My Adventure In Wiltshire: From The Crop Circle Visitor Centre To A Newly Formed Formation Before Visiting An Ancient Stone Circle

On our way out, I struck up a conversation with the volunteer at the ticket desk. I asked her if there were any crop circles we could see that day, and she replied, "Actually, yes. There was one found yesterday morning." She pointed to a screen near the ticket desk that displayed up-to-date information on the latest crop circles, complete with an aerial photo and access details. The screen showed an intricate design in a wheat field near a village called Etchilhampton, about 20 minutes away.

"We don't know about access yet, but you should be alright to have a look," she continued. While no farmer had explicitly granted or denied access, she advised us to be respectful if we decided to visit.

She also mentioned that the person who took the photo was planning to return for more footage, as he'd experienced technical issues—his drone malfunctioned while flying over the crop circle. This reminded me of the 1990s, when people often reported problems with cameras or electronic equipment around crop circles.

The volunteer then gave us some advice on how to reach the circle. "Navigate to the Etchilhampton monument. Before you get there, you'll see a track. You should be alright walking along there, and you can probably look down to the circle from there," she suggested.

The Crop Circle Visitor Centre and Exhibition was well worth the visit. It even shifted my perspective a bit. I still believe that the vast majority of crop circles are man-made, particularly those from recent decades. However, seeing how reports of similar circles stretch back hundreds of years, not just to the 80s and 90s, has opened my mind to the possibility that a small number might have naturally occurred over the centuries.

Before heading out to find the crop circle near Etchilhampton, we decided to grab some lunch. Just two minutes away is The Barge Inn, a well-known pub that has become something of a pilgrimage site for crop circle enthusiasts and UFO fans. Situated right next to the canal, it also boasts a campsite at the back and fully embraces an alien theme throughout its decor.

I remembered The Barge Inn from my visits in the mid-90s, when it was already renowned as a crop circle pub. Back then, as it does now, it featured a massive mural on the ceiling of one of its rooms, depicting a crop circle and a mystical stone circle. The pub's dedication to the theme is further reflected in its selection of guest beers with names like 'Particle Collider', a green beer, and other similarly alien-themed options. It's the perfect place to visit when you're on a crop circle or UFO-themed day out.

After lunch, we got back in the car and set off for Etchilhampton, where the crop circle had been reported. It was about a 15-minute drive. As we neared the location, following the sat nav's directions, we kept a close eye on the surrounding fields, hoping to spot the formation from the road. However, nothing was visible. We had been advised to drive towards the monument, a local landmark known as Etchilhampton Long's Lion.

As we approached the monument, I realised we had already passed a track that might have been the right one to take, so we decided to backtrack and head down the track we had passed earlier. As soon as we turned into what turned out to be a byway, it became clear we were in the right place. There were several cars parked up, and others were clearly also looking for the crop circle. Interestingly, some of the cars had foreign number plates, a sign that crop circles in the UK still attract international interest.

Further down the track, I noticed a Land Rover parked in front of a rural farm gate. The driver was sitting inside with the door open, so I approached him, thinking he might be the landowner. I asked as politely as I could, "Is this your land?"

In a distinctly farmer-like accent, he replied, "No, I'm just parked here."

Undeterred, I said, "Oh, okay. We're looking for a crop circle—do you know where it is?"

This seemed to pique his interest. "A crop circle? No, no, I don't know," he responded.

"That's alright," I said. "I was just going to ask if it would be okay to fly a drone here, but since it's not your land, you probably don't mind."

He smiled and said, "No, I'm not going to stop you, mate. You do what you want."

I launched my drone from the roof of the car to see if I could locate the crop circle from the air. It was pretty windy, which was limiting how high I could fly, but I did manage to spot the crop circle on the screen of my phone, which was connected to the drone's controller.

I also noticed another parking area further up the track with a few cars already parked there. It looked like it might offer a better vantage point, so I landed the drone, jumped back in the car, and drove to the next spot. From this ridge, we could just about make out the crop circle in the wheat field below, though the angle made it difficult to discern the exact shape or pattern.

As I parked, we were greeted by a friendly, hippie-like lady sitting in the open door of her camper van. Given her friendliness, I asked, "Would you mind if I fly the drone? Is it going to bother you?"

She smiled and said, "No, it's fine. You're not the first to come here and do that."

I thanked her and then asked if she'd been down to the crop circle. She responded enthusiastically, "Oh yeah." She continued, "My friend is a psychic, and she went down yesterday. She said that when she put the back of her hand on the ground in the middle of the circle, she could actually see the colour of her hand changing." Whether she believed the story or was simply adding to the mystique for visitors, I couldn't tell.

