Land Forms And Archaeology

You don`t need Time Team to tell you how agriculture changed the face of your local area over time! Take yourself for a walk and look at the species growing in a hedge. If in a 30m stretch of hedge you count 10 or more species the hedge is likely to have been there for 1000 years. In contrast if the hedge has only two or three species, or even only one like hawthorn, it was probably planted during the time when common land was enclosed and is only about 200 years old. Old documents and maps in your local library may well confirm your findings. Also, look for undulations in grassland called ridge and furrow. Every ridge was allocated to a family who may have been told what they could grown there in times gone by. A good time to observe ridge and furrow is at sunset or during light snow so that the ridges become more obvious. Observing your local area and make physical geography come alive! It`s fascinating and free .............. and there`s lots more than hedges and fields to see!