A young introduction to Stone Circles, Crass, Gaia, Protest and (much) more.

When I was younger I first really understood what the Punks were about through an anarcho-primitivist called Dan.

He was living on protest site at Nine Ladies stone circle, which at the time was under threat of a new quarry opening and there was a real potential for this quarry to do irreparable damage to the precious site.

I and some Uni-colleagues (one of which was Dan's ex) had intended to make a documentary about their campaign, but the (understandable) distrust in the community there ran so high, no one really wanted us to film or talk to them for fear of information reaching the police.

Dan and a number of dedicated eco-warriors had dug into the earth and made holes and fortified chambers to stay in. They were ready to dig in for as long as two or three months.

There was an interconnected city of suspended tents in the canopy of trees and high over a huge clearing in the valley, like some sort of Ewok village.

It was something quite incredible. Daunting, righteous and thrilling.

It was the autumnal equinox. We drank with Dan all night at the ancient stones, listening to Crass on a small boombox. I met some of his friends and the other protesters there and learned more about this site, the history and mysticism of the Circles, the punk movement, his involvement from the 80s and right up to then.

I didn't quite have the dedication, mental facility or life skills to join them permanently. But the urge was strong at just 19 years old, to a disaffected average kid from the sticks. This intoxicating lifestyle choice was very appealing and felt like a worthy way to live.

I went to see them at Nine Ladies on several occasions, sadly there were several tragedies at the site, one of the protesters I met had died in a tent fire and there had been some issues with other visitors falling from the edge of the cliffs.

I was on call to attend the site at short notice, if the diggers came to move them on, for several years.

My job would have been to either document the police action to protect them from inaccuracies in depositions in the future or to jump in and handcuff myself inside a pipe concreted into the ground under a tree at the entrance to the site.

Tungsten nails mixed in with the concrete to stop the drills and angle grinders quickly releasing me. Thankfully the call never came.

I think it was 11 years later they finally won the battle. The stones were saved. Their dedication to living at this beautiful place and offering 24 hour protection paid off.

My love of stone circles began there and my love of punks. This interaction had opened up my interest in the history, the mysticism and the magic of the ancients and certainly accelerated my interest in climate protection, having discussed Gaia theory at great length that first night.

After that first visit I had gone home and bought the White Goddess by Robert Graves. A few months later I had my first solstice at Stone Henge which is another story for another time.

But being amongst the ancients at the solstice is a tradition I try and keep up across the Neolithic map every year, when and if I can. One that has provided some of the most beautiful nights and spectacular dawns one could ever wish to see.

You can search for more information on 9 ladies and the protests that took place there at the Megalithic Portal and I think YouTube may still has some videos up of Dan and his tunnel. The dedication these people had to beating the corporate destruction of nature and winning was and is a true inspiration.