With Halloween upon us (one of my favourite times of the year), what better time to take a spooky walk in the woods... take a trip down The Dark Path with the Barrow Hill games.
The Dark Path - Halloween Sale - 25% off
Follow The Dark Path this Halloween, journey into a world of Druidic lore and Celtic myths. You have one night to make the offerings, follow the Dark Path and escape Barrow Hill.
Somewhere deep within the woods of Cornwall, a timeless force is stirring. Unseen beneath the ancient burial mound, known locally as Barrow Hill, a forgotten myth awakens. Use archaeology to discover that the barrow is more than just a collection of forgotten standing stones.
Wistman's Wood is an ancient oak woodland, south of Longaford Tor, on the huge expanse of Dartmoor. It is one of three high altitude oak woods, featuring in folklore, literature and film (which is where I first heard about Wistman's in the Found Footage horror "A Night in the Woods")
Wistman's Wood is South West facing, but nestled in the valley of the West Dart River. It is protected from the worst of the weather that blasts the high altitude. The rocks, huge granite boulders, tumbled from the nearby Tor's, allowing rich soil to gather and maintain the Oak Woods for millennia.
You can just about see the woods - Top Middle.
Basically, Wistman's wood is one of the oldest Oak Groves in Britain. It has an eerie atmosphere where you can imagine Yoda popping his head out.
I’ll admit it does feel odd to be entering an Oak grove, high on Dartmoor. I can understand why it has been enigmatic to artists and writers over the years.
Entering Wistman’s wood, the colour pallet changed from autumn yellows of the grassland to a deep mossy green, and Oak oasis teeming with woodland life (unusual on the moor).
Moss upon moss, upon moss. Many varieties can be found competing on every branch, even if the branch has long since perished.
Among the Oaks, a couple of Rowan trees and a Holly can be found, as well as their bright red berries littered across stone and green.
Strange mossy forms grow on the Oak branches, some of which are only held together by the moss itself.
Puffball full of spores, waiting for the popping
Coffin Rock
Every surface, crag or corner is packed full of interest. Cup Lichen grows alongside what I think are Petticoat Mottlegill mushrooms (Panaeolus papilionaceus)
Tumbled rocks are scattered through the oak woods, some curiously upright. Ancient man, Druids or Aliens?
Mossy tendrils
Some of the Oaks are thought to be 500 years old.
An example of Brown Roll Rim mushrooms, I think! (Paxillus involutus)
These 3 trees look like dancers.
A ferny wig for an old Ent.
What at first appears to be another large boulder, was revealed to be carved with text. Nothing ancient, this text has Serifs!
The Buller Stone, commemorates an attempt in 1866 to date the trees, when Wentworth Buller (with permission from the Duchy) felled an oak.
Amethyst deceiver mushroom
A brilliant autumnal day to be exploring the middle of Dartmoor. The grasses, in particular, looked vivid against the mix of storms clouds and blue sky.
Dartmoor Ponies dot the hillside, leading up to Longaford Tor.
There are few signs of industry, ancient or modern, up at Longaford Tor. As a natural outcrop, it has been crumbling and tumbling for millions of years. The hillside shows evidence of Bronze Age hut circles, meaning the Tor is likely to have been significant to the people who lived here 4000 years ago.
Where did all the rock in Wistman’s wood come from? Further up the slopes, the exposed Tor with the ‘Clitter’ beyond, scattered all the way down to the West Dart River
A return to Trethevy Quoit, the Neolithic ‘dolmen' burial chamber. Tall isn’t it! In the warmth of the weakening Autumn sun and patchy blue sky, it’s a change from how it appears in The Dark Path. This was the inspiration to the Barrow Hill Quoit. Thankfully no ‘witch’ possessions occurred today!
At least this photograph captured my best side.
A ramble walk around Siblyback Lake, located nearby on the south of Bodmin moor, the North West corner of which on the OS map is reported to be an ancient settlement... something else to investigate.
Here’s a collection of photos capturing today.
As the reservoir / lake waters have receded after the Summer months,
marshlands have emerged, much to the enjoyment of the birds.
Siblyback lake is a manmade reservoir that captures the water from the Bodmin moor. Surprisingly low at the moment, have we used that much water this summer?
We stopped off at one of my favourite
spots, Golitha Falls, on the Southern edge of the mighty Bodmin Moor. It's a
mossy, wet, green place, where you half expect to see Yoda harvesting mushrooms
or the Green Man himself, playing with a fawn. The trees are old, bent and
fuzzy, supporting ferns and lichens on every branch. It's Mirkwood and
Sherwood,and all the fantasy forests, with a few lurking horrors too.
Throughout the wood there are ruins, mostly industrial, but
of an impressive size and scale to remind us of elves and dwarves from fantasy,
or the tombs plundered by Lara Croft in Cambodia. It's the moss that does it.
It's a sign of little disturbance and an abundance of moisture.
