, it all gets very personal.  As one dear friend, who used to live in Winterbourne Stoke, said to me earlier in the week: "I'm not the sort of person who ever comes out to demonstrate - about anything.  But this is different.  People died at the bottom of my drive."

Special thanks, yet again, to Wiltshire Constabulary.  While the "Grey Ghost" of yesterday was noticeable by his absence from his muddy field gate, a marked police car did join our procession for several circuits - good to see such stolid support from so unexpected a quarter.  But saying that, Wiltshire Police are the poor beggars who have to clear up the carnage on the A303 every time there is an accident - perhaps their participation shouldn't have been so unexpected.

We'll let you know when our next activity is planned and what and where it will be.  St Valentine's Day could be a favourite - as that is the day Stonehenge changes it's admissions policy to booking in advance - and there could be some traffic problems as a result.  Alternatively, any of the Bank Holiday weekends next year look promising.

As for suitable themes - that's a bit harder.   We did think of "Re-home a Mole Day" (Just don't ask!) and abandoned that idea on grounds of animal cruelty and practicality.  However, advertising the new year as "2014 The Year of Rock - Bring One of Your Own to Stonehenge" could have very helpful consequences.   If every person who went to visit Stonehenge took a 1 kg chunk of rock - preferably inscribed with an apposite hand-carved graffito - these could be piled alongside the A303 to help screen the stones from the road (or should that be the other way around).   English Heritage will be delighted, I'm sure, as at a stroke they will achieve their widh of isolation, will have a much better idea of how people can move huge quantities of rock to Wiltshire and the graffito will ensure more mysteries at Stonehenge for future archaeologists. 

So, demo over, I decided to pop into the new Stonehenge Visitor's Centre and see for myself what it was like.  After all - our protest has nothing to do with Stonehenge itself, or the New Visitor's Centre, or the staff who are employed there.  We are just not great fans of English Heritage.

I wanted to be amazed, I wanted to be impressed, I wanted to see that £27 million had been well-spent...