What might it have been like, 5,000 years ago, to gather at Castlerigg Stone Circle and watch the sun disappear behind imperious Lakeland mountains on the winter solstice?
Did the people of the New Stone Age build this monument as a calendar to mark the passage of time? Or as a religious site? Maybe it was a trading centre, a theory suggested after Victorian archaeologists discovered axe-heads from nearby Langdale here.
Like so many similar prehistoric sites throughout the UK, Castlerigg remains an enigma, but there are some things we know for sure…
Castlerigg Stone Circle
Comprising about 40 stones, some of them up to 10ft tall, this is one of the oldest and best-preserved stone circles in Europe.
It first came to the public’s attention after being visited by the antiquarian, Anglican clergyman and self-styled ‘Druid’ William Stukeley in 1725. His description forms the first written record of the site. It differs little from what can be seen today, although he claimed there was a second, larger circle in a neighbouring field.
No evidence of this second circle has been found to back his claim, but there is one thing that sets Castlerigg apart from other circles – and that’s ‘The Sanctuary’. Within the eastern edge of the circle, this group of 10 stones forms a rectangular enclosure that is unique to Castlerigg. Was this ‘inner sanctum’ reserved for special ceremonies? We might never know.
Castlerigg Stone Circle parking
There is roadside parking beside the field containing the stones, but approaching the site on foot gives you a chance to place the circle in the context of the surrounding landscape.
- Winter solstice 2023: when is the shortest day of the year?
- Summer solstice 2023: when is the longest day of the year?
Castlerigg Stone Circle walk
There is a straightforward walk from Keswick, through woods, over fields and along quiet lanes, but always accompanied by magnificent fell views – Skiddaw, Blencathra, the Helvellyn range… these are some of England’s highest and most impressive mountains.
