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CastleriggStone Circle
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Hunt for ancient manor and circle.A dig to unearth the remains of a 14th Century manor house and stone circle is to take place in the Lake District. The search will take place at Castlerigg, near Keswick, where there is already a well-preserved stone circle dating from 3,000 BC... continues... |
Posted by The Eternal 30th July 2008ce |
The spiral that vanishedJust received the following from Dr Margarita Díaz-Andreu, Senior Lecturer, Department of Archaeology, Durham University: Just to let you know about the publication of this article Díaz-Andreu, M., C. Brooke, M. Rainsbury & N... continues... |
Posted by rockartuk13th September 2006ce Edited 30th September 2008ce |
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It's been about 18 months since we last visited and rather stupidly, we went up last week, during the Easter holidays. I am not sure but I think this is the only stone circle I can think of that has an ice-cream van parked by it! It was heaving, as usual, which I was prepared for and once again I was infuriated by the folk who were climbing all over the stones. Mark asked a group to show a bit of respect, as 2 teenagers kept climbing on the stones, shouting at their parents to take pictures of them ("this one will look great on Facebook" said mum!!) I do appreciate that not everyone feels the same way about these places but it does bother me that they will climb all over the stones, with no regard to the damage they may be doing. Ah well, best just stick to the more remote places, then I won't get wound up! |
Posted by Vicster16th April 2009ce |
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THE RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE INSIDE CASTLERIGG STONE CIRCLE I've been to Castlerigg many times over the last 20+ years. Two brief visits in late April 08 reminded me about the rectangular enclosure within Castlerigg. No other stone circle, apparently, has one of these, and officially it's of unknown purpose. In 1984 or early 1985 I visited with my good friend the late Steve Whitaker, and his interest in the area led me to figure out at least part of the secret of the rectangular enclosure, which I may say was very exciting. I confirmed my findings as much as possible at the time with help from the Lake District National Park information office. Research in old documents confirmed that others found the same things many decades ago, and reported them in learned journals, but the facts had been forgotten. I thought the findings, or rediscoveries, were a small sensation, but the National Park people didn't seem to think it was worth adding the information to their documentation of the circle, and so the secret has remained a secret. I've gone back to the subject now, and I'm looking for some missing pieces of information. As soon as I have enough clear references, I will post an account here. I am hoping for an acknowledgment from the local Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, the National Trust or the Lake District National Park before going public with the facts. It's not an earth-shattering finding, but I think discovering the function of a unique and previously "unexplained" stone circle feature should be of some interest. |
Posted by Guy Lawley3rd May 2008ce Edited 1st June 2008ce |
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Posting this a bit after the event Visited 21st December 2007 for the Solstice sunrise (ok technically I think we were a day out this year) Arrived at 7.00am in the pitch black, the sky was clear and Venus was very clear in the sky. We were even treated to a brief meteor shower above Venus. Some of the stones are roped off at the moment as is the santuary to allow the grass to recover. Due to the hills don't trust predictions of local sunrise times, if you actualy want to see the sun as it creeps above the horizon you need to add about 45 minutes to an hour to official sunrise time That said it was worth being there early as there are some wonderful light & shadow effects on the surrounding hills as the sun rises We were finally treated to a an amazing sunrise at about 9.15 We spent a full two and a half hours at the circle chatting with others and taking in the majestic views, before finally retiring to the cafe in the car park as you enter Keswick - highly recomended after freezing your nuts off at Castlerigg ;-) Finally thank you to LivingRocks, who we spent ages chatting with and has kindly posted the photo I requested to remind me of the stunning sunrise |
Posted by DaveF26th January 2008ce Edited 26th January 2008ce |
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Spent two very cold and very peaceful hours here this morning. Only a couple of hikers wandered through in that time. Sun shone through a 'Turner' sky, lighting up the snow covered tops of Skiddaw & her sisters. Too cold for tourists, though I suppose having travelled 100 miles to get here, I am one of those. My 4th visit, and can recommend turning up on a morning, and obviously out of season, if you want to just share this circle with the mountains & the sheep. One of the best sites for scenery I've been to, and today was no exception (until the snow arrived, and I beat a hasty retreat). A whole new meaning to the phrase 'chilled out' today. |
