The Girdle Stanes

About The Girdle Stanes

Archaeologists who have studied the evolution of the stone circle think that the Girdle Stanes are of a more ancient pattern than the Loupin Stanes, perhaps dating back to 4000BC, and more akin to some of the Lake District circles.

The Girdle Stanes are sited on the floodplain beside the Esk, and must once have been a nearly true circle of about 38 metres in diameter. Only 26 stones remain. Over centuries the rest of the circle - about another 20 stones at a guess - has been washed away by the Esk as it has moved over the flat low floodplain. On the riverbed you will see boulders which from their size may well have been from the circle.