The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Gamelands

Stone Circle

Fieldnotes

From Orton head east towards Raisebeck, go through a crossroad junction and take your second left. Park on this lane/footpath, there is room. The stone circle is up the path on your right, look for a kissing gate type wotsit.
Sounds easy enough, but I couldn't find it without an OS map once.

Today was the Summer solstice, en route by 2.30 am, with three kids and two dogs, not ideal. But I'm going into hospital for spinal surgery tomorrow so i'll be blown if i'm staying in. Eric and Luke and the two dogs come over to the stones with me, but wet feet and hearing the news that i'm staying here til the sun comes up sent them back to the car for more nap time.
There's just me and the stones, and a long wait til the sun comes up. But to be honest Gamelands isn't really a good place for the summer solstice, the large bulk of Great Asby Scar gets in the way, delaying the magical moment by up to an hour ?
But on the hill, just where it looks like the sun is going rise is a cairn, Sunbiggin cairn, cant be a coincidence surely, and to have the cairn named Sun anything is a bit, you know, provocative.
But the light here pre-sunrise is just great, the sky is a deep blue to the west, and the golden glow of dawn, shimmers among the sparse clouds. Far to the south light creeps down the Howgill fells
They didn't look after this stone circle though did they. All the stones are down or gone, but their size and their bright pink colour makes up for this more than adequately. I cant help wonder about the stones closest to the wall, obviously the wall wasn't built out of broken circle stones or these would have gone first. Why didn't the wall builder incorporate them into the wall ?
What a thought provoking place.
But the sun is taking too long to get anywhere so I decide to go up hill, and photograph the circle as it gets bathed in the first light of summer. Worked well too, plus the limestone paving and the one tree, are a great bonus to the circle below.
Over I go now to Sunbiggin cairn, solstice marker ? we'll see.
postman Posted by postman
27th June 2014ce
Edited 27th June 2014ce

Comments (10)

Spinal surgery ?
Get well soon .
tiompan Posted by tiompan
27th June 2014ce
Thanks very much, i'm out now, it went well apparently, hurts like a stab wound though. postman Posted by postman
27th June 2014ce


Great stuff ,sounds like a only a matter of time and back (gets coat ) to normal .
tiompan Posted by tiompan
28th June 2014ce
yep and tut tut postman Posted by postman
28th June 2014ce
Wishing you a speedy recovery x tjj Posted by tjj
28th June 2014ce
thank yoooo postman Posted by postman
29th June 2014ce
Glad to hear the op went well Postie.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery so you can get back up those mountains and give us something good to read about!
Posted by CARL
30th June 2014ce
Cheers Carl
I'll do my best.
postman Posted by postman
30th June 2014ce
Hurray :) thesweetcheat Posted by thesweetcheat
30th June 2014ce
Hope you're up and about again soon Postie, I'm missing the fieldnotes already! Ravenfeather Posted by Ravenfeather
1st July 2014ce
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