Continuing north through the Lake District, we pulled off on a rough, one-lane road winding up into the hills east of Keswick in search of the Castlerigg Stone Circle. This prehistoric stone circle is not as large or famous as Stonehenge and Avebury, but it is certainly situated in the most magically beautiful setting of the three. The Lake District’s verdant hills and sharp, blue skies surround the remote monument. Cumbrian folklore claims that the famous great stones were once men who were turned into boulders by witches. Contrary to expectations, and for reasons unknown, 70 percent of England’s stone circles are located in this northeast corner of the country called Cumbria. Castlerigg is one of the best, and one of the oldest in Britain. “The circle—90 feet across and 5,000 years old—has 38 stones mysteriously laid out on a line between the two tallest peaks on the horizon. They served as a celestial calendar for ritual celebrations. Festival dates were dictated by how the sun rose and set in relation to the stones. The more that modern academics study this circle, the more meaning they find in the placement of the stones.” 

Leaving Castlerigg, we drove into the tourist town of Keswick, located on the northern end of Lake Derwentwater. We stopped into Bryson’s Bakery and munched on pasties and sandwiches as we strolled the pedestrianized town square, exploring the shops and enjoying the street performers. Its most striking central building is the Moot Hall, which now houses the Tourist Information office. I popped in to grab brochures and purchase a necklace made by local artisans.   

We then drove south along the eastern shore of Lake Derwentwater through Borrowdale, a romantic, little valley, to the turn off for the Bowder Stone. We hiked a short distance into the hills to view this 2,000 ton, 30 ft high rock. Looking around you, you might suppose that this boulder simply broke loose from the rock face, but it is not a local rock, and was probably carried to its current location all the way from Scotland by the glaciers of the Ice Age. It is traditional to shake hands with a friend under the stone and climb to the top, made easier by the convenient set of stairs now built leading up to it. However, my husband, of course, had to show off by descending it on the other side, using only the rock’s crags for hand and foot holds.