Elsewhere, frightful looking cages have been recently installed, to cover the old mine tunnels and pits. More of that, later, during Bracken Tor. ;-)
The forest as a place of magic and danger is found
among folklore wherever the natural state of wild land is forest: a forest is a
location beyond which people normally travel, where strange things might occur,
and strange people might live, the home of monsters, witches and fairies.
The day had turned very damp and muggy by the time we hiked
to the top of the hill above the falls. Earlier, Emma laughed at my claim that
Cornwall was upgraded recently to a 'sub-tropical climate' (it never drops
below 10 degrees Celsius in several places across the county).
"Really?! Umm, no!" was Emma's theory on the
matter, but things were different at Golitha. The rushing water, the abundance
of prehistoric plant species and the Spanish moss gave Golitha a 'rain forest'
vibe, where the witches and fairies take second place to weirdness of the wild.
Creating and capturing the locations has been a challenge,
with some new techniques employed to bring a dash of genuine Cornish magic to a
retro point-and-click adventure.
3D scanning proved very useful for capturing stones and
large monuments for use in-game, with lots used throughout the action as creepy
Druid stones, cliff faces and ancient way markers. There's something very cool
about taking a real world object and using it as set dressing, or even acharacter, in the fictional world of Barrow
Hill. The rocks are alive!
Texture has always been important too, especially when the
world I am creating is right outside my door. This year has been a busy one, so
far. Finishing off Bracken Tor, making The Dark Path, as well as taking part in
several archaeological digs, from the stone circles at Minions, to unearthing
the legendary castle of the King of Cornwall, at Tintagel.
Archaeology is a passion and an interest, sometimes at odds
with the New Age world, and pagan belief, but they are all represented in the
new game. It's been a pleasure to create an anniversary sequel to Barrow Hill,
exploring the themes of the first game in greater detail, with plenty of
puzzles, crazy characters and a few 'BOO!' moments too.
Following the water course back to its source, through thick
woods and waterside paths, you find St.Nectan's Kieve, an enchanted wood if
ever we saw one.
Saint Nectan's Kieve (Cornish:
Cuva Nathan, meaning Nathan's tub)
A saintly bath awaits…
The kieve was buzzing with life, watered constantly by the
river, which erupts from the earth via a 60foot waterfall, a powerful force
that has carved the valley over millions of years. Legend has it, that
St.Nectan lived on the rocky island-like outcrop, in a cave to the side of the
waterfall, around 600AD. There's also rumour that a Celtic Chapel once existed at
the top of the falls, later becoming known as the Hermitage. It's easy to
imagine why a chapel or important religious centre would be placed here. Yes,
it's mightily treacherous during storms (St.Nectans if a few miles from
Boscastle, see news video for the floods of 2004 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxweiRNlHboBoscastle Floods
) but those early chapel builders liked a challenge and the impossible nature
of the builds is often what made them so popular as a pilgrimage, very much like
Looe Island, Glastonbury Tor, St.Michael's Mount or Rame Head. Those early
pilgrims liked a bit of precarious jaunting, to test their faith, but there was
also security and defence to consider, the Vikings and Saxons were a threat,
even in the wilds of Cornwall.
The waterfall is spectacular, pouring from the cave-like
crack in the earth, leaving a series of 'bell bowl' basins in it's wake, or
'tubs', hence 'Nathan's Tub'. These are naturally round pools, formed by the
crashing water. Eventually, the water erodes enough to continue on, free of the
pool, pouring over the side to form another 'bell bowl', and another, all the
way down the hill, to Rocky Valley, and the old mill. The same flow of water
once powered Trewethet Mill, via an ingenious series of stones tunnels and canals,
built into the natural shapes of the valley. It's an ancient spot, the
abundance of clear, beautifully fresh water would have been like electricity is
today; we can't do much without it, neither can our machines.
Water is god here, it is the force that made
the valley, and provides essential moisture to everything that lives here.
It has created a microcosm, a green place teeming with life…
and pagans. The rituals and signs of wiccan worship are obvious, with stone cairns,
offerings and ribbons everywhere to see. Some are prayers, good will wishes,
sad memorials and reminders to others, of their visit. A bit like a pagan
pilgrimage.
Everywhere you look, there are stones piles (very obvious),
hidden in cracks and crevices, or perched precariously in the stream, or on
high rock ledges. In such a wild place, these little signs of mans presence
reminded us all of the tribal 'trackers' of old, highly skilled hunters who
orientated the wild world by observing signs and markers. Piles of cairns, like
the ones observed, could have been a boundary warning, or maybe a place of
worship? The fact that the stones get tumbled by water or weather, also reminds
me of the ethnic sand drawings, where much effortis made in the construction, a cathartic and
calming process, only to then 'destroy' the creation to finish the meditation.
Coppers and coins in an old tree trunk, St.Nectans Glen
There's also an old tree trunk, embedded with coins (copper
and tin, often taken from the Cornish landscape in times gone by), creating
what can only be described as Dragon Skin, a scaly metallic surface. We added
our own coins, obviously! How does something like this start? After knocking in
our pennies, we came to the conclusion that it would take a couple of coins to
encourage more, and more, till the whole thing is neatly and evenly covered in
metal. We are a funny species!
