Autumn Shenanigans in a Devon town.

Ottery St Mary’s Tar Barrels

There’s a little bit of pagan in the air, and I love it. I was especially looking forward to last Thursday for a good old pagan fix. In the morning, I popped into town to take photographs of all the signs that were being put up for shenanigans happening later in the day.

However, before the day could really begin, a poorly toddler threw up in my lap, and I knew that the evening, for our family, had been written off. For everyone else, the roads close and at four o’clock, Ottery St Mary becomes a land of awesomeness.

The first time I went to the Tar Barrels was in the year 2000. I was coaxed onto a coach from Exeter without knowing what I was heading toward. I had the best and scariest night ever. Thousands of people arrive every November 5th to stand too close to burning barrels of hot, flaming tar. How great is that?

All the shops are boarded up to keep them safe from the hordes of visitors. There’s a risk of the glass smashing due to the massive volume of people potentially being squashed against the buildings. Such fun!

That first time I went to the Tar Barrels, I was petrified and spent most of the evening running for my life. Well, not really, but that’s how it felt. In subsequent years, I’ve found myself running towards the flames, trying to get as close as possible. I flippin love it! I’m not sure you’re supposed to do that. The key is to be respectful and responsible.

Sadly, this year, because of a pukey boy, I was disappointed. I could hear all the cheers and shouts from home. The smell of bonfire wafted all over town, and it felt ridiculously magical. I took the eldest boy out for an hour, so I could say we’d given our support.

These were the only pictures I could get. I had a six year old balanced on my hip, and I forgot to turn on my flash. I didn’t want to get too close because the boy gets scared. It’s funny because next year it’ll be his classmates taking part. Kids from Ottery families start “rolling” barrels from the age of seven. There are kids’, women’s and men’s barrels and they take place all over town.  The barrels start small and get bigger throughout the night, culminating with the enormous Midnight barrel. I like the picture on the bottom right. It’s part of our walk home, but the trees form a circle, and the lights reflecting on the road surface look like flames. It’s an upside down barrel! Sort of.

I took this picture in 2011. I can’t be sure, but I reckon this is one of the kids’ barrels. It isn’t big enough to belong to one of the men. A lit barrel is lifted onto the shoulders, and the carrier runs up and down the street, giving a little spin to keep the flames going. Hessian mitts are worn to keep hands from getting crispy, and then many layers of what are usually rugby shirts are worn to protect the body. Awesome!

Bonfire Night

There is also a huge bonfire, which gets built during preceeding weeks. I love the ritualistic lighting of the fire; it’s amazing to watch. It is seriously the biggest bonfire I have ever seen, and the heat that emanates from it is super intense. I always expect it to still be going the next day; however, it has always burned to the ground.

I seem to have written an awful lot for someone who spent less than an hour there this year.

Anyway, 2016 is going to be an amazing year. It’ll be on a Saturday, so the crowds will be huge. This adds to the atmosphere and noise. Great stuff.