It took more than twenty-years meticulous research and the advent of the desk top computer to be able to prove beyond doubt that this pattern exists and to uncover many of the tantalising mysteries that it holds.

The discovery arose from my interest in looking for alignments of ancient sites which sometimes are referred to as 'leys'. The concept of 'leys' was first proposed by Alfred Watkins in his book 'The Old Straight Track' published in 1925. Watkins suggested that ancient sites were deliberately aligned to each other as part of an ancient communication system. Watkins also included Medieval churches in his alignments, because these were often built on known pagan sacred sites. There is some evidence to support Watkin's ideas although the concept of 'leys' has not found any favour with the archaeological fraternity.

In the late sixties a renewed interest in Watkins work suggested that there might be a connection between 'leys' and natural earth 'energy' currents; that it was these terrestrial 'energy' pathways that our ancient forebears were marking through their stone circles, henge monuments, tumuli, standing stones and similar sacred sites. This is a contentious area with some alignment researchers eschewing any notion of an 'energy' connection, whilst others define all 'leys' as 'energy' alignments. What all 'ley' hunters agree is that these alignments are straight, not curved and can be shown to be accurate over distances up to twenty miles.

Yet here I was with my discovery of not one, but two, interlocking circles of identical size, comprising more than twenty-eight sites with radii a fraction under 6 miles and circumferences of just over 37 miles. Both circles comprise a series of individual points which includes megalithic sites such as Avebury and the East Kennett long barrow, as well as churches. In the case of the churches these have been carefully examined and large non-indigenous Sarsen stones can often be seen in their foundations suggesting the possibility that these churches were indeed built on older pagan sites. The church at Clyffe Pypard is particular significant in this respect. Nor as I was to discover are these the only two circles of this size for set out over the Cotswolds is another example

An analysis of the geometric relationship of these circles was to show that they are connected by the same fundamental geometry as that found within the Great Pyramid of Egypt. The superimposition of a proportionally enlarged cross-section of the Great Pyramid onto a large map of the area shows the alignment of the Grand Gallery and Ascending passage to the centre of one of the circles. The King's Chamber point in this Great Pyramid section, located on the ground at a place known as Temple Farm, once owned by the Knight Templar, is highlighted by the well known St. Michael's alignment, named thus because it passes through a number of churches dedicated to St. Michael. This alignment begins at St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall, runs through Glastonbury Tor and onto to Bury St. Edmunds, passing through Avebury and a number of other significant sites en route. It so happens that this major line runs parallel to the alignment of centres of the two circle. Moreover one of the key points on the St. Michael line and a circumference point of the eastern circle is Avebury henge which is largest monument of its kind in the whole of the British Isles.

Fig 2                                                    . St Michael Alignment

So here we have two circles surveyed and set out in the landscape, exactly proportional to the size of the Earth, and containing within their geometry a cross-sectional plan of the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Setting out an alignment of sites over several miles would be quite within the known capabilities of Neolithic people; creating a circle to a set dimension, nearly twelve miles in diameter, is a very different proposition which would fully tax even the best modern surveyors. My discovery therefore seemed totally at odds with what was known about the Neolithic peoples, despite their technical skills. I was to spend the next twenty years working out how these landscape patterns might have been executed. The answers, when they came, proved to be most illuminating, resolving some enduring mysteries and showing both a simplicity as well as an amazing sophistication in how this was achieved.

The peoples of Britain in the late Neolithic period were, without doubt, a highly organised and intelligent race, possessing great skills in surveying, engineering, mathematics and astronomy.