Sunkenkirk Stone Circle View all content for Sunkenkirk

Visited 26th May 2011. We headed towards Broughton in Furness then took the A595 towards the village of Hallthwaites taking turn-off for Broadgate, as far as Crag Hall farm. Here the track turned into a bridle way so we obtained permission to park car on a grass verge near the farm. The stone circle is about a mile up the track towards Thwaites Fell - seemed longer as uphill and on this particular day a cold wind swept across fells making it feel more like March than late May. The stone circle is truly remote - it sits at the bottom of Swinside Fell with views towards Dunnerdale Fells in the distance to the east and Duddon estuary to the south. There is a four stone 'entrance' into the circle which seems to be aligned to the eastern skyline (I wondered whether this was a solstice alignment). As observed by other TMA-ers, Swinside bears some similarities to Castlerigg though not as dramatic. It is probably the loneliest stone circle I have visited - we met no one at all along the way, just free range cattle and the odd curlew. Note taken from David Watson's "A Guide to Stone Circles of the Lake District" There are 55 stones with 32 still standing. Originally there would have been about 60 stones. The stones are made of local metamorphic slate. Circle is about 28 metres in diameter. Tallest stone is about 2.3 metres

Posted by tjj 28th May 2011ce Edited 29th May 2011ce

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