We decided to do our Halloween or should I say #samhain celebrations a bit early and head to West Sussex this week to search for the Devil up on Chactonbury Ring. Before we headed up we went to local village Steyning to touch the pagan Steyning Stone before heading up to the Ring, which is a prehistoric hill fort on Chactonbury Hill now marked by a ring of mainly beech trees. Legend has it that the Ring was created by the Devil, and that you can summon him by running around the clump of trees seven times anti clockwise. He will then appear and offer you soup or porridge for your soul. The site was venerated by occultist Aleister Crowley and his poet friend Victor Neuberg (who also lived in Steyning) as a ‘place of power.’ Certainly when we visited the wind was powerful enough to almost tip us over! It was a fabulous atmospheric site however, which in better weather would offer astonishing views across the South Downs and beyond. We also found the most amazing beech tree with most of its roots exposed. #samhain #halloween #southdowns #chactonburyring #chactonbury #steyning #steyningstone #occult #aleistercrowley #westsussex #southdownsway #southdownsnationalpark #hackneyoutdoors #hillfort #archeology #walking #hiking #autumnwatch (at Chanctonbury Ring) https://www.instagram.com/p/CG-BlH0hSKk/?igshid=4yyzfg6y5v0e