Castlerigg stone circle Archaeological Site

Hours: Open year-round

Admission: Free (open access)

Castlerigg stone circle is a late Neolithic or early Bronze Age monument near Keswick in the English Lake District. The circle consists of a ring of standing stones set on a small hill and is one of the earlier stone circles in the region.

The site is visited for the stone circle itself and the panoramic views it affords of nearby fells including Helvellyn and Skiddaw, which frame the monument on clear days. The stones form an open setting rather than a built enclosure and attract photographers and visitors studying prehistoric archaeology.

Archaeological assessments date the monument to roughly the third to second millennium BC; its purpose is not recorded in contemporary documents and is understood through archaeological study. The monument has remained visible on the landscape for millennia and is accessible via nearby lanes and footpaths.

Castlerigg sits on a low ridge a short distance east of the town of Keswick in Cumbria, within the Lake District National Park and surrounded by upland pasture and fells.

• Neolithic stone circle: Composed of a roughly circular arrangement of standing stones dating to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age and set against views of surrounding fells.

Castlerigg Stone Circle lies just outside Keswick in the Lake District. By car take the A591 into Keswick and follow the minor road signs to Castlerigg (there is a small layby/parking area near the circle); from Keswick town centre it is roughly 1-1.5 km (about a 20-minute walk) to the site.

Local buses on the A591 corridor serve Keswick from surrounding towns; from Keswick centre the walk to the circle is short and well signposted.

• Arrive at Castlerigg early morning or at sunset for the best light and to avoid the bulk of day visitors and coach parties that arrive later in the day.
• There is a small roadside car park adjacent to the circle which fills quickly-plan to get there before mid-morning or use nearby parking in Keswick and travel a short distance.
• The site is open to the public at all hours and is best experienced on foot with time to move among the stones; expect exposed, windy conditions on the felltop.