Stanton Drew Circles and Cove — Attraction in Stanton Drew

Great off-the-beaten-track stone circles!

Built between 3000BC and 2000BC, (late neolithic/early bronze age), the site includes the great circle, at 113 metres, the UK's second biggest in diameter. This circle may appear a little underwhelming as so many stones have fallen.

In 1997, ground research revealed that there had been originally nine concentric rings of wooden posts prior to the building of the great circle.

The north-east circle is best preserved in terms of stones still upright and has remains of an avenue of stones that lead up to the circle. Four huge wooden posts once stood in the middle according to geophysical surveys.

There is also the smaller south-west circle, tucked away in a neighbouring field (towards the church) that can also be visited.

Alignments across the centres of the various circles are said to point to the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset. The site thus framed the whole year for ancient Britons.

Place of worship, meeting point, burial site, observatory? What the true purpose was of the stone circles may never be known but this mystery adds to their appeal!

With the Druid's Arms pub whose beer garden boasts three megalithic stones known as 'The Cove', (a millennium older than the circles!), the peaceful church of St Mary the Virgin, and a Wickerman style village, there's lots to get into at Stanton Drew! The site is best visited early in the morning or from late afternoon onwards when the light is at its most...

Stanton Drew Stone Circles (originally a Henge) Another favourite and much loved site for me. Last time I was here was during a summer time a couple of years ago.

Constructed 4500 years ago, it consists of a large stone circle with two smaller circles to the north east and south west. There are also small avenues which lead down to the River Chew nearby. Cited as a rival to Stonehenge in its time. I just love it.

The legend associated with this site tells of a Saturday night wedding celebration. The fiddler refused to play into the Sunday morning and downed his fiddle at midnight. However, a new fiddler made himself known and the guests restarted dancing. The unknown fiddler turned out to be the Devil and he played until everyone was exhausted and dropped to the ground. They then became the standing stones around the field. Very likely that this was a tale perpetuated by the religious die hards who wanted to ensure that Sunday was to be honoured as Christ's day. But I like it...

Impressive set of Neolithic stone circles, the largest of which, comprising 26 standing stones, is one of the country's biggest. The smaller circles are located nearby, with The Cove situated a few minutes walk away in a pub garden. The surrounding rural landscape provides a pleasant backdrop. That said, the view may be very different to that in the Neolithic period, when the largest circle is believed to have encompassed rings of tall wooden pillars. Information boards are provided detailing more about the history of the circles. There's a small amount of parking nearby, but there were no free spaces when we arrived so we parked at the edge of the village and walked. These circles are a fair drive from Stonehenge and lack the high end visitor facilities, but as a result it's quieter here and still possible to get right up close to the stones. Definitely worth seeking out if you're particularly interested in Neolithic history, if not I'd recommend sticking to Stonehenge...