Castlerigg Stone Circle Reviews Summary

Scenery and Location

Pros:

• "This 30 metre wide stone circle is set in a natural amphitheatre with fantastic views over the Lakeland."
• "Stunning scenery surrounds this stone circle. Built by prehistory farming communities 4500 years ago."
• "A truly picturesque location especially if you manage to get there for sunset."
• "The setting is spectacular as mountains ring the entire horizon."
• "The views of the mountains around the circle are fantastic, and the sheep are a nice touch in the photos."
• "It's a truly beautiful place and of outstanding beauty."
• "The panoramic view of hills and mountains surrounding it is breathtaking!"

Cons:

• "Full of kids jumping on the stones like Super Mario."
• "It's quite a magical place but it gets very busy in summer. Difficult to get good photos when there's 50 people milling around."
• "Stunning views, but stones didn't really amaze me as there were so many people about awaiting the summer solstice."
• "It was so busy with children climbing all over the stones, making it difficult to properly soak in any atmosphere."
• "Can get busy and lose its charm."
• "The place itself is a big disappointing and exaggerated."
• "Packed with summer tourists and kids climbing the stones..."

Accessibility and Parking

Pros:

• "An easy 2mile walk from the town centre, a little bit of uphill but the majority is low level stuff."
• "There is parking on the roadside for about 6 or 7 vehicles."
• "You can park on the road just outside the entrance to it for free."
• "Free nearby parking and toilets in the cafe further down the hill."
• "Some roadside parking is possible."
• "Ample parking available at the side of the road on Regional Route 71 just a few steps from the stones themselves."
• "There were plenty of spaces along the road for cars to park."

Cons:

• "Parking is simply at the side of the road and spaces often run out quickly."
• "There are spaces for a few cars to park but this gets full easily."
• "There is parking on the road side for about ten cars."
• "Parking is only on road so not a lot of it."
• "The narrow lanes that lead to this attraction can be difficult to navigate if there are a lot of cars, and turning is next to impossible."
• "Parking isn't fantastic and the roads are rather narrow in places."
• "Very busy on bank holiday Monday, cars parked all down the lane which made passing other cars quite tricky."

Experience and Atmosphere

Pros:

• "It is a very special place."
• "A very magical setting for a wonderful Stonecircle, well worth a visit."
• "It is beautiful, peaceful and extraordinary to be in the ring of stones."
• "A must see if you're in the area."
• "This place is magic.. if you like history this is the place."
• "Beautiful at sunset and sunrise!"
• "Absolutely beautiful. I could never imagine myself standing in the middle of such a peaceful, calm, wonderful stone circle."

Cons:

• "Beware ice cream van. Operator distinctly unhelpful when we were there."
• "A bit disappointing that everyone is just able to walk between and even on the stones, feels a bit like a lack of respect."
• "Wouldn't recommend the 'hike.'"
• "No facilities here, such as toilets (apart from the regular ice cream van)."
• "Great place to visit but would be better to put seating area in as people have NO respect and were sitting on the circle stones eating lunch or trying to climb them!"
• "It's a gorgeous place. We stayed in Keswick, that's the nearest town where you can get to the stone area."
• "The site is stunning. But seriously, there were so many people sitting on stones of more than 4.000 years ago."