Arbor Low

Visited early April on a windy, overcast morning . Easy to find as signposted from Ashbourne to Buxton Road and parking up a farm track. Honesty box or pay the man a pound for adults, children free. A nice stroll up a stony track to the henge. A wonderful place that holds its magic. There are two entrances through the bank in roughly SE and NW alignment, ditch crossings and a ring of fallen stones with some larger ones in the middle, one of which attracts offering which it was nice to see were largely biodegradable.
It is interpreted as a stone circle surrounding a central arrangement but I’m going to suggest, based on seeing many ruins similar, that it was a dolem surrounded by kerbstones and covered by a mound inside the henge. The site is close to several barrows, mostly removed and rifled by “The Barrow Knight” a local Victorian amateur who dug a lot of barrows. While digging the one in the next field (see separate entry) he discovered a Neolithic burial and when his tunnel collapsed a Bronze Age cist with grave goods including a Jet necklace was revealed. This is interesting because the early burial mound predates the henge and a long time later it was reused and a new barrow constructed on top, similar to Waylands Smithy for example, so these monuments evolved over time as each wave of settlers stamped their presence on this obviously important place. A beautiful, peaceful place where I had only buzzards for company. I recommend a visit and will be back on a future, better planned tour of this area.