“Long Meg and her Daughters” is a stone circle near Penrith – close to the villages of Glassonby and Little Salkeld. It is believed to date from the late Neolithic Age or the early Bronze Age. Not only is it one of the largest stone circles in the country but also one of the oldest. The 69 granite stones that make up the circle are the “daughters”. They are arranged in a squashed oval approximately 94 metres by 109 metres.
Long Meg is a massive, red sandstone single stone almost 4 metres high and is positioned outside the circle. It is thought to be 9 tons in weight. It has some carvings on it – rings, grooves and spirals. Whether Long Meg or her daughters came to the site first is not known – it could be that they came at the same time.
Close by are two round cairns called Little Meg and Glassonby. These appear as small stone circles but are the remains of a burial mound or round cairn. This would have consisted of a central burial chamber covered by a mound with a ring of kerb stones. Just the rings of kerb stones now remain. Both of these sites also feature carved stones but are thought to be of a later Bronze Age.
Long Meg and her Daughters can be found by taking a side road north of the A686 Alston road. It is not easy to find – and you may find the narrow lane leading to it guarded by a herd of cows! Patience will then be needed – richly rewarded in due course by being able to walk between the stones and look at the carvings on Long Meg.