Posted by Robs3rd March 2006ce |
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Night of the 21st December 2005, the nearest we could make it to a Winter Solstice pilgrimage. Many miles after a day's work. It's amazing at night. We knew we wanted to go, but never imagined it would be so dark, devoid of people, so incredible a sight silhouetted against the sky between the mountains. It's truly a different place out of hours, and far more enjoyable. a composite photo posted of the stones, one of the Southern stones with a (biodegradable?...looked like) wreath on it. |
Posted by whipangel 22nd December 2005ce |
| Brilliant circle, great scenery, too many people. |
Posted by Kozmik_Ken5th September 2005ce |
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Visited on Beltane 2005 A stunning site as always. Although ive never managed to get it to myself it still feels good here. On leaving the circle i heard a young American lad ask his mum why it was built and she promptly replied just think of it as a huge Digital wristwatch son! Classic! |
Posted by treehugger-uk6th May 2005ce |
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My mate used to rent a flat on the farm about 100 yards down the lane from Castlerigg, and said there was a constant stream of visitors, by night as well during summer. I've been there countless times, and I've rarely had it to myself, except during a storm, when it comes into its own. Mind you, the mountains disappear behind the clouds then. I love looking at it from the surrounding peaks, trying to pick it out, finding the rough area, then resorting to binoculars, from which you can see it clearly. The setting is perfection, raised above the valleys to the south, east and west, only blocked in to the far north. The far north? That's where the sun and moon don't appear, isn't it? Is there a more perfect setting for a stone circle? |
Posted by The Eternal 30th April 2005ce |
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If you ever find yourself despairing of getting this circle to yourself, but can't get there when there's no-one else about, try the following: Put a blanket over your head, get a 1500kW rechargeable lamp, and hop about from stone to stone, whilst trying to angle the lamp in just the right way to find the spiral carving, mutterring 'No.... Nope, nope, not this one either...' to yourself as you go. Apparently, this works. When I put the blanket over my head, there were about 15 people, when I re-emerged, there were just the folk I'd visited with, looking a tad embarrassed. If you want to actually find the carving, check out Stan Beckensall's info, or that on the Rock Art in the British Landscape website. I wish I'd done that, then I'd have seen the spiral, but it wouldn't have been as much fun... |
Posted by Hob5th April 2005ce |
| I had ridden my bike through 300 miles of rain, from my first visit to the Avebury complex, and was nearing home. Still charged with energy from the experience, my mind and body in turmoil, I headed north, through the Lake Distict, looking for Castlerigg. I had never been before, although I only live an hour away, but I immediately felt 'at home'. At Avebury, I was a visitor, these were stones laid by my forefathers, and they knew me. There were few others here, when I arrived, but everything calmed down as I stood back and sent out some smoke. The sun came out and the drying of the air brought people flooding up the hill. In my mind's eye, I could see them in the cafes of Keswick, nursing cups of tea and watching the skies. Did they all throw their chairs back en masse, and scrabble for the exits? Walking into the circle, I felt the familiar signature of circles up here; the pull of the eye to the horizon, the foreground and background, but no middleground; the echo of festivals and celebrations past, or yet to come. Finding the exact middle of Castlerigg is a simple, but wonderful task. Site yourself roughly in the middle, look around you at the silhouette of the stones until you find one that matches a shape on the horizon, then move back and forward on this axis until more stones start to line up with other prominent features.When you have done that, try stooping down. More stones line up. Now, stand up and take in the view. The landscape becomes more immediate, more familiar, more home. At Avebury, I was challenged to contemplate that which is beyond my ken while, at Castlerigg I was reminded who I am. I left here at a relaxed pace, dry and warm, and headed for home. |
Posted by Equinoxboy 23rd July 2004ce |
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[visited 31/5/4] My second visit here, the first being as a tourist many years ago knowing nothing about stone circles. Last time the surrounding hills were covered in mist & cloud and we left slightly disapointed not to have seen the expected supporting cast. This time however I was blown away. The circle is here to service the axe trade (amongst other things) but thats secondary to the placing, this circle was here and is here because of the amazing views. If you only saw one circle in your life, this one would not leave you disapointed. Of course it is with its downside, tourists are highly prevalant and its ease of access means more dedications & bizarre stuff left in the name of belief. There was a weird circle of plaster druidesque figurines not 6 inches high in the centre of the circle and I didn't get a second alone here, but that changes nothing. I loved this so much I could share it with thousands and not care... This post appears as part of the weblog entry Four stone circles and two henges, doodaa doodaa
