
A few little bits of exposed stone on the bank give the site away if you’re not sure where to look.
A few little bits of exposed stone on the bank give the site away if you’re not sure where to look.
The heather’s in full bloom.
The heather guards its secret well, but it’s there if you know where to look. Looking across the Derwent valley.
The site from the southwest, the bank just visible as a darker feature in the heather.
Stones in the bank.
The western arc of the bank, nearest the path, with stone leaning against the inside.
The dark ring of the circle is clearer than I thought it would be amongst the heather.
The stone in the middle of the path is a good guide (until somebody moves it) to the proximity of the circle just to the right . The entrance is at the south, and runs almost parallel with the path.
10/12.
The large stone leaning against the inside of the bank.
It’s no surprise people walk past this one. Seen from across the path, the circle is in the centre of the picture but is almost invisible.
General view across Stanton Moor South, almost invisible in summer heather. The direction of the shot is towards Stanton Moor Central.
The heather covered circle.
Looking west from near the south entrance. The curve of the bank is to the top left while the recent entrance from the main path is to the top right and shows the height of the bank.
Entrance to the south (the small dark patch lower left of centre) with stones either side and the inner part of the circle to the right.
03/02. Entrance to South Circle
03/02 one of the surviving stones, just out of the heather.
Although the summer heather was thick, it very clearly helped define the raised bank. My accompanying photo shows a darker ring of heather, which immediately stood out as I wandered en route to the Nine Ladies. Good sized circle this.
I’ve added a photo of a fairly distinctive stone in the path that might aid in spotting the circle.
Returning to the path, Stanton Moor South is just off to the left (east side of the path). Another well-heathered circle, the bank can nevertheless be easily made out, with one upright on the inner side – not sure if it’s actually in situ though as it seems to lean against the bank.
This was a hard one to find, I walked right past it although it is just next to the track (to the east) and only found it on my second attempt. Stanton Moor South (T43) is one of those sites that it’s only really possible to see as you move round it due to the rich covering of heather, if you stand still and close one eye it just disappears into the undergrowth. Once you start picking through the greenery it does become a little clearer though, a bank about 15 metres in diameter and about half a metre high in places with a small gap for an entrance to the south. There are a few stones dotted around the bank but it’s hard to tell which may have stood and which were boulders used to pack the bank, there is also a slight trace of a cairn near the centre. The entrance that leads from the path through the west side of the bank into the circle is a modern intrusion but is useful for finding the site which like most of the others on this eastern side of the moor has fine views across the Derwent valley and to the hills beyond.
About 350-400 yards south of the Central Cirlce, right next to the path. The South Circle is roughly triangular in shape with a few surviving small stones on the internal edge of the bank.