A Neolithic ring of 38 monoliths, Castlerigg Stone Circle has stood for 4,500 years, surrounded by the fells of Skiddaw and Blencathra to the north and High Rigg and Clough Head to the south
For many, it is the classic view of the Lake District: a narrow road winding through Great Langdale's glacial valley, white-painted cottages with slate roofs and sheep grazing in beck-side fields. Ahead, the soft blue outline of Crinkle Crags; to the right, the craggy peaks of the Langdale Pikes. John Ruskin described this valley as “the loveliest rock scenery, chased with silver waterfalls, that lever set foot or heart upon”.
The Lake District is a landscape formed by geology, altered by human occupation, and Great Langdale is a microcosm of this multi-layered history. High up above the precipitous scree slopes of Pike O’Stickle is a Neolithic stone axe factory where greenstone, a hard volcanic rock, was quarried. In a field close to the road is an example of prehistoric rock art. Concentric rings and cup marks are carved across the face of a huge boulder, one of a pair known to climbers as the Langdale Boulders.
Romans and Norse settlers, agriculture, mining and quarrying have all left their mark on Great and Little Langdale. A high road links the two and runs past the beautiful mountain pool known as Blea Tarn, which Wordsworth described in The Excursion; the Romantic poets were the catalyst for Lake District tourism. Nowadays, the Langdale valleys are busy with visitors and walkers, there are campsites surrounded by dramatic scenery and the Sticklebarn is a hydro powered pub using modern technology to harness the water tumbling down the hillside.
A slim road runs between drystone walls in Great Langdale valley as the Langdale Pikes tower above;
Denne historien er fra May 2022-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra May 2022-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians
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Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks. I'm cycling Porter's Perfection, one of three cider circuits developed for Visit Herefordshire over the past few years. Each showcases a section of this bucolic county's loveliest villages, pubs, orchards and cidermakers via lanes suited to bicycles - e-bikes for hill-averse cyclists like me. The idea is to allow you to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of cider country while traversing roads never meant for modern cars. If you have dodgy knees, or are keen to indulge in the local adult apple juice as you go (remember, it's illegal to cycle while under the influence), Visit Herefordshire also promotes cider bus routes.
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