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Posted by juamei27th June 2004ce Edited 27th June 2004ce |
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After another busy break with the family in the Lakes, I managed to squeeze in a brief stop off at Castlerigg. Unusually for me, I was armed with a camera as I invariably have the bad luck to fnd myself in the ideal photo op with no means to grab the image! The weather had been typical April, overcast to rainy to drizzly and i wasnt holding out much hope. As Castlerigg is fairly accessible - ie having visited the lakes many times and seen many signs pointing in its direction from the town centres, i wasnt expecting much - TMA photos in the Gazeteer didnt impress me much and JC suggested that CR would present differing monuments depending on the viewpoint, so I went off with a quite blase attititude. As we approached, the weather began to deteriorate, and having taken the wrong turn out of Keswick (despite all the signs!) we came at it after a long drive. Several circuitous turns later, the sky had closed in and it had begun to rain heavily. The lane next to the monument was packed with cars, and my heart sank as I realised that it would probably be a busy venue. I climbed out of the back of the car, trying not to look like a rubberneck and sallied fort - sure enough, there were a few people taking pics and a couple of new agers ligging around taking in the vibe. Despite all this, I was hugely impressed, and scurried off through the mud to a vantage point where i could grab a shot in good ligh before the heavens opened. I had pinched the new digital camera from the office, and had been hammering away snapping right and left and by the time i reached CS the batteries were on their last legs! I grabbed a shot - apologies for blandness and duplication! - and they quit out, so i was grateful for the shot. Overall, the site was absolutely stunning, framed by Blencartha and Skiddaw still topped with snow and dressed with a garland on brilliantly coloured lichens, the stones sat on that windy hillside as if they had always been there. The impression of monumental scale and the feeling of 'oneness' with the landscape was awesome. it was if the pancreator had paused here, while labouring to form the surrounding landscape and set down a mug of tea on the new tabletop of earth and left a ring behind, indelibly marking the ground for all time. As with all the (few) sites ive visited, it left me with a lasting impression, not a visual bu an emotional one - of ancient time and huge scope and weight, the feeling that I was transplanted to a time before time and the ground had barely ceased its tremors as the last stone had been raised. Fantastic. |
Posted by Wotan13th April 2004ce |
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Well, this is our first attempt at a fieldnote, so bear with us! We are Dorothy and Lucy and we aim to include useful information on access for disabled people in our notes. We are both disabled people ourselves. We visited Castlerigg on 29th September 2003. Note - Car Access via Castle Lane from the A591 Thirlmere Road is very narrow with no passing places. We recommend access from the A66 (from Penrith) - follow the signs to Castlerigg from here. We have not tried the route from Keswick, via A5271 and "Eleven Trees" minor road . Car parking - there is a long, lay-by (prone to puddles if wet). Nearest disabled people's toilets - Keswick (approx 2 miles away) Access to the stones - cross the road, access the field through 3 separate wheelchair-user accessible gates (though they do self-close). The circle is approximately 100 yards across a grass field, up a slight incline. Manual wheelchair users may need assistance. The grass is kept quite short by grazing sheep. Cost -The site is owned by the National Trust, payment by donation. The stones are spaced in a way that access between them is quite easy. (Thanks to the Ancients – who were obviously taking access into account!). The circle is approximately 100 feet in diameter. Note: there is not much opportunity for solitude as there is a constant stream of visitors. We were told, on an earlier visit, that early morning or the evening would be best. We arrived mid-day on Lucy's 40th birthday amidst descending gloom and cloud cover on the tops - light rain but not very cold. Our hearts sank as the layby looked very busy and there were several parties of people at the stones. As if by magic, they all disappeared a couple of minutes after we arrived and we managed to get a few minutes with the stones on our own. The stones are very cuddly, inviting and female - and in this amazing setting. The sky brightened slightly and the full awesomeness (is there such a word?) of the setting was revealed - St John's-in-the-Vale, Skiddaw, Blencathra, High Rigg, Castlerigg Fell, High Scar and the other surrounding mountains. The magic of the place made me grin from ear to ear – says Lucy. |
