Holme Head

Also known as:
Kitchenhill
Nearest town:
Penrith (4km SE)
OS reference:
NY496343
OS sheet:
90
Latitude:
54° 42' 3.53 N
Longitude:
2° 46' 55.8 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Holme Head (Standing Stone / Menhir) by stubob

LMS Route Book No.3 The Track of the Royal Scot. 1920s.
Showing 2 other Monoliths north of Holme Head.

Image credit: LMS Route Book No.3
stubob
stubob Apr 22, 2011
Image of Holme Head (Standing Stone / Menhir) by stubob

LMS Route Book No.3 The Track of the Royal Scot. 1920s.

Image credit: R M Hutchings.
stubob
stubob Apr 22, 2011

Articles

Holme Head

postman
postman Mar 27, 2014

This standing stone is very close to the road, there’s just enough room between the road and stone to squeeze a railway track in, so they did. How rude.
So I had to turn round and park near the bend in the road by Kitchenhill bridge. Fifty yards back up the road and there is an antenna/aerial/substation type thingy. Through the gate into the enclosure and over the barbed wire topped fence, we’re now in the same field as the stone and forty odd sheep.
The stone is a hundred yards away by a tall tree on the side of a mound next to the railway track.

The stone is tall, over seven feet, and wide in girth, no slender loris this one, no hidden by grasses or gorse, big bright and beautiful. A stone of many colours, lichens of white, yellow and bright green cover a surface grey with tinges of orange and brown. The tall gnarled tree next to it isn’t too close and sets the old stone off well, the tree looks old, but the stone is older.

Good stone,
pity about the track.

Holme Head

Vicster
Vicster Aug 17, 2011

Our last site of the day was to be Holme Head; one I knew could be difficult to access due to the railway line being in the way! What I can’t even begin to explain is this; how have Vicky and I, who have spent the last 25 years whizzing up and down this line to each other’s houses, managed to miss these huge, hunk of stone, sitting right by the side of the line? We must have both passed it hundreds of times!! Anyhoo, we tried to get a decent picture of it from the “wrong side of the tracks” and then we attempted to get to it through the filed on the other side – this would be quite easy if a) there wasn’t barbed wire on the gate and b) it hadn’t been full of cows who seemed very curious. This is not usually an issue for me but I had a train to catch and didn’t really have the time to dodge playful bullocks and barbed wire. This is now firmly on my list for “next time”.

Holme Head

C
CARL Oct 7, 2010

Visited 18.9.10
If you are happy to get up quite close to the stone (other side of railway line) but not actually tough it, this is an easy one to visit. Come off the M6 at Junction 41 and take the minor road north signposted Calthwaite (road is sandwiched by the M6 and railway line). Just Past the turning on your right you will see the stone clearly on the right – the other side of the train tracks.
It is a large, nice looking stone and well worth seeking out when in the area.

Holme Head

pebblesfromheaven
pebblesfromheaven Oct 9, 2005

Spotted this from the M6 because the sun was catching it... on the way back north we came off at junction 41 and took the road for Calthwaite, followed our noses until it was unveiled...

But... no!!! coos!!! Field was full of young playful cows, bah!

Undeterred, I decided to take a shot from the road that runs alongside the railway line ;)

Then sodded it and tried to get in through the field. Chickened out when the cows were getting just a little bit toooooo friendly... jumped behind the sandstone wall and got pics from there; unfortunately the sun was right behind so only got a sillouette. Made our way back towards the car and the coos (who we’d perhaps not given enough credit to) had blocked our way out, and we had to make a dash for it through the river!!!!

We’ll go back after market day.

Holme Head

fitzcoraldo
fitzcoraldo Jul 1, 2004

This stone was a revalation to Stu and I. The Sewborrans and Skirsgill stones were big buggers but this one is huge.

The easiest way to access it is via the field beside Kitchenhill Bridge. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for it if your travelling on the west coast line out of or into Penrith.
Stu had a reference from Pastscape for a stone in a field about a mile north of this one. We had a good search around but found nothing.

Holme Head

stubob
stubob Jul 1, 2004

Standing by the West Coast main line, near to Kitchenhill Bridge is this 10ft tall monster.
A big surprise for a stone that isn’t marked on the O.S map.

Sites within 20km of Holme Head

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.