A mysterious stone circle near the River Eden
Step into mystery and myth at Long Meg and Her Daughters, one of Britain’s most enigmatic monuments. Found near Little Salkeld along the River Eden, this ancient stone circle has stood for over 3,000 years, quietly watching the seasons turn.
Believed to date back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, Long Meg and Her Daughters, like many stone circles, may have been used for rituals, gatherings, and astronomical observations—especially during the harsh midwinter months when communities looked to the skies for hope and renewal.
The site also hints at connections to the henge-building tradition, with traces of an ancient embankment on its western edge. Other nearby prehistoric sites include Mayburgh Henge, King Arthur’s Round Table (both henges), The Cockpit, and Moor Divock west of Askam, Gunnerkeld, north-east of Shap and Oddendale. near Crosby Ravensworth — making the Eden Valley a treasure trove of ancient history.
The site features 58 granite stones (though some say 65—although it's thought to be impossible to count them the same twice!) arranged in a vast oval measuring 109 by 92 metres.
Towering just outside the circle is Long Meg herself, a striking 3.4-metre red sandstone pillar, etched with mysterious cup and ring marks and spirals. She’s thought to align with the midwinter sunset (on the shortest day of the year), hinting at the circle’s celestial significance.
But Long Meg isn’t just a stone—she’s a legend. Local folklore claims she was once a witch, turned to stone along with her “daughters” for dancing on the Sabbath. Some say if you count the stones and get the same number twice, the spell will break and they’ll come back to life.
In 1725, Colonel Lacy—better known for creating romantic follies such as his caves —nearly destroyed the circle with explosives. But it is said that a sudden, violent storm scared off the workers, who believed the pagan gods were protecting their sacred ground.