Posted by cronezone 28th October 2003ce |
| Visited 11/10/2003. The setting is everything. The best I had seen until the following day when I visited Sunkenkirk. |
Posted by jdellis 13th October 2003ce Edited 13th October 2003ce |
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As the delightful Jane said, last Saturday it was one bloody visitor after another. Hordes of 'em. In addition, there was very bad light, threatening to turn into that sort of insipid gloom that works to suck every last vestige of contrast from a scene. But I speak as a photographer. As a visitor of megalithic sites, it was wonderful to return to Castlerigg after a seven year absence. Then, I was seeing it for the first time on a cold, overcast winter's day. The whole place was very muddy, populated by sheep, and punctuated by the occasional hardy soul clothed in Gore-Tex and a strong constitution. It was idyllic, breathtaking and magical. I had forgotten just how small and diminutive it seemed, surrounded by the imposing mountains and dramatic, rolling skies. Small, and perfectly formed. The sheep were still there, but had moved off a little, and I was looking forward to getting some more interesting photos with the different type of light. The stormy rolling clouds were hinting at the possibility of some gorgeous soft modelling light, and with the insane obsession only a photographer possesses, I laid in the extremely damp grass, avoiding as best I could sheep turds and muddy patches. The light glimmered, and instantly the stones began to sing, poetry against the plunging valley now lit with soft sunshine. Perfect! Scrabbling up, covered in muck, I swiftly moved to get a shot of the massively female stone that formed part of the intriguing cist within the circle - exquisite, exquisite light; long lens; harmonious picture, here it comes . . . as did four garrulous Spaniards, who sauntered into shot, lit fags, hung around, sat on the stones, took pictures sporadically - and NEVER when the light was at it's best, aarrgghh! - before ambling disinterestedly off to their car. Ten minutes of hanging about as if they were outside a coffee bar in Madrid. I ask you. The pain! I wouldn't mind, but it's a long old drive from Oxfordshire, and as a non-driver, it's even harder to get places. So with that, and the regular flow of people, this wasn't quite the experience I was hoping for. Heigh ho. And that was it, really. The light went, the stones didn't have quite their previous essence, and I returned to Jane and our group, swearing never to buy another Seville orange. Meanwhile, Jane was reclining on a heavy duty Eastern rug, having knocked out a lovely painting without any humans cluttering it up. I'm sure these water-colourists have it far too easy . . . |
Posted by treaclechops31st August 2003ce |
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A welcome evening return to Castlerigg this time, a sunny summer evening brings out the tourists though, there were kids clambering over the stones, a frisby throwing competition in the middle and even a group of elderly couples with a fully laden picnic table at the site. Not too much of a problem for me though as I was here this time to look at the carvings on the stones particularly the elusive spiral – second attempt, second failure. I managed to find the other 4 known marks, 2 of them are very faint and none are spectacular. There are several other stones that *may* have carvings that have yet to be recognised but the geology of the rock makes imagining cups, rings and grooves on their surface too tempting. Working from Fitzcoraldo's plan of the circle, Stone 1 has the spiral on the inward facing side (facing towards the setting sun), Stone 2 has a faint wide ring, I thought I could see a central cup too but Stan doesn't mention it. Stone 3 has a lozenge or hatching pattern but there are natural marks in the rock right next to it, while Stone 4 has a quite deep but difficult to spot partial ring and a cup at it's top edge. Stone 5 is the easiest to see and is a clear narrowly cut lozenge. |
Posted by Chris Collyer21st August 2003ce |
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9 August 2003 I'll never get over the setting here. The circle itself is too spectacular and wonderful for words but is still completely overwhelmed by the natural beauty of the surrounding hills. When we arrived the circle was teeming with people, but luckily, over the half an hour or so we stayed, they gradually dissipated and for the last 10 minutes there were only a few left. The first time I went I was lucky enough to have the place virtually to myself and I think I've avoided revisiting fearing the crowds…but I found it much less off-putting than I expected. I'm tempted to wish Castlerigg was harder to get to, but that wouldn't be fair would it? Everyone should see this place. The circle's actually just a (big) bonus…! This is one hell of a special place and I have to admit I'd kind of forgotten that because of its popularity and the crowds. I'll not forget it again. This post appears as part of the weblog entry A quick tour of Cumbria's 'big ones'
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Posted by Moth13th August 2003ce Edited 13th August 2003ce |