Next up, we made one last stop: My favourite, Golitha Falls
Barrow Hill - The Dark Path, is set in Cornwall, back in the
original setting, the now abandoned Service Station and Motel. The new
buildings have started to decay, as nature starts to reclaim what was taken.
The woods are growing, spreading their dominion. Was Barrow Hill cursed?
Perhaps digging up the barrows (the ancient graves) was the start, or perhaps
the 2006 archaeological dig, by Conrad Morse, stirred things up?
Or, do the supernatural events at Barrow Hill stem from a
disturbance long ago? What's the real difference between archaeology and grave-robbing,
especially when a body is involved? A body surrounded by priceless treasures! It's
science: A trinket for a museum, something stunning for my mantle, or perhaps a
gold cup for my cufflinks (See Rillaton Cup).
The very real 'Rillaton Cup' makes an appearance in The Dark Path
In true adventure spirit, Barrow Hill - The Dark Path
suggests those 'borrowed' items are missed by the original owner, a 4000 year
old Bronze Age shaman. Perhaps 'missed' is too subtle a word. If the precious
objects were left as grave goods, they should have stayed in the grave. Or else
they might come looking!
Thankfully, the bodies are safely under the earth, where
they belong, not lumbering mummies hell bent on revenge. But someone may be
about to change all that, someone who has started to dabble in the Dark Arts,
the old ways, the lore of the land in all its natural power, subverted and used
for dark purposes. Someone has disturbed the dead. Necromancy! Something that
started off with good intentions has gone horribly wrong, on the Equinox no
less. Something has been waiting, under the earth, waiting for a chance to seek
revenge. A young girl, Mia Kendell, has been experimenting with magic, by following
the Dark Path. Little does she know her actions are misguided, misjudged and
potentially lethal!
In Cornwall, you don't have to look far to find signs of
pagan worship, from the decorations around the ancient sacred wells, to the
slightly creepy cairns that you'll find in the wild places where slate rock
juts from the hills. Cornwall is one of the original 'Celtic Nations', made up
of Scotland, Wales, Brittany and Ireland, and the Isle on Man.
The old language of Cornwall, while not spoken as much as it
could/should, is still evident in place names, surnames and the descriptions of
the natural world. Standing stones, the ancient circles of the Bronze Age
people, have been named, misnamed, renamed many times over.
I took DJ Emma Harry and fellow game developer, Jonathan
Boakes, on a trip to North Cornwall, to visit some of the sites that have
influenced The Dark Path. First up, Trewethet Mill and Rocky Valley, then
St.Nectan's Kieve and finally the druid
woods at Golitha Falls.
Trewethet Mill is a wonderfully weird place, and a big
influence on the new game - Barrow Hill - The Dark Path. It's an old mill, in
utter ruins, perched alongside the stream at Rocky Valley, North Cornwall.
Cornish: Glynn
Duwy, meaning deep valley of the river Duwy.
High outcrops of slate and volcanic rock loom overhead, creating
a microclimate below. The valley is home to 174 types of moss, a few cool ruins
and a cave or two. The ruins are in a crumbling, romantic state. The web states
that Trewethet was a wool mill, but we saw evidence of broken mill stones,
snapped in two, amongst the ever increasing bracken and brambles. A sign on the
mill, see slideshow below, states that it is owned by 'The Celtic Trust', but I
could find no mention online, except for football clubs(!).
It's a pretty spot, with most signs of the original use now
covered with ivy, brambles and bind weed. Passing through, on our ramble, we
started to notice signs: little slates with messages, a few cairns in the
stream, coins poked in holes and ribbons tied to trees. There was no-one else
about, just us and the babbling brook, and it felt genuinely quite eerie, like
a scene from one of the creepier JHorror Shinto films. The fact that the trees,
bushes and rocky ledges are decorated by people, a lot of people, it's weird to
find no-one there; All the signs of pagan activity but no actual pagans, unless
you count the moss men and invisible druids.
Celtic Mazes at Trewethet Mill
It is interesting to note that the mill, and nearby Rocky
Valley, is a haven for pagans, wicca and nature people. Why? I think the
setting, mostly, but there's also the 'Celtic labyrinths ',
a pair of detailed mazes, carved into the cliff face. These are proper curios,
which attract both archaeologists and New Age folk. Not always the best of
friends, as seen in my previous Barrow Hill game ("Stop the Dig!").
Carvings, like Rocky Valley's, are found across the Celtic
and ancient world, from Cornwall to the Alps, Ireland to Spain, and beyond. It is
possible to 'play' the games, carved into the rock, by tracing your finger
along the ridges. The maze was no match for our group of seasoned gamers. Are
the carvings a map, rather than a maze? Does some huge labyrinth of caves exist
in the craggy cliffs of Rocky Valley?
Next time: St.Nectan's Kieve and Glen, only a mile up the
hill.
