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England
LacraStone Circle
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Sites in this group:
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1 post
Lacra A Stone Circle |
7 posts
Lacra B Stone Circle |
4 posts
Lacra C Stone Circle |
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2 posts
Lacra D Stone Circle |
Lacra E
Ring Cairn
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3 posts
Lacra Stone Avenue Stone Row / Alignment |
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Lacra Stone Row
Stone Row / Alignment
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Images (click to view fullsize) |
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Fieldnotes |
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Buzzards, butterflies and bovine bother I visited Lacra on a glorious August Saturday, battling through the holiday traffic to find myself completely alone on a sun-drenched hillside. Although there is a footpath leading straight up from Kirksanton, I took Burl`s advice and parked at Po House, taking the longer but more gentle path around Lacra Bank. On my journey, I heard the characteristic `mewing` of a buzzard and, looking up, saw this magnificent bird perched high above me. On reaching a ruined farmhouse, I could see an area of stones beyond the drystone walls of the fields and knew that I`d arrived. Lacra A was the first of the features up here that I encountered. It was difficult to see which stones belonged and which didn`t. Only two remain standing out of six of those that count. Walking east, Lacra D was the next that I investigated and, here again, I had to study the stones scattered about to try and work out where the circle actually was. I was helped in this by a large slab which lies within the circle, possibly a capstone. From Lacra D, two stone rows are said to run, one to the north-east and the other leading south-west down the hillside. A ring cairn, Lacra E, lies just 8metres to the north-west, but I could only make out three small stones. The many butterflies feeding on the thistles were a welcome distraction to my quest to try and sort out this bronze age landscape. Walking south-west from Lacra D and passing through a gap in a field wall, Lacra B was my next destination. This one is unmistakeable as a stone circle, although only six stones remain of a suggested eleven. Whilst here, I was pleased to hear again the call of the buzzard and, looking up, saw a large bird of prey circling in the sky with a smaller bird, who answered the buzzard`s call with its own. I admired their encounter as they circled away and down towards the lower ground where the Giant`s Grave standing stones stand majestically, far off in the distance, before continuing on my quest. Walking downhill to the east, the remaining stones of Lacra C stone circle came quickly into my view. Just three stones now stand in an arc which would probably have been the largest of the the four stone circles up here. Then the cattle arrived. I usually have no problem with farm animals, but these bovine beasts were very numerous and inquisitive and being mindful of the fact that I was alone upon the hillside, decided that I should play safe and leave. On my return journey, I was entertained again by the buzzard, now back on its previous perch, as it called out to me as I returned to the car. |
Posted by baza12th September 2003ce Edited 13th September 2003ce |
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Hmmm not sure about this one, no disrespect, but I reckon Lacra gets a bit of a raw deal. (Though I do agree that good weather helps.) Yes, it's very ruinous & very difficult to find each monument, but the setting & the impression of what it would have been like in its day are pretty special. Check out the links below, originally posted on the message board by baza. (Thanks baza!) |
Posted by Moth8th November 2002ce |
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Lacra A. Well this is all we could find here today. Or should I say this was all we could be bothered finding. It rained like I've not seen in a long time. It's probably just the weather but I find this site depressing. On a good day the view out to sea, and of Black Combe would make this short walk worthwhile, but not on a day like this. Lacra D is just a bit further on, after Lacra A - according to Burl this is 'questionable', and I'd go along with that!! Lacra B is by all acounts the one to see, I've seen some shots and it probably is worth the visit. On a sunny day. A VERY sunny day. Mmmm summer... |
Posted by IronMan28th January 2002ce |
Links |
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Extreme Stonefeelers' World of Hard Rock & Standing StonesPics of the Larca circles |
Posted by new abbey30th May 2010ce |
Alastair's other stone circle page |
Posted by Moth 8th November 2002ce |
Megalithic Walks (Great site!!!) |
Posted by Moth 8th November 2002ce |
Latest posts for Lacra |
Showing 1-10 of 17 posts. Most recent first | Next 10 
Lacra Stone Avenue (Stone Row / Alignment) — Fieldnotes |
