Sweet Track

The Sweet Track is an ancient trackway, or causeway, in the Somerset Levels, England, named after its finder, Ray Sweet [1]. The Sweet Track was predominantly built along the course of an earlier structure, the Post Track [1]. The track extended across the now largely drained marsh between what was then an island at Westhay and a ridge of high ground at Shapwick, a distance close to 1,800 metres or around 1.1 mi [1]. Various artifacts and prehistoric finds, including a jadeitite ceremonial axe head, have been found in the peat bogs along its length [1]. The track was used for a period of only around ten years and was then abandoned, probably due to rising water levels [1]. The track was discovered in 1970 during peat excavations and is named after its finder, Ray Sweet [1]. Built in 3807 or 3806 BC, the track was a walkway consisting mainly of planks of oak laid end-to-end, supported by crossed pegs of ash, oak, and lime, driven into the underlying peat [1].