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Swinside
Lake District
Swinside
stone circle is also known as "Sunkenkirk".
According to the legend, a church was built here by day, and that the
Devil supposedly dragged it down into the ground at night!
The circle is one of the best remaining circles in Cumbria, and the
beautiful setting on a plateau next to Swinside fell gives and excellent
backdrop to the site, surrounded by hills on three sides and a clear view down
the valley below. Of the original
sixty stones that formed this circle, fifty five stone remain and thirty two of
them are still standing. Arranged in a neat circle, the stones are evenly spaced at
approx. five ft apart. A common
feature of the circles in Cumbria, and one that is evident here is that the
tallest stone in the circle is positioned to the north. Another feature here that is also common in Cumbria is a gap
to the south east of the circle flanked by two large portal stones just outside
the perimeter of the circle. To
stand in the centre of the circle facing south east, the view between the two
portal stones is very close to looking at the Midwinter sunrise.
The tallest stone in the circle is approx. 7.5 metres in height.
Directions
On
the A595 from Duddon Bridge towards Whicham, just past the turn off for that
A5093 is a road on the right signposted Broadoak, that runs at a 45 degree angle
to the main road. Turn here and the
left onto Fell Road. There is a
small amount of space here for parking. Walk
along the narrow road till it forks and take the left fork, which is signposted
for the circle.
Alternatively
there is parking at Cragg Hall and a walk along Swinside Farm track to reach the
circle.
Photos
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