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From Lacra C the terrier and I headed across the fields in search of the elusive avenues. After crossing some boggy low ground we came across a group of stones that more or less fitted Burls description of 'a few footballish boulders'. The eye of faith is definitely required here but given enough to-ing and fro-ing it is possible to make out an avenue. Saying that, if Mr Burl had said that they were just a fortuitous arrangement of boulders I would also agree with him. I'm not too sure what to say about this site other than have a look for yourself and see what you think. This post appears as part of the blog post "The swift terriers bovine blues"
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Posted by fitzcoraldo28th June 2008ce |
Lacra C (Stone Circle) — Fieldnotes |
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From Lacra B the terrier and I walked west for a 100 or so metres to Lacra C. In the past these three stones have been interpreted as the ruins of a stone circle. Aubrey Burl is of the opinion that this is a fallen three, possibly four, stone row, which when you see the stones makes a lot more sense and besides that if anyone knows the difference between a circle and a row it's Mr Burl. The stones themselves are quite low but of a decent size, they are aligned roughly north east-south west and are graded in size, the largest being the most northerly. The largest stone also makes a handy seat to once again sit down and admire the views. This post appears as part of the blog post "The swift terriers bovine blues"
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Posted by fitzcoraldo 28th June 2008ce |
Lacra B (Stone Circle) — Fieldnotes |
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From the village I followed the footpath that crosses the railway and then follows a sunken trackway uphill. As I walked up through the rough pastures I was aware of Black Combe, this hill is huge but in my opinion its presence is almost benign. This massive, soft, whale-back of a hill has to compete with two other even larger presences, the sea in front of it and the central fells behind it. Never the less Black Combe looked marvellous and reminded me of Benarty in Fife, part of the landscape but not domineering. What drew my eye from the hill was the gentle curve of the coast, the estuaries and of course, the sea. As I reached the top of the hill I was able to look along the coast over Millom, the Duddon estuary, Barrow, Walney Island, and across Morecambe Bay into Lancashire and on to North Wales, and as my eyes got used to the haze I was able to make out the faint profile of the Isle of Man on the horizon. Once at the top of the hill the terrier and I made our way over to Lacra B. We found the circle quite easily. The circle is sat in knoll on the hillside, all around the circle are large outcrops of bedrock jutting out through the turf at forty five degrees almost as if they are defending the stone ring. The circle is composed of low stones and has definitely seen better days. The largest stone is just over a metre tall. It's possible to make out the slight rise of the central cairn but the thing that gives this circle its charm is the views, again it's the Duddon estuary, the coast and the coastal plain that draw the eye with Black Combe still visible over the brow of the hill. I sat down in the circle and thought about how the land was used in the past, the estuaries and coast would have been an attractive place to live, Early man would have found this a rich place to forage and hunt. Wildfowl, shellfish, fish and animals would have lived here in abundance. Later, the pastoralists and farmers would have found the fertile Cumbrian plain ideal for raising stock; the surrounding hills would have provided summer pastures, much as they do today. The fertile soils of the coastal plain would also be an ideal place to plant and raise crops, the rivers running off the hills would have ensured an abundance of clean, fresh water, the wooded slopes providing an almost endless supply of timber for building and fuel. The coast would have also provided the opportunity for contact with others. Archaeological evidence shows us that people have been navigating these coasts since at least the Neolithic, this part of Cumbria would have been an ideal stopping-off point for those early navigators steering a course to and from Wales, the Isle of Man, Southern Scotland or Ireland and they may well have used Black Combe as a guide. This post appears as part of the blog post "The swift terriers bovine blues"
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Posted by fitzcoraldo 28th June 2008ce Edited 29th June 2008ce |
Lacra Stone Avenue (Stone Row / Alignment) — Images (click to view fullsize) |
 
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Posted by fitzcoraldo 15th June 2008ce |
Lacra B (Stone Circle) — Images |
 
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Posted by Jane29th September 2003ce |
Lacra C (Stone Circle) — Images |
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Posted by Moth 30th August 2003ce |
Lacra B (Stone Circle) — Images |
 
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Posted by Moth 30th August 2003ce |
Showing 1-10 of 17 posts. Most recent first | Next 10
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