I turned to Kerry and joked, "You'll have to try that," but Kerry was less enthused. "It's miles down there," she said.

The hippie lady chimed in, "It's not as far as it looks."

I encouraged Kerry, "You should go really, while you're here. You've never been in a crop circle before."

The lady agreed, "Oh yeah, you should make the most of the opportunity. You don't find crop circles very often, so go and see it while you can."

I put my drone, along with a spare battery, in my back pocket, and we started our walk down through the field towards the crop circle. The path led us along a narrow track beside one of the fields, which eventually opened up into a larger, more expansive area. Here, we found a flat spot, an ideal place to attempt another drone flight. I knew I couldn't take off from the circle itself, or even close to it, since the uneven ground and the tall crops would make it impossible to get a clean launch without the propellers getting tangled.

This spot, however, was perfect. It was fairly close to the circle and lower in elevation, which I hoped would mean it would be a little less windy than it was on the byway. From here, I was able to reach the formation pretty quickly, and via the live video feed from the drone, I could now see the striking and intricate formation clearly. The design consisted of a large central circle with six spiral arms extending outward, each perfectly spaced around the hub and curling gently in a clockwise direction. The spirals were uniform, broadening slightly at the tips to resemble stylised waves or tendrils. The contrast between the flattened crops of the formation and the standing crops around it made the pattern stand out vividly on my phone screen, with the wind creating ripples through the wheat like waves on a pond.

I performed a few manoeuvres, capturing sweeping shots of the entire design from above, and then brought the drone lower to the ground to spiral slowly around the intricate radials. Knowing it might not be the best idea in strong winds, I risked climbing higher to get a clear, bird's eye view of the entire formation in one shot. I completed the flight without any issues, landed the drone smoothly, and tucked it away in the back pocket of my shorts.

Flying the drone made me reflect on how things had changed since I first started visiting crop circles as a teenager in the 90s. Back then, the idea of remotely flying a camera over a crop circle to film it from above would have seemed like science fiction. People used to bring long poles with cameras attached to the top just to get an aerial shot of the designs because it was the only way to do it. The luxury of having a drone today felt almost surreal, a far cry from the cumbersome methods of the past.

We continued our walk towards the circle, with Sullivan leading the way, tugging on his lead as usual. We followed a track along the edge of the larger field until we reached a set of tractor lines that intersected the crop circle. Walking along these lines allowed us to reach the circle without damaging any of the crops. The crops stood waist-high, making it difficult to see much of the field as we trudged through, so it wasn't until we were practically upon it that we found ourselves inside the circle. The van-dwelling hippie was right; it wasn't too far from the car, just a 10 to 15-minute walk.

Stepping from the tractor line, where we were surrounded by towering walls of wheat, into the perfectly flattened crops of the formation was a special moment. Even if you don't believe in the UFO theories or the Earth Energy stories, being inside a crop circle is still a mystical experience - very Wiltshire, very English, and quite unique. Despite the number of tourists milling about, it still felt like a rare and special experience. There were probably 10 to 15 of us there, but we were a small group of lucky people, witnessing something extraordinary and fleeting. Crop circles don't last long; once the farmer cuts the field, they're gone. So, it felt like a privilege to be there.

The design itself was impressive, even when examined up close. The edges were sharp and well-defined, with every crop laid down neatly and uniformly. The crops all flowed in the same direction, swirling around the centre of the radials with precision. It was a meticulously crafted formation, with every detail executed perfectly.

We found the centre circle and took a few selfies, including one of Sullivan sitting right in the middle. Of course, I had to try the experiment the hippie lady had mentioned. I put the back of my hand on the ground in the middle of the centre circle, leaving it there for a few seconds. However, I didn't notice any colour change, nor did I feel anything out of the ordinary.

We continued our exploration of the crop circle, walking along the curved radials, following their flowing paths as one arm seamlessly connected to another. Eventually, we came across a group of people who had settled in one of the arms. It was fascinating to see how this group of strangers had come together in the crop circle, seemingly drawn there by the same series of events that had led us: the recommendation from the guy on Knap Hill, the tip-off from the volunteer at the visitor centre, and the fact that this crop circle had only been formed the day before. It felt almost serendipitous, like we were meant to be there, sharing this moment with these relaxed strangers who greeted us with a friendly "hello" as they lounged on the flattened wheat.

As we approached, I greeted them, "Hello everyone, so is this your first time in a circle?" Most of them nodded and said yes, but I noticed one man who didn't answer, just smiled. He had short grey hair, a grey goatee, and wore a black t-shirt. His soft Irish accent caught my attention as I looked his way and joked, "You look like the type who's been in a few crop circles in your time."

He laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment. Yeah, I've been in a lot," he replied with a grin. A woman in the group wearing a white wide-brimmed sun hat mentioned that this was her first time visiting a crop circle, inspired by the aerial drone photo displayed at the visitor centre.

A man seated on the ground, dressed in a faded blue-grey t-shirt full of holes, chimed in, "It makes me wonder how these drone people find the crop circles so quickly." The woman in the white hat agreed, "Yeah, they must be out looking for them all the time."

I interpreted his comment differently and asked, "Do you think it's the drone people making them, then?" He looked up thoughtfully and said, "Yeah, quite possibly."

His theory made sense. If someone were to create a crop circle, they'd likely want to document their work with a drone and share it. However, another one in the group, this one wearing a blue top, seemed sceptical and asked, "So do you think they're all made by humans, then?"

The man in the holey t-shirt replied, "Yeah, some definitely are man-made. I had a friend who used to make crop circles." Not entirely convinced, the woman in the blue top asked, "But even when they're as intricate as this one?"

It's true, this crop circle was about 80 metres across, perfectly formed with geometrical radials and symmetry. It would be hard to plan out and create something like this in a field of crops, especially at night. Even during the day, it's hard to get a sense of the overall design when you're in the middle of a field, making it difficult to mark out and execute such a pattern. However, it still didn't seem beyond the realm of human achievement.

The others, though, seemed convinced there was something mystical and magical about crop circles. To confirm this, the man with the grey goatee said, "From the minute I walked into this crop circle today, I've had a headache." He explained that he often experienced this when he entered crop circles.

He continued, "It feels like some kind of sign or message, though a headache doesn't seem like a good message." The woman in the blue top sympathised, adding, "Whatever makes these circles must use some kind of energy, and that energy must linger." She compared it to the use of herbicides by farmers, saying, "That leaves something behind too, and that would probably give you a headache if you came into a field after it had been used."

With that, many in the group decided to head out of the crop circle. Kerry and I took one last look around the formation before retracing our steps along the tractor lines back to the car. Sullivan was hot and tired from the walk, and like us, he was in need of a drink. He had some water back at the car, we would have to wait until we got to the next location on our tour of Wiltshire, Avebury.

The village and popular tourist hotspot was conveniently on our route home, has a pub, and given its connections to UFOs, strange phenomena, and particularly earth energies, it felt like the perfect place to stop off for refreshment. Avebury is well-known for its large stone circle, one of the most significant and mysterious ancient sites in England.

We parked in the National Trust car park because it's free for members and made our way to the Red Lion Pub, which sits right in the middle of the stone circle. The Red Lion is a historic pub, famously known for its haunted reputation and its unique location within the ancient monument. Today, it was bustling with people, as is often the case during the summer months, so we found a spot outside and enjoyed a much-needed drink in the sun.

After our refreshment, we explored a couple of the village's most interesting shops. The first stop was The Henge Shop, perhaps the most well-known shop in Avebury. Situated right next to the stone circle, it offers a variety of unique items that reflect the area's spiritual and mystical significance. We also visited Elements of Avebury, another distinctive shop in the village, which always has an excellent selection of crystals and semi-precious stones.

After browsing the shops, we took a leisurely stroll around the stone circles themselves. The Avebury stone circle is one of the largest in Europe, dating back to around 3000 BC. It consists of a massive henge and several stone circles, which are part of a larger Neolithic landscape, including nearby Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow.

As we wandered through the circles, we made sure to touch Sullivan's paw to one of the stones, hoping to charge him with some positive earth energy. Now freshly revitalised, our energised dog promptly decided to leave his mark on this 4,000-year-old World Heritage Site by doing a poo. After cleaning up his mess, we hopped back in the car and headed home. It had been a long but very enjoyable day.

Reflecting on the day, I found it hard to believe that people still think crop circles aren't man-made. Nearly everyone we encountered seemed to believe that at least some crop circles were created by mysterious forces, which, to me, is completely unimaginable. It's such an obviously faked phenomenon—people have admitted to making them, and there's no plausible way they could occur naturally. The belief in their mystical origins just seems like madness to me.

However, the biggest takeaway from the day wasn't the crop circles themselves, but the people. I know it's easy to say and a bit of a cliche, but the culture surrounding the UFO and crop circle phenomena is remarkably friendly. From the volunteer at the exhibition, who was incredibly helpful in pointing us towards the crop circles, to the staff at The Barge Inn, who were almost over-the-top in their friendliness, everyone we met was welcoming and open. The hippie in her camper van who shared her experiences and the group of people we met in the crop circle were all great as well. And of course, the whole reason we were on this adventure was because of the two friendly people we met on Knap Hill during our skywatch the week before, who recommended we come here. This entire journey has shown me that the community around these phenomena is one of the friendliest I've encountered.