Eastnor Obelisk

"We are symbols, and inhabit symbols" 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I decided to find out about the curious landmark I'd seen from the Malvern Hills a few days ago, using Google Earth and maps of the area. Following the line of the hills I'd walked I could get a general bearing for it, then using more detailed local maps I was able to pinpoint it as Eastnor Obelisk, a Grade II* listed monument to various members of the Somers Cocks family, who owned (and built) Eastnor Castle. 
I was surprised I hadn't noticed the obelisk before - I spent a month as an "extra" filming at Eastnor Castle on the HBO production "Succession" during the freezing "Beast from the East" in March 2018.
I combined a visit to the obelisk with a stroll from Hollybush car park up onto Midsummer Hill, atop which is another Iron Age hill fort and more glorious views across the Malverns and surrounding countryside. On my descent I came to a "crossroads" on the track, where I met two young Brummies trying to find their way using Googlemaps (unsuccessfully). They were heading for Worcester Beacon and unsure which path to follow. Undaunted, this grey nomad whipped out a Landranger O.S. map - isn't old technology brilliant when it trumps smartphones - which had the paths clearly marked. They asked where I was heading, so I was able to show off a little local knowledge of the obelisk having read up on it the night before - they laughingly thanked me for the directions and the history lesson and headed off.