{"id":31824,"date":"2023-10-27T13:48:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T11:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/36505e80-f5ca-4015-8634-ed7610654278"},"modified":"2023-10-27T17:41:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T15:41:00","slug":"11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"11 best stone circle sites to visit in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover some of Britain’s most incredible stone circles, including Castlerigg Stone Circle, Avebury and the Rollright Stones. <\/p>

By countryfile\n <\/p>

Published: Friday, 27 October 2023 at 11:48 AM<\/p>

\n\n

The British countryside is filled with ancient sites<\/a>, from towering standing stones and enigmatic henges to mysterious stone circles. Some of these monuments are well known and well visited, such as Castlerigg<\/a> near Keswick<\/a> in the Lake District<\/a>, Arbor Low<\/a> in the Peak District<\/a> and Avebury<\/a> in Wiltshire, whilst others hide on moors and among hills with little attention at all – indeed, you’ve probably passed dozens of stone circles and other ancient sites in the countryside without even knowing it.<\/p>

In this guide, we reveal 11 of Britain’s best stone circles, delving into their history, folklore and how to visit them. <\/p>

Discover Britain’s most dramatic castles<\/a><\/li>
Guide to Britain’s battlefields <\/a><\/li>
Find out more about Neolithic Britain<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Castlerigg Stone Circle in the Lake District is one of Britain’s most famous ancient sites\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
11 best UK’s stone circles to visit<\/h2>
Stonehenge<\/h3>
$\"Stonehenge\"$
Stonehenge at sundown\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Leader of the pack and surely the main contender for the ‘best stone circle to visit’ title has to be the mighty Stonehenge, a World Heritage Site in Wiltshire. Thought to date back to 2500 BC, it is perhaps the most famous stone circle in the world.<\/p>
The stones were placed to line up with the movements of the sun and it is thought they have spiritual significance as the changing of seasons would have been of crucial importance to the farmers and shepherds occupying and working the local land. <\/p>
Stonehenge is particularly popular in mid winter and mid summer, when visitors come from miles around to celebrate the winter solstice<\/a> and the summer solstice<\/a>.<\/p>
Castlerigg Stone Circle<\/h3>
$\"Castlerigg$
Castlerigg Stone Circle is near Keswick in the Lake District\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Comprising about 40 stones, some of them up to 10ft tall, Casterigg<\/a> in the Lake District is one of the oldest and best-preserved stone circles in Europe.<\/p>
It first came to the public\u2019s attention after being visited by the antiquarian, Anglican clergyman and self-styled \u2018Druid\u2019 William Stukeley in 1725. His description forms the first written record of the site. It differs little from what can be seen today, although he claimed there was a second, larger circle in a neighbouring field.<\/p>
No evidence of this second circle has been found to back his claim, but there is one thing that sets Castlerigg apart from other circles \u2013 and that\u2019s \u2018The Sanctuary\u2019. Within the eastern edge of the circle, this group of 10 stones forms a rectangular enclosure that is unique to Castlerigg. Was this \u2018inner sanctum\u2019 reserved for special ceremonies? We might never know.<\/p>
Castlerigg Stone Circle walk<\/a><\/li>
Discover more Lake District walks<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Avebury<\/h3>
$\"Megalithic$
Avebury is 14 times bigger than Stonehenge\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Inexplicably far less famous than its smaller same-county cousin, Avebury<\/a> in Wiltshire is home to three megalithic stone circles, including the world\u2019s largest, which is 14 times bigger than Stonehenge and has no fences or entry fees restricting visitors from exploring it.<\/p>
The stone circles at Avebury are spectacular, but you’ll find plenty more to do during a visit to this special corner of Wiltshire. Call in at the Red Lion<\/a> pub for a drink, visit the village’s museums and shops, and take a tour of the impressive Avebury Manor.<\/p>
Avebury walk<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Learn more about Avebury\/Credit: English Heritage<\/figcaption><\/figure><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Rollright Stones<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"7952\" height=\"5304\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/08\/Rollright-Stones-d80fecf.jpg\" alt=\"Rollright Stones on a cloudy day\" class=\"wp-image-151272\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rollright Stones can be found in the Cotswolds on the border of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The legend behind the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/rollright-stones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rollright Stones<\/a> goes something like this. A local warlord was patrolling a windswept ridgeline with his soldiers when a witch appeared. She presented him with a challenge, saying that if he strode forward seven paces and could see the village of Long Compton, he would become the King of England.<\/p><p>So enticed, he took one long pace forwards, only for a mound of earth to rise up in front of him. As the witch cackled malevolently, the warlord and his men were turned to stone. The unfortunate fellows and their gullible leader remain there to this day, petrified on the hills of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/guide-to-oxfordshire\">Oxfordshire<\/a>–<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/visit-warwickshire-places-to-stay-things-to-do\">Warwickshire<\/a> border.