A complete ring of low stones on a remote fellside below Black Combe, one of the finest Neolithic circles in Cumbria
Access unclearin a private field — seen close up from the public footpath along the farm track beside it
Standing remainssubstantial fabric survives to stand in front of
Swinside, also known as Sunkenkirk, is one of the best-preserved stone circles in the Lake District — around fifty-five closely set stones forming a ring roughly ninety feet across. It was built in the new stone age, the Neolithic, probably around 3000 BC, by the farming communities who left circles like this all over Cumbria. The setting is the draw as much as the stones: open fell below Black Combe, a good way from any road, with only sheep for company. You reach it on foot up a farm track from the lane, and the circle stands on private farmland, so you take it in from the edge rather than wandering through. The nearest village is Broughton-in-Furness, a few miles east.
More at the National Heritage List entry
