Giant’s Grave

Nearest town:
Ulverston (9km SE)
OS reference:
SD257879
OS sheet:
96
Latitude:
54° 16' 52.05 N
Longitude:
3° 8' 28.79 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Giant’s Grave (Ring Cairn) by postman

The real Giants cairn, decorated kerb stone.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Sep 23, 2013
Image of Giant’s Grave (Ring Cairn) by postman

The real Giants cairn, plus the rock I tried to bungee off, sans bungee cord.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Sep 23, 2013
Image of Giant’s Grave (Ring Cairn) by thesweetcheat

The biggest risk to the cairn is that someone will drive over it. The track marks are perilously close.

Image credit: A. Brookes (21.7.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 23, 2012
Image of Giant’s Grave (Ring Cairn) by thesweetcheat

One of the most beautifully sited cairn circles you’ll find.

Image credit: A. Brookes (21.7.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 23, 2012
Image of Giant’s Grave (Ring Cairn) by postman

Zooming down on the giants grave cairn circle from some nearby high ground

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 23, 2012
Image of Giant’s Grave (Ring Cairn) by postman

Zooming over the giants grave cairn circle, towards White maiden and The old man of Coniston .

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 23, 2012
Image of Giant’s Grave (Ring Cairn) by postman

Dunno who’s car that is, mine is much better, hey look he’s left the door open quick lets nick it.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 23, 2012

Articles

Giant’s Grave

postman
postman Sep 24, 2013

Many years ago I came here to find this cairn circle but failed to do so, perhaps I was a bit green, perhaps I didn’t try hard enough, but when I read BeakerUK’s field notes I thought it was because I was looking in the wrong place.
I wasn’t.
Beakeruk got it wrong, THE CAIRN CIRCLE IS EXACTLY WHERE THE MAP SAYS IT IS.
To be fair, there is what looks very much like a cairn circle precisely where he says it is, TSC and I were there not long ago. But, funny enough, in one of my photos of that ‘not giants grave’ you can see the real Giants grave a bit further down the hill.
Gees, why did I get it so wrong, it is a simple matter finding it, I feel like a right idiot.

But we got there in the end.
Parking is easy, trusting you are in the right place, the cairn is no more than ten yards from the road, and like it’s non giant partner up the hill it has terrific views of the distant hills and mountains.
Two stones stand out in the circle, one is still standing quite proud, and has red paint on it’s inner surface, not some manic defacer of antiquities, just a sheltering sheep with red paint on it for you know what. The other stone is lying down and is covered in modern graffiti, initials and dates mostly.
Eric and I tidied the place up a bit, removing dead vegetable matter and stuff, revealing more of the visible stones and uncovering hidden ones.
Then I took to taking pictures, near to and further away, whilst standing on a small cliff to get an overview I stepped out into empty air and fell flat on my back five feet below, it wasn’t far, but far enough to think while falling that this is further down than I thought, then oof and the air vacated my chest, two ladies passing by looked concerned and asked if I was OK, strained and quietly I said I’m alright, camera still in hand and fortunately unharmed Eric helped me up amid stifled chuckles.

So to reiterate, the cairn circle is just where the map says it is, it’s an easy place to find, and worth finding if your passing.
Watch your footing.

Giant’s Grave

postman
postman Jul 23, 2012

Like BeakerUK and probably dozens of other would be visitors my first attempt to find this particular giants grave ended in frustrated failure. I was precisely where the map indicated I should be, but there was no sign of it, destroyed thought I or too well hidden in the undergrowth. I gave up and went on my merry way for several years, until I came on here and discovered my mistake, no not mine Ordnance surveys mistake, bad map, naughty map.

As has been said the cairn circle is on the other side of the road, right next to where I parked this time and probably last time too. Ferns still try to hide it from everyone who comes by, a secret cairn is this one, hidden by nature and science alike, until now.

A half buried donut it resembles with stones poking out from both the inner side of the bank and the outer. Some stones are loose and free to roam suggesting they’re extra cairn material.
A nice place to sit and contemplate the world around us, and the immediate world around us is extremely pleasing to the eye. West in the distance is white and black Combe moving north over Thwaites fell and Ulpha fell on to Harter fell and up up and away to White Maiden and the Old man of Coniston, and beyond all that the high peaks of Ska fell and it’s near neighbors poke there heads over the hill tops. Awesome. Then the view draws in to the nearby Blawith Knott, and directly behind us the road and car parking space and the nearby high ground perfect for photographing an overview of the site.

All in all an interesting site with an almost overpowering view, god knows why it took so long for me to get back here. Yes i do it’s Wales’ fault.

Giant’s Grave

B
BeakerUK Aug 10, 2006

First of all, don’t trust the Ordnance Survey map, it claims the cairn circle is on the other side of the road. Being stupid, I went tramping through the thick ferns there before realising that the nice open area where I had conveniently parked on the other side of the road is where the circle actually is. Oops.

To find the circle, travel west along the A5092, and after going through Gawthwaite (don’t blink) and before getting to Grizebeck, take the little lane on the right. Travel down here for a while, passing the Birch Bank caravan and camping park on the right, and the circle is in a clearing on the left at the top of a steep rise, and before the lane goes steeply downwards. Today the circle was hidden from view of the lane by a clump of ferns on one side (my excuse for not spotting it straight away) but has a nice, clear, grassy area around the circle which, judging by the odd cigarette butt, is used by SOMEONE.

It is a pretty little circle, with some interesting rocks showing through the turf – some quartz rocks, some looking strangely bark-like in texture. The rabbits clearly enjoy it and something had feasted well judging by the clean white bone in one hollow.

The views are beautiful. It lies just under a hillock, and has views out over distant peaks. A lovely spot on an isolated road.

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