Pudding Pie Hill - Fairy Mound

Local folklore states that if you run around Pudding Pie Hill nine times sunwise and then stick a knife in the top you will be able to hear the fairies revelling inside the mound below. Well the mound is not far from where I live so of course I had to give it a go!

The mound now lies in the neglected corner of a field near a busy bypass, but despite this it still has quite an atmosphere.

I started making my way clockwise around the mound but it wasn't easy as it was muddy and one side of the mound runs into a hedge and ditch, but I persevered and tried not to lose count and eventually reached nine (I think!) then ran to the top and plunged my wand into the soft earth. I placed my ear against the ground and heard... nothing! Perhaps I hadn't done it right, or perhaps the fairies left a long time ago, annoyed by all the busy traffic. So I sat there on top of the mound, my legs astride the wand, and meditated. But try as hard as I might I still wasn't picking anything up.

Despairing now I opened my eyes and there sat on my leg was a perfect little two-spot ladybird. Well it wasn't what I had come here for, but clearly he had a message for me...

He told me that his name was Azimoth and he was here to guide me. He said I had to heal the land by drawing in 'life-force' at nodal points. The land will become wasteland without this life-force to fight pollution. My work with the land is all-important, all else is just a distraction to me.

As usual it felt like a riddle. What nodal points? How do I heal the land? But more than this I could not ascertain at this time.

I tried to place Azimoth back on the ground, but he didn't seem to want to leave and so joined me as I returned to my car. As I sat behind the wheel I noticed him crawl away into my car, but after that I never saw him again.

I later discovered that an 'Azimuth' is something used in navigation. It's the angle between a point of reference and the place you want to get to. Was this another clue?

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Rob Wildwood (Aurvandil) has now released a book containing hundreds of his own stunning full colour photos of many of the magical places he has visited in his travels. The images capture the magic and mystery of each place and are enhanced by extracts of local folklore that reveal the magical lore of each place and tempt deeper investigation. Every site listed has full directions and map grid references that can be checked online, so join Rob Wildwood as you discover Britain's magical places at www.themagicalplaces.com