Swinside Stone Circle
Swinside, which is also known as Sunkenkirk and Swineshead stone circle is one of the most impressive, and at the same time, one of the least visited, stone circles in Britain. The circle stands up a farm track about three miles west of Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria, in the south-west corner of the Lake District National Park, on the slopes of Black Combe. Perhaps the fact that it can only be reached by a walk of almost a mile from the nearest road accounts for the fact that it is so little known and rarely visited. Swinside, or Sunkenkirk, as it is sometimes known, dates to the Neolithic period. It is composed of 55 stones of varying heights and shapes, though it seems there were originally as many as 60 stones. The tallest stones reach about 3m high (roughly 10 feet) and the circle is about 27m across (about 94 feet). The stones are of porphyritic slate, gathered from the surrounding fells. About 30 stones are still standing, and the remainder have fallen. (Millom, England)
