Crop Circles 2000

Crop Circles 2000

If you want further information on any of the crop formations on this page, or information on other formations and/or other crop circle matters, try these websites.

The Crop Circle Connector
The International Crop Circle Database (IRCUP)
The Noiseroom
Cropcircles.co.uk

Cherhill, Wiltshire - Oilseed Rape - Reported 27th April
One of the earliest British formations of 2000, and the first in Wiltshire. A circle with a triangle in it, the circle having another triangle attached to it, which itself had two grapeshot at the point. The crop changed direction within the formation.

East Field, Alton Priors, Wiltshire - Barley - Reported 21st May
East Field was divided into three for the Millenium. The western end, the largest single division, contained what looked like some sort of vegetable crop. (Cabbage circles anyone?) The centre section was planted with oilseed rape, and a smaller section at the eastern end with barley. It was in this area that the formation of the 21st May appeared.
The Goddess Pentagram

Lockeridge, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 31st May
The second Lockeridge formation of 2000 appeared in a field of young wheat on 31st May. Comprising mainly thin lines it rapidly became damaged by visitors. By the time I reached it ten days later it was not apparent what its origins had been. I did have some interesting results with divining rods though where the corners of the triangle met the outer circle. There were three grapeshot placed at the triangle corners, one with a standing tuft of wheat twisted into a swirl. Like the Wexcombe formation there were also three larger grapeshot off to one side.

East Kennet, Wiltshire - Barley - Reported 2nd June
One of the strangest tales to emerge form the Wilsthire fields concerns this formation. When first viewed the floorplan was described as a mess. Then that very night the whole formation was tidied up with the centre triangle being transformed into nine smaller triangles. There were also reports of lights seen hovering over the area on the night the formation first appeared.

Grafton Down, Wexcombe, Wiltshire - Barley - Reported 8th June
In an area not normally associated with a lot of formations, this magnificent creation could justifyably claim to be one of the events of the 2000 season. Located at the top of a hill overlooking an ancient valley on one side and the flat plains of Wiltshire on the other, it was placed in a spot whose beauty rivals some of the better known circle locations.
Looking rather like the Allington and Rockley Downs formations of 1999, one small central circle had three arms of three circles coming off from it. Each of the of the three circles made an equilateral triangle. Is there any significance in the three or three groups of three?
Like the second Lockeridge formation there were also three small grapeshot circles off to one side.
This beautiful formation also contained incredibly strong energies which were felt by many who visited it. One certainly left the formation feeling a lot more at peace than before.

Silbury Hill, Wiltshire - Barley - Reported 11th June
The next formations near Silbury Hill appeared on the 11th June. 100 and 230 feet in diameter, the double event harked back to the East Field double appearance of 1999. The farmer drove past his field at 3.30am when it was just getting light and saw nothing.

Bishops Cannings Down, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 18th June
The triangles returned to the fields of Wiltshire on the 18th June. The somewhat random nature of their placement within the circle gave a 3-D effect which was best appreciated from the air. The 3-dimensional optical illusion was to return to the area later on, and this was possibly an early manifestation.

South Field, Alton Priors, Wiltshire - Barley - Reported 19th June
This highly impressive formation appeared opposite the more famous East Field. It had distinctly esoteric overtones, and was named by some The South Field Cathedral. Though many construction lines were visible the formation was highly dousable, leading to the question of whether the land itself interacts with some crop formations regardless of their origin.

Stanton St. Bernard, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 25th June
Touching down just to the west of the 1999 triple dumbell, this simple double ring formation quickly recovered. The whole thing looked as if it had been lightly done, no great force had been applied in flattening the crop, usually a good sign. The formation had a very good feel to it, reminding us that you don't have to have a massive pictogram to create a feeling of calm.

Lippen Lane, Warnford, Hampshire - Barley - Reported sometime in June
This one is a bit of a mystery. I first went looking for it after seeing a picture on Lucy Pringle's website. Further reports on the Crop Circle Connector and The Noiseroom had it down as six overlapping circles making a petal shape with a small double ring attached to it. This is not what confronted me when I arrived at the location. What I was looking at was a double ring with some radiating lines. Unfortunately I hadn't got there until early July, and the formation had almost recovered. It was still very nice though, and the dowsing forces were still very strong.
The mystery still remains as to what the Lucy Pringle photograph was and what I saw. I know I was in Lippen Lane as there was a sign to that effect at the end of the road. Actually the formation was nearer to West Meon, but I came in from the Warnford end. Whilst I was standing there being confused, I did scan the fields around with binoculars, but saw nothing else. A further twist occured when Paul Vigay, who had originally put Lucy Pringle's photo on the IRCUP site, changed it to a diagram of what I visited.
Were there two formations down Lippen Lane, and do I have the only extant photgraphs of one of them? The placing of the one I saw meant that it must have been seen by many people.

Milk Hill, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 1st July
Look at the picture above. The placement of this formation must have been one of the most dramatic of 2000. You couldn't miss it in the landscape, even though it was a good distance from the road. When they are placed as well as this it doesn't matter who or what put them there. It's a public display of art par excellance.

Stephen Castle Down, Upham, Hampshire - Oats - Reported 2nd July
Never try finding a crop circle without a large scale map. I wasn't the only one who drove around the countryside aimlessly for a while before finding this. When I did I realised if I had kept going another quarter of a mile before turning round at one point I would have found it and saved myself fifteen minutes.
The formation was beautifully presented on a hillside overlooked by a road, and had attracted lots of visitors. This location has had a few other formations in the past, and this was one of the best. The construction of the circles around the edge was similar to that of other formations over the years, and the whole thing was very similar to the later formation at Bishop's Sutton. The lay of the crop was very nice, a gentle swirl rather than the harsh cutting out of the shape sometimes seen. There was some bending of stalks visible, but the crop had started to regrow in places, and the number of people who had entered in the week between it forming and my visit precluded any detailed study or conclusions.

