Hide and Go Sheep

Friday afternoon once again brought unexpectedly dry weather, so after a delicious lunch at The Hot Mango Cafe (I can’t get enough of the bacon, brie and tomato chutney sandwiches), Kevin and I decided to visit one of the local stone circles near Birkrigg Common.

Just a short drive down the A590 towards Barrow, Birkrigg Circle (also called Druid’s Circle) sits up on an hill over looking the Morecambe Bay.  The circle is located in a area called Birkrigg Common where several large limestone deposits can be found.    The whole area is a network of interconnected paths through the field that are used by walkers, riders on horseback and sheep.

Limestone Deposits

Archaeological excavation in the 1920’s found the presence of human remains.  That coupled with the Bronze Age tumuli (barrow burials) leads to the conclusion that the stone circle was once a prehistoric burial ground.     The circle itself is made up of an inner ring of stones and an outer ring of stones (many of which have fallen  or been covered over. 

 

       

 

When we arrived at the stone circle, the sheep were careful not to let any of us insiders in on their secret stone circle rituals, but the evidence of the previous night’s debauchery could be seen scattered  around the circle.  I think the sheep were on to me knowing their little ritualistic secret, because every time I tried to take a picture of them, they hid or looked the other way.  With over 50 stone circles in Cumbria alone, I’m sure to get to the bottom of this mystery soon.