Lanyon Quoit — Attraction in Madron

Lanyon Quoit currently has three support stones which stand to a height of 1.5 metres. These bear a capstone which is 5.5 metres long, and which weighs more than 12 tonnes. In the eighteenth century the quoit had four supporting stones and the structure was tall enough for a person on horseback to ride under. On 19 October 1815, Lanyon Quoit fell down in a storm. Nine years later enough money was raised by local inhabitants to re-erect the structure, under the guidance of Captain Giddy of the Royal Navy. One of the original stones was considered too badly damaged to put back in place, thus there are only three uprights today and the structure does not stand so high as it once did. One of the uprights was turned at right-angles when the quoit was re-erected, but that is the only part of it which had its orientation changed. The cap stone is still aligned much as it was before the monument fell. The quoit lies at the north end of a long barrow 26 metres long and 12 metres wide. The barrow, which is covered by grass and bracken, is damaged and its outline is difficult to see. At the south end of the barrow are some more large stones that may be the remains of one or more cists. Small...

A fairly large Neolithic burial tomb which is free to visit and located only a short walk from the road. The structure was reconstructed following a storm in the 1800s so sadly looks quite different from its original form (it originally had 4 'legs' and was taller than the current layout). Despite the reconstruction, it was still worth visiting.

Parking was fine when we visited in November, although there are no designated parking spots. There are a couple of small lay-bys near the site which offer space for a car or two each. We were fortunate to be able to park in the lay-by closest to the site and only had to climb the stone stile and walk the short distance through the field to access the site.

The stones used to create the stile are quite tall so could be challenging for those with mobility difficulties. There is no wheelchair access into the field.

We visited shortly after a period of rainfall and found the field to be quite boggy in places so would advise visiting in drier weather...

Lanyon Quoit is a monument well worth a visit if it's your first in your interest study of Neolithic monuments. Do some research beforehand from Google or similar. There's a good, well priced book (Prehistoric Sites in Cornwall - A West Country Guide, by John Mitchell) available at local shops in Penzance and similar, on all monuments and settlements in West Penwith and wider afield. Lanyon Quoit is near the road and there's a bit of handy parking for cars. No explanation boards, but lovely views over the Penwith moorlands. The Ding Dong mine engine house is close by. Also consider Chûn Castle and Chûn Quoit which are close by. The dropped star is really for the lack of an...