Silbury Hill, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 6th July
A pleasing formation consisting of three simple separate circles. At least until people joined them together by walking between them that is. But then is there an intention on the part of the circlemakers that we should interact with their creations and add our own touches to them? Are we by joining together the circles finding our own path through the formation, and does that have any correlation with finding our own path through life which is also created for us? What other unconcious interactions with the environment of crop formations have added to our understanding and experience of the phenomenon?
The formation itself was laid directly on the Mary ley line, did the act of people joining the circles together along this line of invisible energy mean it was affected in any way? Could this be interpreted much like a pilgrimage along a ceremonial route?

Adams Grave, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 12th July
Located over the hedge from the layby halfway up the hill a circle in wheat with several remote grapeshot similar to those found at East Kennet 2. The floor construction was of a basket weave design, but not very well constructed, and rather messy.

East Kennet 1 & 2, Wilstshire - Wheat - Reported 2nd & 15th July
Two of the best events of 2000 were the formations at East Kennet. The first attracted interest from the press, and the arrival of a second huge formation just metres from the first attracted hordes of people.



East Kennet 1 This massive formation, over 200 feet in diameter appeared on 2nd July. It consisted of 1600 separate squares and rectangles arranged in four quarters, so that a 3-d effect was obtainable when viewd from above. I suspect the earlier Windmill Hill and later Avebury Trusloe formations might have the same parentage. The construction of this particular formation was not exactly brilliant, the effect was right on, was it constructed by the same hands as the moiré patterns that also graced the landscape during the summer? Two large grapeshot were also at the bottom of the field, though it was unclear which formation they were connected with.
East Kennet 2 The second formation in the field turned up on the 15th July. I first saw it when I entered the Silbury Hill formation with my parents. The sight across to the field with the earlier West Kennet Pascal Triangle in view as well was incredible. Here were three massive pictograms lying in line. If you turned the other way, the two huge Beckhampton formations were just over the top of the hill. The formation was much better constructed than the first one. An outer ring of twenty-nine circles surrounded an inner ring of smaller grapeshot circles and the centre was taken up by the now famous heart. A number of small grapeshot circles were also present around part of the formation. Of course the parenthood of this formation is more well-known than the first, as it was constructed by Rob Irving with the full permission of the farmer for a wedding to take place inside it.

Bishop�s Sutton, Hampshire - Wheat - Reported 15th July
The Bishop�s Sutton formation appeared on a hillside next to the A31. Similar in design to the Stephen Castle Down formation, the farmer unfortunately denied access so I was unable to examine it up close. Later reports indicated it had developed an addition.

Avebury Down, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 16th July
Located in a field at the end of Green Lane was visible over a wide area. Three vescia Pisces were surrounded by a circle with three satellite circles. A very nice creation in a peaceful area.

Stanton St. Bernard - Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 16th July
One of my favourite crop circles, ever. A delightful simple, formation, lying in the corner of a field just over the hedge from the Kennet & Avon Canal. Strange sort of design, but one of the most fluid lays you are ever likely to see. Even a week after its formation, it still looked like flowing water caught by a camera. The crop was alive enough to still crackle underfoot. If you were lucky enough to visit this beauty, you were in the presence of greatness.

Shaw Village, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 16th July
Located near the long-lost Shaw village on the road from Lockeridge, this circle was the surprise of the year for me. A large flattened ring with the centre containing several grapeshot, and further grapeshot scattered below it, the whole thing looked rather contrived when viewed from a distance. The surprise came when I got out the dowsing rods, and had difficulty pulling them apart as I crossed into the formation. I don�t claim to be the world�s greatest dowser, but I have never had a reaction like this.

White Hill, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 19th July
The road from Lockeridge has seen many formations over the years, and 2000 was no exception with three. The Whitehill formation featured three vescia Pisces, and was similar to the Avebury Down circle in this respect. These features seemed to me to be an important part of circle formations, and it would be interesting to find out their true meaning.
The formation could be clearly seen from the road, being located on a slight rise.

The Knoll, Horton, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 6th August
I didn�t get to visit this beautiful formation until Bank Holiday Monday, things of lesser importance such as going on holiday getting in the way. However it was worth the wait. A central circle with the floor pattern laid down in a similar way to by now famous nearby moir� pattern formation, surrounded by a single circle bisected by a smaller circle containing a beautifully constructed star. There has been much speculation about the meaning of this formation. I was interested by the way the outer circle followed exactly the contours of the hilly site, causing it to wander slightly at times. This effect would be difficult to reproduce by hand, as manmade formations are constructed regularly, and unless the makers were complete amateurs, I don�t think it would normally show up, especially in a circle with such a wonderfully laid central crop. This was also the first formation that led me to experience an effect on an electrical device, with my camera lightmeter battery being drained of power, and having to be replaced later. The battery had been put in new when I went on holiday, and should have lasted at least a year. This probably resulted in the under and over exposure of the photographs as I attempted to do my best with a lightmeter needle that was working one second ans not moving the next.

All Cannings Bridge, Wiltshire - Wheat - Reported 7th August
As this circle was being discovered I was speeding across the English Channel on a hovercraft, and did not get to visit it until almost the end of August. Despite the intervening three weeks, it was in remarkably good condition still. A formation with two rings of petals and two circles. Though personally I would say it was manmade, it was a very pleasing formation. Another, more striking ringed formation appeared nearby, but was harvested before I could get to see it. The immediate area also produced the Stanton St Bernard double ring in late June, the formation visible from the Barge Inn, and the lovely Stanton Bridge formation as well during the season.