<\/p><p>The archaeological truth is no less stirring than the legend. The Rollright Stones are made up of three manmade groupings of heavily pitted natural boulders, weathered into outlandish shapes by millennia of wind and rain. All three sites are within a couple of minutes\u2019 walk of each other.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/rollright-stones-oxfordshire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rollright Stones walk<\/a><\/li><\/ul><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Calanais Standing Stones<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"5760\" height=\"3840\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/08\/Calanais-Standing-Stones-6d23b2b.jpg\" alt=\"Callanish Standing Stones\" class=\"wp-image-151146\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sunset at the ancient standing stones of Calanais on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Lying on the north-west coast of Lewis in Scotland’s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/outer-hebrides-guide-best-places-to-see-wildlife\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Outer Hebrides<\/a> are the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/calanais-standing-stones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Calanais Standing Stones<\/a> (Callanish in its anglicised form), an astonishing cruciform-shaped arrangement of stones erected over 5,000 years ago.<\/p><p>There is an excellent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/calanais-standing-stones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Calanais Standing Stones walk <\/a> that links two smaller, lesser-known stone circles and ends at the imposing megaliths, which stand on the brow of a windswept hill. The stones are thought to connect heaven and earth, and the experience is even more ethereal at sunrise or sunset.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/uk-travel\/holiday-ideas\/guide-to-the-best-scottish-islands\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Scottish islands guide<\/a><\/li><\/ul><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Hurlers Stone Circles<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"6000\" height=\"4252\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/08\/Hurlers-Stone-Circles-e7863db.jpg\" alt=\"Hurlers Stone Circles on Bodmin Moor\" class=\"wp-image-151247\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hurlers Stone Circles on Bodmin Moor\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Minion\u2019s engine house ruins tell the tale of its tin and copper mining history, but this area is also packed full of Neolithic and Bronze Age artefacts, not all of them as visible as the famous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/hurlers-stone-circles-cornwall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hurlers Stone Circles<\/a> and impressive Pipers standing stones.<\/p><p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/hurlers-stone-circles-cornwall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4.2-mile walk<\/a> is a treasure hunt through history. Pass the Hurlers and Pipers to discover beautiful Gold Diggings quarry then enjoy fascinating glimpses into Craddock Moor\u2019s inhabited past. Find a lesser-known stone circle, a miniature stone row, a lonely mine and a medieval cross on this quieter walking route.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/britains-earliest-sunsets-when-is-the-winter-solstice-and-the-best-sunset-spots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Winter solstice 2023: when is the shortest day of the year?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/summer-solstice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Summer solstice 2023: when is the longest day of the year?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Beaghmore Stone Circles<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2021\/09\/Beaghmore-Stone-Circle-County-Tyrone-aa2a7ed.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Stone circle in countryside\" class=\"wp-image-99321\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Beaghmore Stone Circles includes seven circles\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>It\u2019s the extent and complexity of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/beaghmore-county-tyrone-northern-ireland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beaghmore<\/a> in Northern Ireland’s County Tyrone that makes it stand out. In a landscape peppered with lone monuments, here is a close-knit collection of seven stone circles, 10 stone rows and a dozen burial cairns, some still containing human remains.<\/p><p>The complex dates from the early Bronze Age, with excavated flint tools carbon dated to 2,900\u20132,600BC. Even-older\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/guide-to-neolithic-britain-when-was-the-neolithic-period-history-and-best-sites-to-visit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Neolithic<\/a>\u00a0field structures also lie just beneath the surface.<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Gors Fawr Stone Circle<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4608\" height=\"3456\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/08\/Gors-Fawr-8c0379e.jpg\" alt=\"Gors Fawr Stone Circle in the Preseli Hills with blue sky and clouds\" class=\"wp-image-151234\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thought to be from the Bronze Age, Gors Fawr is a near perfect circle\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/crymych-pembrokeshire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gors Fawr Stone Circle<\/a> shares none of Stonehenge\u2019s associated development, tourism or wow factor. Rather, these diminutive stones occupy a gorsy plain in a gently peopled landscape. Conifer windbreaks, a house or two on the lane.