Browsing venues

Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1RQ, Tel: 01229 717614, Email, www.muncaster.co.uk

Historic haunted Castle home to the Pennington family for 800 years. A 70-acre garden famous for its collection of rhododendrons and azaleas set against the stunning backdrop of the Lakeland fells. World Owl Centre home to over 40 species.

A5087 Coast Road, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 9QQ, Tel: 01229 584029, Email, www.manjushri.org

The modern Temple for World Peace provides a place for quiet reflection and spiritual inspiration. It is used every day for meditation and prayers.

A5087 Coast Road, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 9QQ, Tel: 01229 584029, Email, www.manjushri.org

Fascinating 1.5 hour guided tour of the house and Temple brings alive the spiritual and healing work over the centuries.

Castlerigg, Keswick, Cumbria, CA10 2AA, Tel: 0191 2691200, Email, www.english-heritage.org.uk

Raised in circa 3000BC, Castlerigg is perhaps the most atmospheric of all British stone circles, with the mountains of Helvellyn as a dramatic backdrop.

Pooley Bridge, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2NW

This area is rich in prehistoric remains including a standing stone, stone circle and cairns. Park in the centre at Pooley Bridge and head east towards Roehead, carry on up this track to reach the top of Askham Moor and Morr Divock.

Bland Ho, Orton, Penrith, Cumbria

One mile east of Orton is the ancient Gamelands stone circle. One of the largest in Cumbria, all of its stones have fallen over so none are higher than one yard but they are 100 yards in circumference. Easy access.

Ainstable, Penrith, Cumbria

Three stone circles and two smaller settings of boulders 12' across. Inside one of the circles was a series of cremations, one in a collared urn. The cirlces are located just behind ther village of Ainstable near Carlisle.

Casterton, Kirkby Lonsdale, Carnforth, Lancashire, LA6 2LF

Circle has a diameter of 60' and stands on a flattened mound or platform. There are 20 uprights, none more than 2' high and suggesting perhaps the kerb of a destroyed cairn.

Sides Farm, Gosforth, Nr Seascale, Cumbria

Three circles and nine small cairns. The south circle is 104' across, the north-west is 72' with a low central cairn. The third is immediately north of the second, it is 24' across and also encloses a small cairn.

Dean Moor, Nr Gilgarren, Workington, Cumbria

Stone circle is now incomplete and has a modern wall cutting through it, incorporating one stone. Eleven others survive, some only a few inches high.

Duddon Bridge, Nr Broughton in Furness, Millom, Cumbria

Originally know as Sunkenkirk, consists of 50 stones at the foot of Black Combe. Access is via a long farm track from a minor road branching off the A595. Well worth the walk!

Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1QL

The present circle of 10 standing stones, 80' diameter, was restored in 1949. A low oval mound at the centre produced burnt bone fragments and part of a jet ring.

Shap, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 3QG

Early antiquarians describe an avenue of stones at Shap extending for more than a mile in length. A short distance south of Shap village, the Kemp Howe stone circle, unfortunately it has been cut into by the railway line.

Birkrigg, Urswick, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 0PG

Double Circle of stones surrounding cremations in urns (removed). 'Platform' cairn, small barrows, Romano-British farmsteads.

Cliburn, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2DW

Circle is 37' across, seven stones and the retaining kerb of a destroyed cairn. Nineteenth-century excavations produced a cremation.

Little Salkeld, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10, www.visitcumbria.com/pen/longmeg.htm

Second largest circle in England - 360' diameter. Long Meg is an outlying stone and is decorated with concentric circle - late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (c2000 or earlier).

Boot, Eskdale, Cumbria

Several stone circles and many small cairns are visible on the moor. The circles are distinguished by the occurance within them of small cairns. Construction date is thought to be around 2000BC.

Lacra, Nr Kirksanton, Millom, Cumbria

Remnants of five stone circles and two possible stone avenues, circles range from 14' to 60', one of them having contained a cremation.