Long Meg and Her Daughters

Ordnance Survey map reference: NY 571373.

Landranger map number: 90.

Latitude: 54.44 degrees.

Longitude: -2.4 degrees.

Architecture: Circle henge, Outlier, Portal stones, Cup & ring marks, Centre stone?.

Length of the major axis: 109.4 metres.

Length of the minor axis: 93 metres.

Height of the highest stone: 3.7 metres.

Shape: Flat Type B.

Number of stones in the circle originally: .

Number of stones in the circle now: 70.

Impression of the site (10 amazing, 1 limp): 10

Burl rating of the circle: 1 (Good, worth visiting).

Thom reference for the circle: L1/7.

Astronomical alignments from this circle: Midwinter sun set Dec -24.2 (Outlier), Sun rise Dec +16.7 (Little Meg).

Excavations undertaken at this circle: ?.

Details of any finds at this circle: -

This circle is in state care.

Access to the circle:

This circle has very easy access, a road cuts though the bottom half of the ring en-route to a nearby farm. The circle is well sign posted and it is possible to park near or within the circle and disabled access is possible.

A fantastic circle, the huge boulders of this massive ring are strewn out across the sloping countryside like giant prehistoric loaves. The tallest stone, Long Meg is an outlier and is of a different kind of rock to the rest of the circle. This red sandstone piller looks over the site from the south west and is carved with spiral shapes which are clearly visible. Long Meg and her daughters is probably one of the best examples in the country of an early, large, 'open' stone circle. The sheer size of the blocks is incredible and it is perhaps one of the most impressive and enigmatic sites in Northern England. Legends about this site abound and it is very well documented, not so much the tiny ruined circle of Little Meg situated to the NE in another field. It has a stone that has spiral markings on it, and although I didn't have time to visit it myself, I am informed that it is well worth the effort.

Long Meg's giant stones dominate the landscape and are an impressive site.

The expanse of the Long Meg's stones as seen from the north west.

A section of one of the arcs.

The spiral carvings on Long Meg can clearly be seen in the right lighting conditions.