Kit at the Rollright Stones

Drove to the north of the county today to another stone circle, a proper ancient one this time, the Rollright Stones, a complex of standing stones, burial chamber and barrows dating back six and a half thousand years. Kit's standing next to the tallest of the King's Men circle which was once comprised of 105 stones, about a third of them are left. The other main features of the site are the Whispering Knights and The King's Stone. It was very peaceful and atmospheric, the stones like gnarled and twisted teeth and we pretty much had the place to ourselves other than a couple of other photographers and a couple of friendly dogs. We had just completed a circumnavigation of the circle (going widdershins of course) when an elderly local appeared out of nowhere and, introducing himself as one of the "friends of the rollrights", insisted on recounting the legend of the place in the best ancient mariner style... here's the more sedate Wikipedia version:

"Numerous folktales are associated with the stones, including the tale reported in a rhyming version by William Camden in 1610, that a king was riding across the county with his army when he was accosted by a local witch called Mother Shipton, who said to him:

"Seven long strides thou shalt take, says she
And if Long Compton thou canst see,
King of England thou shalt be!"
His troops gathered in a circle to discuss the challenge and his knights muttered amongst themselves– but the king boldly took seven steps forward. Rising ground blocked his view of Long Compton in the valley and the witch cackled:

"As Long Compton thou canst not see, King of England thou shalt not be! Rise up stick and stand still stone, For King of England thou shalt be none; Thou and thy men hoar stones shall be, And I myself an elder tree!"
The king became the solitary King Stone, while nearby his soldiers formed a cromlech, or circle, called the King's Men. As the witch prepared to turn herself into an elder tree, she backtracked into four of the king's knights, who had lagged behind and were whispering plots against the king. She turned them to stone as well, and today they are called the Whispering Knights."

...it would have been more impressive if he had then cackled wildly and disappeared in a puff of smoke but instead we exchanged a few polite pleasantries and he wandered off. I did wonder about the "Friends of the Rollrights" however, are they really just a group of public spirited conservationists? Or are they some form of coven, holding orgiastic rites within the circle, cavorting naked in arcane ritual....sounds like fun. I did find some Wiccan style offerings tucked into a hole in one of the Whispering Knights.