Wet Withens Stone Circle View all content for Wet Withens

I can echo most of what's already been said about this site – it's difficult to get to, takes a while to work out what's here, and has some great views. I approached it northwest from the footpath to Leam where the 550 metres on the map don't look difficult - they are. The first 400 metres are uphill through thick heather with the added complication of some fairly deep holes to watch out for. Once you're over the top it's down hill to the circle but even then it doesn't really become clear until you reach it (the nearby Ministry of Works sign has now gone) and initially it's the heather on the raised bank that gives away its form. This bank has an internal diameter of around 30 metres and once you're in the centre of it, it seems huge with many of the stones barely visible in the vegetation although the chair stone sticks out like a sore thumb and it's top does indeed resemble Higger Tor two and a half miles away to the northeast. There seems to be some stones missing from the western side of the circle but theres a good run of stones towards the south and southeast while the views are all to the northwest round to the northeast along the Derwent valley. Incidentally considering it's isolated position it's one of the busiest sites I've visited in the Peak District, as I approached it a bloke who was photographing the cairn wandered off, there were a couple of walkers taking a break in the circle and as I left another couple with a dog were just coming over the hill asking for directions to the stones.

Posted by Chris Collyer 22nd August 2008ce

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