Visited 3.8.14
Directions:
Next to a minor road south of Ennerdale Bridge – off the A5086. O/S map required.
It is a pretty bleak place up here. Open moorland and a strong wind.
On the plus side the stone circle is right next to the road and has decent views to the north. Also, being a Sunday we avoided any ‘Sellafield traffic’ and had the place to ourselves.
I don’t know when the stones were re-erected but they don’t seem to have withstood the test of time very well. One stone has fallen, one half-fallen and one stone has been badly worn away around its base by sheep. I don’t think it will be standing for too much longer.
The circle was a lot smaller than I was expecting but pleasant all the same. The site has a ‘remote feel’ about it despite the closeness of the road. I quite liked it here.
Well worth a visit but make sure you bring a good map in order to find it.
Sad to hear the circle seems a bit battered, looking through some old fieldnotes (and photos) I realised I last visited Blakely Raise in 2002, and the site was in good condition then. Mind you that was twelve years ago now, can't believe how the time has flown. The stones were last re-erected in 1925 so perhaps some sympathetic restoration is well overdue.
Definitely a good move avoiding the 'rush hour' traffic though, one of my abiding memories of the place was was the continual stream of cars coming past at speed on the narrow road during the mass exodus from work in the evening!