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Sep 25, 2019 · The reeds and withies of the marshlands would have provided an impenetrable thicket around the island, making it like an invisible bunker for Alfred’s war preparations. One can get an impression of the mystical experiences Alfred reportedly had whilst in the misty marshes.
Sep 27, 2019 · Whilst the land is reclaimed and cultivated nowadays, it was a patchwork of marshes, reeds and flood water. Low islands stood above the wetlands, only accessible by punts and knowledge of how to navigate the thicket of reeds and marsh plants.
Jun 27, 2018 · Athelney is where King Alfred developed a fortification at Easter 878, at a time when Wessex had fallen to the Vikings, and it was from here that Alfred set out on the successful reconquest of his kingdom. You will rarely find anyone else here at this important location.
What is most striking about visiting Athelney is seeing how low the ground is. It is easy to imagine what it would have been like when Alfred arrived here in AD 877; a land of marsh and wildfowl, a bleak landscape of waterways and reeds, a place to hide and regain his strength.
Alfred decided to base himself at Athelney, a small island in the marshes connected to the settlement of East Lyng by a causeway. Here in early 878 he built a fortress, reinforcing the existing defences of an earlier Iron Age fort. It was at Athelney that Alfred planned his campaign against the Vikings.
Jan 27, 2019 · Alfred was attacked unawares by Guthrum (or was he aided by Alfred’s dissatisfied nobles?) who had targeted this royal settlement. Alfred was caught off guard by an invading army and the Saxons were overrun. Alfred and his family had to flee while his kingdom fell to their long-feared enemies.
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Quite often, inned lands were abandoned permanently to the river and reverted to salt marsh; they still had value for fishing, willows and reeds (for basket-making, thatching, flooring). "Horse-shoes" are evidence of this.
