See the stone circles of Cumbria

There are 38 free-standing stones at Castlerigg

Thousands of years old and full of mystery, the stone circles of Cumbria fascinate thousands of visitors each year.

Dating from the Bronze Age they sit in the landscape, silent sentinels to the passage of time.

Cumbria has a number of major stone circles, though there are many more around the county.

Here's our brief guide to some of the better known ones.

Castlerigg

Possibly one of the finest stone circles in the country due to its setting.

Set in a natural amphitheatre of hills, above Keswick, the views it affords all round are spectacular.

It is possibly one of the earliest stone circles to be built in Britain, dating back to around 3000BC.

Find out more here »

Long Meg

Long Meg inspired Wordsworth to write a poem about the site

The third largest stone circle in the British Isles, and the sixth largest overall in the world.

It's thought that the circle originally consisted of 70 stones, however today there are only 59 remaining, with just 27 still standing.

Find out more here »

Swinside

This circle of 55 stones sits on the Furness Fells just 4 miles north of Millom.

Dating from the Bronze Age, this circle is on private land, but easily visible from the nearby footpath. Find out more from Visit Cumbria »

Druid's Circle

This is the only concentric stone circle in Cumbria, and only one of 30 in the UK.

This circle sits high on Birkrigg Common out side Ulverston, overlooking the village of Bardsea and the Morecambe Bay.

The two circles consist of 12 stones in the inner circle and 30 in the outer circle. Find out more from Visit Cumbria »

Others

Little Meg is the sister site to the Long Meg site

Around Cumbria there are many more circles and ancient monuments including:

• Grey Croft
• Oddendale
• Little Meg
• The Giants Graves
• Lowhouse Standing Stone
• Mayburgh Henge and many, many more.