Watership Down Sunset
I’ve been on top of Watership Down just after the sun went down in autumn, and briefly saw some stars. But I’d never watched the sun go down behind Ladle Hill from the Down. It was something I’d hoped to see at various points since last autumn, but opportunity never presented itself, or cloud cover, rain and strong winds made things impossible.
Chapter Fifty, And Last, ends with a lovely description of Watership Down after Hazel leads some of the rabbits underground to hear a story from Vilthuril:
A few minutes later there was not a rabbit to be seen on the down. The sun sank below Ladle Hill and the autumn stars began to shine in the darkening east – Perseus and the Pleiades, Cassiopeia, faint Pisces and the great square of Pegasus. The wind freshened, and soon myriads of dry beech leaves were filling the ditches and hollows and blowing in gusts across the dark miles of open grass.
I’ve been on top of Watership Down just after the sun went down in autumn, and briefly saw some stars. But I’d never watched the sun go down behind Ladle Hill from the Down. It was something I’d hoped to see at various points since last autumn, but opportunity never presented itself, or cloud cover, rain and strong winds made things impossible.
Yesterday, Easter Sunday, that chance came and I stood completely alone on Watership Down with the wind in my ears and watched, looking over to Ladle Hill.
