It is difficult for a camera to do justice to the Great Circle of the Stanton Drew complex given the scale of the site. So like us, you will just have to go there, and walk its 113m perimeter whilst taking in the 27 or so stones that comprise its visble remains.
The excellent on-site interpretation highlights the other less visible aspects of the sacred landscape - describing and illustrating the size of the henge monument within which the Great circle is placed, and the nine concentric circles of posts holes, within the stone circle, which would have originally held wooden posts.
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| the Great Circle looking towards Stanton Drew |
To the north east of the Great Circle there is a second smaller circle, and the remains of two avenues - at least one of which is deemed to link to the River Chew.
This smaller circle has such a familiar warmth of feel to it - and reminded me of our visit to Calanais last year. Maybe it was just the quietness of both sites on the day, the sun in a Simpson sky, and the coolness of the breeze - which created a similar physical response in me? The emotional response was also more than familiar, a simple joy in the stones, and the feeling of wellness that presides when walking within a sacred landscape.
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| north east Stone circle, T-shirt by Julian Cope |
The south west stone circle is located in a small field sitting above the great circle - both a short walk and a couple of stiles leading you ably to its location. Another difficult circle to photograph as the stones are all very low in the ground, some within only the top surface visible. I remember the advice of a landscape photographer who recommended standing on top of a step ladder to reduce the foreground and get on top of your subject, advice that would have held well for this circle.
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| south west circle, T-shirt by D.M.D.C. |
Heading back into Stanton Drew village, we rocked up at The Druid's Arms for a quick cider and a photo opportunity with the three stones forming The Cove monument that can be found in the pubs garden.
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| The Cove, dry cider by Thatchers, served by The Druid's Arms |
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| The Cove, and the church of St Mary the Virgin |
We decided to leave a visit to the nearby Hautville's Quoit for another tour, and headed instead to our overnight lodgings at The Hunter Rest, Clutton.