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When I've visited Castlerigg in the past it has usually been in the late afternoon, evening or at night time. This is the first time I'd been in the morning and despite the steady trickle of visitors who only stayed for a couple of minutes and then left, I mostly had the place to myself. Something wasn't right though. Maybe it was the nasty wind whipping grit and soil in my eyes and blowing my tripod over. Maybe the morning sun lit the stones differently – the evening sun gives them a deep rich glow. Maybe it was because I had a list of other sites that I wanted to get round, and maybe it was because I couldn't find the elusive spiral carving – I had the right stone but I only found out later I was looking on the wrong side – the spiral faces into the circle. It was the first time that Castlerigg had left me unmoved. Next time I'll be back in the evening. |
Posted by Chris Collyer 21st April 2003ce |
| Disabled Access: There is a gate to the site for wheelchair users. |
Posted by elderford 21st April 2003ce |
| Spent the winter solstice sunrise here, whilst expected cloud prevented us viewing the sun, the atmos was great, the mist gave an allmost Arthurian feel to the site. I have visited this site a number of times( first as a a child) and i still think it is an amazing site in a simply wonderful setting. Said hi to Pebblethief as she was there, about 10 or so people there, include a man quietly walking round the circle blessing a baby and a Druidish type in the centre silently observing the solstice. Love it. |
Posted by mushroom si 23rd December 2002ce Edited 26th December 2002ce |
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My first stone. Visited Castlerigg late on 07/12/02. Dark all around. Not a body to be seen. A moving experience which had to be repeated the next day in the winter sunshine. People milling this time but all tied to the same stillness. Onward to the next. |
Posted by WildDom 9th December 2002ce |
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Castlerigg (23.8.2002) Castlerigg seems to be signposted from every direction and every country road, which is a first. It's obviously a bit of a show site and why not. It is like being at the top of the world. The place was absolutely heaving with all sorts of people and school parties, but heh, quality attracts people. Sure I would loved to have been able to take some nice photos but it just wasn't possible and I'm not that fussed because there are lots of good photos of it around and I still have my memory. |
Posted by pure joy27th November 2002ce |
| Cracking! I first visited way back in 1982, when I hitch-hiked 'oop naarth' with a friend and a tent and no money, and spent a whole day getting off on the place. (People don't hitch hike anymore do they? Weird.) I remembered it as a solitary place, bleak and empty and yet charming. But last Saturday it was one bloody visitor after another, which pissed off my friend, Treaclechops, who is a photographer and was desperately trying to get a shot without people in, just as the light lifted.. She'd taken one in 1995 which I think is the finest photograph of the place I have ever seen, even better than all the wonderful shots already posted on this page. Upload your photo, Treaclechops!! I was trying to compare it in size to the Rollrights, but was entire unable to get a handle on the scale of it because of the sense of the amphitheatre in which she sits. The many people, including a bunch of overly-loud Spaniards, didn't bother me as I sat on the damp grass sketching out my painting; I simply didn't paint them in. Great groves of foxgloves added a touch of purple and the rolling green of Castlerigg's stage completed the picture. Then it was off to Long Meg.... |
Posted by Jane10th July 2002ce |
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thursday 23rd may castlerigg today was very wet and windy! despite the atrocious weather, there were stacks of people coming to and fro, nobody staying very long.. i stood for a long while at the outlying stone by the wall and marvelled at such a grand setting.. i found it to have a wonderfully communal vibe, but yet quite formal at the same time.. very much hope i get the chance to go back again so i can sit awhile on a clear sunny day! the circle seemed to be about the same size as the rollrights, but such incredibly different places.. much much bigger wider stones and a much more open feel framed all around by the mountains.. the rain got a bit much so i stayed and had my birthday lunch in the van, the cake was delicious and for a brief moment before i left, there was a gap in the cloud and the stones lit up like candles! till next time... x |
Posted by lissy 9th June 2002ce |
| Castlerigg on a warm spring afternoon is perfect. Swarming with tourists - I still LOVE it. It never fails to amaze me how people, with no apparent interests in their ancient ancestors, can come to sites like this and feel it. We came and chilled here for an hour or so, and in that time watched numerous people arrive, approach the site, and proceed to wander round with broad smiles across their faces. |
Posted by IronMan2nd April 2002ce |
