Viperhenge

Stonehenge 2007

Excitement and anticipation had been building up for months on the EDIT forum. Somebody said they were going and asked who else was going to go. Next thing you know EDIT were running an official Stonehenge Party thread. For a long time I was undecided about going. It was a long way, it would be an expense I could skip, but I did want to go never having gone to the stones myself before.

At the Cannabis Cup last November Ferre had introduced me to David, a fellow Minister. David had been involved with the Worthing Coffeeshop. He lived in Brighton. We got talking on the internet, met each other again in Amsterdam during the High Life festival February, started talking on the phone, then David and his son Jack came up to stay one night and we had a long chat about his legal problems.

David had been busted for cultivation since the High Life Festival in February. Actually he'd been supposed to meet me at the Telford Hemp Fair on the Saturday, but rang me while I was there on the Sunday to tell me he was arrested the night before. The situation was complicated by other matters. In order to do something positive, having lost his job as result of arrest, David decided to put his theory into practice. He believed that the Druids of Europe used to land at Brighton (or near enough) and walk all the way to Stonehenge across the South Downs. David planned to do the walk to see if it could be done.

I said I’d help, and that committed me.

What had I let myself in for ?

"What you see you can't get. Nothing's free nothing's said. Don't be fooled by the signs. Don't you read between the lines ? What you going to say, what you going to do ?" Sex Pistols - 'Silly Thing' 1979

David & Jack, The Start Of The Journey To Stonehenge 15/6/2007 : Pic By D.

David began his walk to Stonehenge on the Friday before the solstice. He and his son Jack set off in fine spirits with their backpacks. They were carrying their equipment for camping with them, intending to just set up wherever they found it convenient along the path.

For me the story begins Monday when I left my abode in Merseyside at 10:30am to join them. I took the train down to London from Liverpool, Lime Street, changed at Euston to Victoria, and was in Brighton by 5:00pm – ish. The plan was to meet David’s partner, sort out temporary insurance for the car, and drive up to meet David and Jack with food, drink, and other supplies.

I had the car sorted out, and was just getting myself organised within my driving seat and surrounding touchables, bags, maps, phone, cigars, lighter – family dog (?).

“Take Red with you.”

Red, Knacker'd !

I wasn’t prepared for that one. I got lost trying to get off the estate, and had to double back on myself until I found the main road that took me onto the Brighton coast road. I was in dire need of go-go juice. The needle wasn’t just in the red, it was bending backwards like a candle left in the sun. I was running on fumes and luck. In just the nick of time I found the go-go juice dealer. I’d started having visions of calling the AA before I’d even got out of Brighton.

"Well I drive a million miles just to have me some fun. Put a rocket in my pocket and the troubles just begun. I like my rockin' nice and hard. No fancy clothes for me, coz I'm a low livin' daddy and I get my fun for free." The M3T3ORS - 'Low Livin' Daddy' 1989

Fully fuelled, we set off. Viper at the wheel. Red riding shotgun. All he needed was a little cowboy scarf. I lit up a cigar and started getting used to the gear box, flooring the accelerator in the first two gears like Cheech in ‘Up In Smoke’ on steep inclines and starts, the delayed reaction braking system, the total lack of rear view mirror, the crack in the corner of the windscreen, Red with his fore paws on the dash staring out at passing cars and giving doggy abuse to other canine’s.

I got along pretty well with only minor lost detours and map checks and the sun began to go down. I lit another cigar, settled into the driving seat and kept that hammer down as far as I dared. As the final rays of daylight began to wink out I left the A27 and started slowing on the approach to Chichester where I needed to change direction. The road narrowed to a village road just as it got to that weird twilight stage. I slowed to under 30mph looking for a signpost. I found one that said Town Centre and that’s when I realised that the road had just been split in two by an over elongated unmarked traffic island,

“What the fuc….?????”

Bang. Screech of tyres. Bump. Dead stop. Engine running. Hissing sound.

“Oh Shit !”

"Have you ever had a ride in a light blue car ? Have you ever stopped to think who's the slave and who's the master ? Have you ever had trouble with your automobile ? Have you ever had to push, push, push, push ? Cartrouble oh yeah !" Adam & The Ants - 'Cartrouble' 1978.