Glassonby Ring Cairn View all content for Glassonby

Winter solstice 2004 I had planned to watch the winter sunset at Long Meg and didn't want to stray too far away, so a visit to Glassonby was ideal for a pre-Meg visit. I parked up at the bridge of the Glassonby Beck and then lingered a while to have my lunch and watch a zen heron on the banks of the beck working a lot harder than I was for his lunch. It was a strange day, sunny and misty, more of an early summers day than midwinter, only the snow covered pennines reminded that winter had arrived. After a mooch up the hill to the field I wandered over to the circle. I reckon this must be the best time of the year to see the circle, the grass is low and the shadows are long, the circle looked beautiful. I found the carved stone in no time at all but the carvings were a different matter. All I could see was the long linear feature that to be honest with you I would have written off for a plough scar. I then tried feeling for the peckings but found nothing at all. I was hoping to at least feel the chevrons but no joy. He's some fella that Stan Beckensall. So all in all, this is a crackin' circle and well worth a visit. It's position on the same river terrace as the Long/Little Meg complexes make it even more significant and the fact that there is a possible terminal of a cursus monument and ring ditch in the same field, blows it up into a premier league site. Cursus-ring ditch-cairn circle-rock art, all implies some major continuity of use signifying a site of great importance. The views across to the Pennines are the icing on the cake.

Posted by fitzcoraldo 24th December 2004ce

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