The Castlerigg stone circle, a landmark suspended in time

Published on July 26, 2024 at 3:08 pm

Hidden in the heart of the Lake District is a site shrouded in mystery, seemingly suspended in time. Poets as commanding as John Keats and Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote Romantic odes to its unaging beauty and the natural serenity that surrounds it. This is the Castlerigg stone circle, one of the earliest stone circles in Europe and one of the most arresting prehistoric structures in Britain, dating to between 3,200BC and 2,500BC. Sat in a sanctuary-like natural amphitheatre created by the monumental surrounding fells which include some of the region’s highest peaks, Castlerigg is one of the most popular, most alluring hiking spots in the UK.

Castlerigg stone circle.

Summary

About the stone circle
Getting to Castlerigg
Other stone circles in the Lake District

About the stone circle

Another view of the stone circle.

Overlooking spectacular Thirlmere Valley with High Seat and Helvellyn mountains providing breathtaking backdrop, the Castlerigg stone circle is one of a wealth in the Lake District and is believed to be one of the oldest Neolithic monuments in the country, estimated to have been erected around 3000BC, or over 5,000 years ago. Composed of 38 large stones, some over 3m (10ft) in height, the precise function is unknown, however the unusually large internal area and the clearly marked entrance suggest a potentially political, commercial, or ceremonial function, either as a trading places, meeting point, or religious site respectively.

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Getting to Castlerigg

Tewet Tarn, near Castlerigg.

Although there is parking available at the Castlerigg site, many chose to take a scenic hike to the spot. The most popular route is from the town of Keswick, about half-an-hour from Castlerigg. This short, pleasant walk will offer fine views of the surrounding fells along an old railway path that edges towards the stone circle then returns via Springs Wood. A longer walk goes via Tewet Tarn, a nearby lake noted for its soul-stirring serenity and natural panoramas of twin mountains Skiddaw and Blencathra; and St. John’s in the Vale, a dramatic glacial valley secluding tiny, isolated St. John’s in the Vale church, a grade II-listed building built from slate and igneous rock. This hike takes about two-and-a-half hours and is an excellent way to explore the surrounding area.

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Other stone circles in the Lake District

Castlerigg may be the most famous stone circle in the Lake District, but it’s certainly not its only one. Cockpit stone circle is almost as impressive as Castlerigg, located on a moody windswept upland known as Moor Divock, composed of some 30 stones, and measuring 27 metres (90ft) across. Swinside stone circle, found near Broughton in Furness, is one of Britain’s best-preserved Neolithic stone circles, made of 55 stones, some of which reach 3m (10ft) in height, and with a marked entrance that lines up with the midwinter sun. At Burmoor, meanwhile, there are five stone circles secluded in a high-up moor, various stone banks and cairns decorating the spaces between them. For more Neolithic history, go to Langdale and visit the mysterious Copt Howe rock carvings, various abstract shapes chiselled into exposed stone that date back over 6,000 years.

by Jude JONES | Staff Writer

Jude Jones is a writer and editor from Manchester, England. He is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in History and Modern Languages at the University of Cambridge. He has a keen interest in art, film and literature.

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