Image by Chris Watts © 2007

Here are some shots of the two formations that have already been reported at Church Lane, Barton-le-Clay. I did not go in either of them as the weather was not that good. I will not be able to provide aerial shots of the formations. I think the hill shots show enough anyway.

- Russell Stannard

I came across this formation today (Monday 11th June) and discovered it was maybe only a day old, I thought it worth reporting. The Pictogram is in a single field of wheat overlooked by the Barton Hills as indicated by the map reference above.

A real plus is that it is easily seen and therefore photographed from the vantage point of a public footpath on the hills above which practically surround the field in a horseshoe fashion.

My partner and I went down into the field following the tractor marks and managed to enter the larger of the two formations as indicated in the enclosed diagram. Oddly enough though, whilst remembering the design of that one pretty well, neither of us can recall the pattern of the smaller formation to the left which on the ground had proved too difficult to access without potentially disturbing the crop. I'm pretty pleased that we managed to enter and exit the larger pictogram without causing any damage, as it was my first real-life encounter with this phenomenon.

Image by Chris Watts © 2007

Having witnessed it close up, the lay appeared very gentle and in perhaps one metre strips. The 'cookie-cut' around the edges was very clean and there appeared to be no visible access tracks or disturbance around the formation. The crop appeared undamaged and not bent as such, but actually growing from ground level at an acute angle. Interestingly some individual stalks within a swathe of laid crop would remain upright as if completely untouched by the gentle force that had laid all the others around it. It has to be said mind, that on walking the shape we did find two lengths of red rope of washing-line thickness within the lay and a crushed empty packet of Lambert & Butler Cigarettes on the ground in a nearby tractor lane. All of which we left in situ. Nonetheless, it is an intriguing pictogram formation and I feel privileged to have witnessed it so relatively untouched and 'clean'.

Resuming our walk of the surrounding hills overlooking the design we talked to a chap who turned out to be the local volunteer ranger for the hills (which is a wildlife area) and he told us that the smaller pictogram had appeared perhaps four days ago whilst the larger one was only a day old. My diagram is only a rough interpretation from memory as I didn't have a camera with me, and they're quite difficult to draw, let alone make 80 metres or so wide in a field in darkness! The smaller design which would be to the left I have left out, simply because I can't picture it in my head though I recall it to be comprised of three small circles that were linked. I hope this info helps yourselves or whoever you know locally who might want to make a record of this site...

- Paul Howard