An ill wind that blew some good

[Melvadius]

English Heritage have reported that the long dry early summer combined with the flight restrictions imposed by the Icelandic volcanic eruption have provided a double benefit to their ongoing aerial photographic record of Britain. The combination has directly led to a large number of new discoveries, including a previously unknown Roman marching camp in Devon and much stronger late third century Roman fortifications built near Tadcaster in Yorkshire.

 

Aerial photography is very dependent on both soil and weather conditions with parch marks visible from the air notoriously fleeting. Because of both the extended dry period while crops were growing and the commercial airline restrictions on flights a lot more survey flights were therefore possible in basically ideal conditions not seen since 1976. The flights were able to be undertaken in many areas that normally provide little in the way of images including areas with clay soils and some in close proximity to major commercial airports where survey flights are normally either banned or very curtailed in scope.

 

The presence of long past civilisations is being uncovered in amazing detail thanks to the exceptionally dry early summer weather and the Icelandic ash cloud. Throughout the summer, hundreds of cropmark sites from Neolithic long barrows to World War II military remains have been recorded from the air by English Heritage.

 

Roman camp discovered in Dorset

 

One of the most interesting discoveries was a Roman camp in Dorset

[Klingan]

The picture in the article is absolutely stunning!