Mên-an-Tol Archaeological Site

Address: Near Mên-an-Tol, Madron, Penzance area, Cornwall TR20 8RR, England (exact field location signposted from nearby lanes)

Hours: Open access (outdoor site) - no formal hours

Admission: Free (outdoor site)

Mên-an-Tol is a small megalithic monument in west Cornwall, England, comprising two upright stones with a holed stone set between them and an additional standing stone nearby. The site is generally dated to the late Neolithic or Bronze Age and is one of Cornwall’s compact prehistoric stone features.

The arrangement centres on the circular-holed stone, which has long attracted folklore and local customs; visitors often photograph or pass through the hole for traditional reasons. The group is modest in scale and sits in an open, rural setting.

Archaeological interpretation places the monument in the broader context of prehistoric Cornwall, where standing stones and stone circles were erected for ritual or territorial purposes. The surviving layout is the result of centuries of weathering and later land use.

The site lies near the village of Madron in west Cornwall, within the Penwith peninsula of southwest England.

• Distinctive element: The monument consists of three upright stones with a single circular-holed stone; the holed stone is the site’s defining feature and focal point for traditions and photography.

From Penzance head northwest on A3071 toward Madron; the site is signposted from surrounding lanes and lies a short walk from a public footpath. Park in nearby laybys and follow local signage.

• Visit at sunrise or sunset to see how the light slants across the stone circles-photographers prize those hours.
• The grass can be soggy; waterproof footwear is advised in cooler months.
• Respect the site: there are fragile stones and the site is on working agricultural land; follow fences and signage.