Medway Crop Circle 2002 Page

Crop Circles in Kent of 2002........

THE SNOW CIRCLES

Hunger Hatch, Nr. Charing

JANUARY 1st 2002 - Meadow Grass

Quite unexpectedly, Kent was to find itself on the receiving end of the first UK formation for season 2002. Arriving on New Years Day, three perfectly formed frost-free circles in a snow-flurried field, were spotted along the M20 motorway between the Ashford junction and the Leeds turn-off. They were found south of Charing at Hunger Hatch where this stretch of motorway actually slices this particular field in two.

These perfectly formed circles were approximately 40 - 45 feet across and displayed some quite sharp edges. At first it was thought that their size echoed the branch spans of some nearby trees, and that possibly they had somehow influenced the ground temperature. However a closer inspection revealed that they were a lot further away from this sort of influence than was first realised. Worth noting also is that although there were heavy frosts right throughout the first part of January, these circles were never seen again!

Later it was realised that this particular area had an awful lot going for it! For instance, within the middle of the field and close to the southbound carriageway lies Newlands Manor and the remains of an old chapel. Whilst adjacent to the next field southwards, we find the remains of Chart Court Church. The Pilgrims Way, the North Downs Way and the Stour Valley Walk, as well as the remains of an Archbishop's palace and the Egerton tumulus, are all to be found within a mile or so of this particular field!

Of special interest is the fact that much later whilst researching material on some other matter, the field that these circles occupied was noted to be exactly on a line of latitude of, 51.12º N...This is the same line of latitude for Cley Hill, nr. Warminster in Wiltshire, where amazingly a meditation for crop circles had taken place just a day before on New Years Eve!

Diagram © Graham Tucker

LITTLE & LARGE

High Halden, Nr. Ashford

JUNE 27th 2002 - Wheat

After watching the rape come and go, and the barley ripen, the "circle safaris" were beginning to lose their momentum, for everyone this year had started to have doubts about weather we'd receive one! But then on the 27th of June we heard news of a hillside formation at High Halden, in an area we've never covered before. In fact if the truth were known, we'd never heard of the place! Amazingly though, a few weeks later High Halden seriously hit the headlines over the GM controversy. (...so could it be that the precise placing of this formation was a nudge from "The Circlemakers" expressing their concern?)

The formation almost mimicked an Earth/Moon ratio. The large circle measured 93 feet whilst the smaller one came out at 24 feet, after having distanced itself by 41 feet from its big brother. Within the main circle, its choppy floorlay revealed seed heads aligning with stems, with some plants adopting notable 'C' bends towards their tops. It was these anomalies that were largely responsible for some remarkable feathering techniques that featured right round the perimeter.

An energy alignment was found at a tangent to the formation coming from a south-westerly direction. This alignment apparently links up with High Halden church and St. Michael's to the west, whilst continuing eastwards via Bethersden, before it crosses The Pilgrims Way.

Although quite a simple formation on the surface, it certainly proved it had much to offer. Nick Nicholsons "Circular Review" affectionately called it "traditional" - which it obviously was, and to all those who visited it - quite a gem!

Diagram © Graham Tucker

Photo © Graham Tucker

CHARING THREESOME

Charing

JULY 21st 2002 - Wheat

Landing just outside the village of Charing, this formation consisted of three simple circles that were placed alongside Pett Lane, just a few yards from the roadside. In fact, as there was no hedging or fencing, you literally only had to walk a few yards and you were in it!

Forming a triangular shape here we had all the threes...for the formation consisted of three 33 feet circles, which were distanced approx. 33 feet away from each other! Just for the record though, these were in fact slightly oval in shape and not true circles. The floorlays of each circle were quite chaotic, and appeared sort of cross-hatched without any clearly defined centrepieces.

With the far side of the field bordering on The Pilgrims Way and the North Downs serving as a backdrop, these three circles were well placed in idyllic countryside. Also within a short distance, we discovered the rambling remains of the old Archbishop's Palace, which in this beautiful setting appeared to quite majestically echo the past.