| possibly my favourite. had some truly beautiful times; always a pleasure. geomantic setting has to be seen to be believed; stones are on a plateau at the centre of a flower; surrounding petals are formed by surrounding hills. |
Posted by greentara 12th October 2001ce |
| All of these fantastic sites (though Castlerigg is currently only viewed at a jump or over a gate due to the evil F & M) but in any local shop there is no aknowledgement that any of it exists. Good if you want a bit of tweed or a random fluffy toy but not even a postcard of this ancient eyefest. How can you visit this region and not see this? Wow, I say...yeh, I'll come back when the war is over to run around this good! |
Posted by thebaz 16th September 2001ce |
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Our yearly visit to Cumbria, a regular pilgrimage for that last 25 years, is only complete witha visit to Castlerigg. Driving to it through Keswick it always seems as though it will be too close to the town, but on finding it the sky and the earth seem to open up. The view is incredible, with the fells as the backdrop, and the inevitable cloud performing their drama above. It always rains when I am there, but we hug the stones and get drenched, such is the beauty of the place. To understand why the earth and elemental forces have been worshipped you need only stand in the centre of Castlerigg and look out. If we can feel the awe in our shrink-wrapped modern world it can only have been more impressive back when the stones were laid. |
Posted by bedhed 19th June 2001ce |
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Last year, just as Summer was on its way and Autumn was beginning to make its presence known in the colour of the land a small group of friends and myself took a trip (in everysense) to Castlerigg. We camped at a small but funtional site about a couple of miles from the site. In the day time we trekked up to the circle and were at once blown away by the perfection of the setting. The surrounding vista of hills and mountain hugging the circle was breathtaking. The only downer was the day-glo walkers and tourists swigging coke and squatting on the stones, unintentionally besmirching the vibe. We walked on into Keswick with a view to returning in the evening when the mountain bikes and lunchboxes had gone home. Late at night, under a sky fit to burst with stars, we imbided a small amount of the ma's own fun-gals and headed back up to Castlerigg. The moonlit site was if anything more beautiful by the lady's light (though we did have a couple of torches). As the atmosphere brought the mushrooms up, the serene joyfulness of Castlerigg impacted on me and I did the only thing reasonable. I danced, with no music save that of the low pulse of the stones themselves. I felt obliged, out of politeness, to introduce myself to each stone and so went around and whispered my chosen name to each and every one. By the time I completed the circle, the stones were whispering back; a kind of shadowy mantra of my name coming back at me! We stayed for about 2 hours, us the stones, the sky, the stars...the cold a minor hinderance in contrast to the sustaining vibe of the circle. Beautiful. It may not be the biggest, but for sheer setting and evocation of something ancient and magical, Castlerigg is a primo-atmos-circle and I feel I must return. Bless! |
Posted by Moon Cat3rd April 2001ce |
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Last port of call on our tour. We've been here a few times before but not in Winter. The gates at the entrance to the site were padlocked and a sign was placed asking not to enter the site due to the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease. Oh well , better do as they ask. |
Posted by CAOMHIN 25th February 2001ce |
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An astounding site. And yes, the setting is all. I went up there on a warm, clear night alone with Eno's 'Appollo' on minidisc to listen to, and had a eeriely wonderful time star-gazing. The very first impression I got from the site was that it was placed with a genius for psychogeographic accuracy. Photos of the place obviously emphasise the majesty of the surrounding mountains. But what struck me is how humanised and pastoral the area immediately around Keswick is, and how at the circle you feel like you're on a platform that is part of, but above and beyond this landscape, reaching for the sky. I assume the lowlands round here would have been populated in Neolithic times as well. Castlerigg feels like a bridge-point between the human landscape and the mountains that touch the stars. Sitting there under the moon, I gained for the first time an insight into how hills on the horizon may have inspired the creation of stone rings - so people could "pull the horizon in" and humanise it - circles of stones standing for hilly horizons - presumably as something against which to measure the turning cosmos above. A great place - go! |
Posted by gyrus 27th August 2000ce |
