cheers Mr Tree
that's an interesting article you've written. I look forward to reading more of your stuff.

Fitz

I love Castlerigg, so thanks for that link :-) I was particularly impressed with the your research and quoting of sources – that's some reading list. Hope you don't mind me being a bit picky though, some of the pictures obscure the text, at first I thought it was just in Firefox but it does it as well in IE6. The other thing is the date of the end of the Mesolithic, depending on who you read it was probably 6500-7000 years ago.

In return for me being an irritating pedant I'll offer the following couple of links though-

Interpreting the Axe Trade by Bradley and Edmonds (and others I think)

http://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521619378

I think this came up in a forum post recently too. It used to be over 40 quid hardback only, so 20 quid paperback seems like a reasonable deal, it must have a fair amount on Langdale I would have thought.

"Within this rock-fringed, airy world the stones of the circle seem to echo and reflect distant peaks, refracting the vast landscape to a more accessible level"

Not half! I don't know if you've seen the following, it could just be a happy coincidence or Steve could be really on to something. If he is, then prepare to be amazed. Check out the montage near the bottom of-

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/user/4063/weblog/0/27369

That's good stuff Treeman. Will you be posting a link to it on tma's Castlerigg page?

Great stuff. Get it posted on TMA - it's simple.

Interesting to note your bit about the axe trade routes - possibly one down Borrowdale, you say. The routes for axes throughout the Lakes could be many. The routes they took, I believe, were the ones used by the packhorses in more modern times. Ancient routes re-used throught the ages, until modrn times. Borrowdale, Great and Little Langdale, Duddon, Wasdale, Eskdale, Ennerdale, all routes to the coast via Stake Pass, Rossett Ghyll, Sty Head, Esk Hause, Black Sail, Blea Tarn, Ulpha Fell.

Interesting to note, Black Sail Pass, so it is said, was named because it was used by the valley inhabitants as a high place from which to spy the ships of the Vikings on their approach. If so, it has a long history.