<\/p><p>Sixteen are gathered here though two have toppled. Eight are glacial erratics while eight, like the smaller Stonehenge orthostats, are spotted dolerite (bluestone) from the Preselis.<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Arbor Low<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"8000\" height=\"6000\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/08\/Arbor-Low-a557716.jpg\" alt=\"View of Arbor Low Stone Circle in Peak District\" class=\"wp-image-151072\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Arbor Low Stone Circle sits at the southern end of the Pennines\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/arbor-low-peak-district\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arbor Low<\/a>, standing almost 400 metres above sea level on Middleton Common near Monyash, is the most famous and impressive prehistoric site in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/peak-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Peak District<\/a>.<\/p><p>For atmosphere and a sense of closeness with the past, many feel that it far outshines its bustling, southern counterpart on Salisbury Plain (Stonehenge).<\/p><p>An easy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/arbor-low-peak-district\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5.5-mile walk<\/a> starts from the pretty limestone village of Monyash, formerly an important lead mining centre, and takes you to the famous stone circle.<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Thornborough Henges<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2674\" height=\"1750\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/08\/Thornborough-Henges-886639d-e1693553339533.png\" alt=\"Thornborough Henges seen from the air\" class=\"wp-image-151387\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thornborough Henges, seen from the air\/Credit: Tony Newbould, Geograph<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Sometimes billed as \u2018the Stonehenge of the North\u2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/thornborough-henges\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thornborough<\/a> consists of three identical, large circular earthwork enclosures.<\/p><p>It\u2019s thought that Thornborough was used for ceremonies and funerals and that the henges were in use for over 2,000 years.<\/p><p>The location has long held significance for early human history as the henges were built over an earlier cursus monument. Just under a mile in length, the three henges are aligned on a broadly north-west\u2013south-east axis.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/thornborough-henges-yorkshire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thornborough Henges walk<\/a><\/li><\/ul><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/><h3>Nine Ladies Stone Circle<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"679\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2023\/10\/Nine-Ladies-Stone-Circle-scaled.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"Nine Ladies Stone Circle in green field \" class=\"wp-image-170989\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nine Ladies Stone Circle on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire\/Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>With its offset King Stone, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/walk-birchover-derbyshire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nine Ladies<\/a> is found in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/peak-district\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Peak District<\/a> on Stanton Moor’s north-eastern edge; legend says these nine women and a fiddler were turned to stone for dancing on the sabbath.<\/p><p>This area is home to several mysterious rock formations \u2013 discover Nine Ladies and more on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/walks\/walk-birchover-derbyshire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prehistoric five-mile walk<\/a>.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/historic-places\/scotlands-great-historic-sites\">Scotland’s great historic sites<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/guide-to-neolithic-britain-when-was-the-neolithic-period-history-and-best-sites-to-visit\">Guide to Neolithic Britain: when was the Neolithic period, history and best sites to visit<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover some of Britain’s most incredible stone circles, including Castlerigg Stone Circle, Avebury and the Rollright Stones. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":31825,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"7"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/10\/11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/10\/11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/10\/11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/10\/11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/10\/11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/10\/11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/10\/11-best-stone-circle-sites-to-visit-in-the-uk-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Discover some of Britain's most incredible stone circles, including Castlerigg Stone Circle, Avebury and the Rollright Stones.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/31824"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}