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One of the most beautifully situated and richly resonant circles in these isles, and a demonstration of the power of place. Last time I visited Castlerigg I was horrified to see a group of about eight outward bound types all standing on one of the stones struggling to keep on while some idiot of a leader took a picture. Being a riotous type always looking to did-act, I stormed over and gave them a full public dressing down on the profanity of their actions. I informed them of their irresponsibility and inquired if they expected the stones to last for another millennia if treated like that. In full rant mode by now I pointed out that this was a sacred place and I asked them if they would do this sort of thing standing on the altar of Saint PaulÍs Cathedral? This hit the spot and some rather sheepish people agreed (and to their credit apologised to me personally - I was upset and ñvibeingî crazily). The point made I returned to my companions for support thinking I might have ñcreated a sceneî (that most English of mind f*** social mores). The power of these places is still resonant not least in the effect this had on me, but also because a number of ñnormsî visiting (Castlrigg is on the tourist trail from Keswick - coach loads of them) went out of their way to congratulate me for speaking out agreeing with me totally. Well ego aside, I felt that the fact the stones were affecting the ñnormsî in such a way is a testament the lasting power and beauty of this place - despite insensitive macho outward ñboundersî. There used to be a good (i.e. one tap and a toilet) campsite in walking distance of the stones (see OS Map). Useful for those midnight pilgrimages, but also hairy and alive to modern warfareƒ.that is beware being woken by a Harrier jump jet passing a matter of feet over head - the camp is in a high position - is quite a soul judder. A must visit site easy to access. |
Posted by Porkbeast 26th July 2000ce |
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Gotta agree with Marky mark the setting has it , the fells the dales. It gripped me in a willie the shake stylee, "this other eden demi- paradise.... this precious stone set in the silver sea", that whole speech filled my brain, willie always has the right way of putting things. my kids had a sheep shit fight.....perfect . |
Posted by fitzcoraldo25th July 2000ce |
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The best thing about Castlerigg is the amazing setting - on a plateau high above Keswick, surrounded by mountains. Went up at 10pm and was surrounded by dozens of bats as we climbed up the steep road. the serenity was only spoiled by an RAF Hercules flying low level over us, but even that was beautiful in its ancient/modern crossover kinda way... |
Posted by Marky Mark 28th June 2000ce |
| WOW!!! ! The feelings, I just can't describe. Go there, as I did, in dusk. Looking over that amazing view, you can't help think they got it SO right. |
Posted by Chris15th April 2000ce |
Folklore |
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"A poem completed by John Ruskin when he was 12 describes this site as a Druidical temple and invents the following 'fakelore': Although very fine things, I think some great giant was playing at ninepins,--- And leaving the place, ere his ball he could swing, Has left all his ninepins stuck up in a ring! Ruskin 1832 The site is still known under the alternative name of the Druid Circle and is so described in much of the earlier literature." Notes on the Folklore of Prehistoric Sites in Britain L. V. Grinsell Folklore, Vol. 90, No. 1. (1979), pp. 66-70. |
Posted by Rhiannon15th October 2006ce |
| Paul Devereux wrote that "folklore tells that the stones...are a council of Elders, petrified in the midst of their deliberations." (Devereux, P., Places of Power," Blandford: London 1990) |
Posted by Paulus16th December 2005ce Edited 17th December 2005ce |
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The only folklore I've read is that it's impossible to count the stones and come up with the same number on two consecutive occasions. Old hat - how many stone circles have that old chestnut accorded to them? |
Posted by The Eternal 30th April 2005ce |
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This site, as so many of the entries above have said, is so clearly chosen for the fantastic way the mountains encircle this plateau. You can walk round and round and everywhere you see alignments of the stones with the mountains, echoes of the shapes in the skyline. This is the place to convince you that the landscape is sacred, that the space outside the circle is as important as whatever went on inside it. There have been many studies of the possible astronomical alignments here too - though personally the alignments with the landscape seem enough for me. The circle is known as the Druid's Circle, but I haven't found any traditional stories which relate to the site. A relatively recent story concerns the experience of a Mr Singleton and his companion, who in 1919 saw some strange balls of white light moving among the stones. From The English Mechanic, October 17th, 1919: "Some years ago, during Easter, returning to Keswick from an ascent of Helvelly with a hotel acqauintance, we saw lights, no doubt will o' the wisps. It was so dark that we had to probe for the road walls with our sticks, when we were at a point near which the track branches off to the Druidical Circle (the stone circle of Castlerigg). Then, all at once we saw a rapidly moving light, as bright as the acetylene bicycle