Wayland's Smithy, on the Ridgeway Long Distance Path Watercolour, gouache, pen and white crayon on Hahnemuhle grey paper |
Wayland's Smithy is a Neolithic long barrow situated on the path a few miles from the Wiltshire border. There are many legends about the site, dating back over a thousand years, and this was recorded in 1738 by the antiquary, Francis Wise: -
'At this place lived formerly an Invisible Smith, and if a traveller's Horse had lost a Shoe upon the road, he had no more to do than to bring the Horse to this place with a piece of money, and leaving both there for some little time, he might come again and find the money gone, but the Horse new shod'.
'At this place lived formerly an Invisible Smith, and if a traveller's Horse had lost a Shoe upon the road, he had no more to do than to bring the Horse to this place with a piece of money, and leaving both there for some little time, he might come again and find the money gone, but the Horse new shod'.
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