lamp, and we instinctively stepped to the road boundary wal to make way for it, but nothing came. As a matter of fact, the light travelled at right angles to the road, say 20 feet above our level, possibly 200 yards or so away. It was a white light, and having crossed the road it suddenly went out... when we saw a number of lights, possibly a third of a mile or so away, directly in the direction of the Castlerigg stone circle, but of course much fainter, due to the distance. The lights were moving backwards and forwards horizontally; we stood observing them for a long time. Whilst we were watching... a remarkable incident happened, one of the lights, and only one, came straight to the spot where we were standing, at first very faint. As it approached the light increased in intensity. When it came quite near I was in no doubt whether I should stop below the boundary wall, as the light would pass directly over us, but when it came close to the wall it slowed down, stopped, quivered and disappeared. The light was globular, white with a nucleus, possibly six feet or so in diameter, and just high enough above the ground to pass over our heads." Bright oval lights were also seen more recently at the circle, in 1997 (admittedly by some people who were having 'a laugh and a drink') |
Posted by Rhiannon 10th May 2002ce |
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In his 1843 book, The Wonders of the World, in Nature, Art, and Mind, Robert Sears quotes "the celebrated female writer" Mrs Radcliffe . This is what Mrs Radcliffe had to say about Castlerigg. "Whether our judgement was influenced by the authority of a Druids choice, or that the place itself commanded the opinion, we thought this situation the most severely grand of any hitherto passed. There is, perhaps, not a single object in the scene that interrupts the solemn tone of feeling impressed by its general character of profound solitude, greatness and awful wildness. Castle-Rigg is the centre point of three valleys that dart immediately under it form the eye, an whose mountains for part of an amphitheatre, which is completed by those of Borrowdale on the west, and by the precipices of Skiddaw and Saddleback, close on the north. The hue which pervades all these mountains is that of dark heath or rock; they are thrown into every form and direction that fancy would suggest, and are at that distance which allows all their grandeur to prevail." "Severely grand" I'll take a large portion of that please. |
Posted by fitzcoraldo 13th November 2006ce |
| In their exploration of electromagnetic anomalies at stone circles, Paul Devereux described how, "in 1978 I carried out ultrasound monitoring over three dawns around the midwinter solstice as part of a Dragon Project visit to Castlerigg. For two dawns no signal was registered, but on the third there was a distinct pulsing of the meter needle when in the vicinity of one of the stones that marks the winter sunrise within the circle... During a 1988 visit, all the Castlerigg stones were checked for anomalies with liquid-filled compasses. Only one of the 38 stones affected the compass needle. This was the westernmost stone, now leaning outwards from the circle. Its inward-facing side strongly deflects a compass needle in one area, and attracts it in another." (Devereux, P., Places of Power, Blandford: London 1990) |
Posted by Paulus 16th December 2005ce Edited 17th December 2005ce |
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"Castlerigg in Cumbria was until quite recently without any recorded rock art. The author (Stan Beckensall) recorded one cup marked stone built into a modern wall nearby, and then two students from Newcastle University, Nick best and Neil Stevenson, photographed a spiral on one stone in late afternoon sunlight in 1995. later they found incised lozenge motifs on two other stones, and I found a cup and ring at the top of another." Stan Beckensall British Prehistoric Rock Art Tempus 1999 |
Posted by fitzcoraldo 9th June 2002ce |
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I have seen the Solstice in 7/8 times here, hitching or begging lifts from mates. It's only the F/M which has stopped me, not the weather, and on a lighter note Sally & Jason from york will getting blessed here on the 22/06/02 |
Posted by spaff 23rd April 2002ce |
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Audio slideshow: Winter solstice at Castlerigg stone circleThe Nuardiag presents Martin Wainwright and photographer Christopher Thomond watching the sunrise at Castlerigg stone circle during the winter solstice, mostly audio stream but with jpeg slideshow thing to accompany. |
Posted by Hob 25th December 2008ce |
stone-circles.org.ukPanorama of the circle, early morning April 2003 |
Posted by Chris Collyer 5th August 2006ce |
BBCi: Virtual tour of CumbriaA panorama of Castlerigg brought to you by the venerable BBC (powered by Java, so no plug-in necessary). |
Posted by Kammer12th August 2002ce Edited 23rd February 2004ce |
Megalithic Mysteries: CastleriggThis is an old Web site (superseded by something a lot more ugly and jumbled), but it's still worth visiting. The pages on Castlerigg include some aerial photos of the circle. |
Posted by Kammer 12th August 2002ce |
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