Somewhere Under the Rainbow

21.09.2025

A drive down the A66 from Penrith brings you to Keswick in the northern part of the Lakes, and just before the town in the foothills of the fells a beautiful and magical stone circle awaits. It has arguably, the best scenic backdrop in the country with the mountains of Blencathra and Skiddaw to the north , Matterdale to the east and Helvellyn to the south. As a result the visitor numbers are high for most of the year. It was the Autumn Equinox and we expected Castlerigg to be busy.

The lane adjacent to the circle is just wide enough to park up. We waited for the cars and their occupants to thin out, and then late in the afternoon headed through the wooden gate and up the shallow slope to the circle. It looked magnificent in the last of the low sun’s rays of ochre light. A few people were gathered there including a woman with a hand drum who was addressing each of the stones in turn. We entered through the northern portal entrance where flowers had been laid and instantly there was a feeling of protection and well being. For the repeat visitors there are favourite stones that you are drawn to and feel the need for contact with, and we had ours here.

At close range the stones on the south eastern arc appeared to have an orangey green tinge and the yellow lichen cover had taken on a luminous quality. This circle like Long Meg and her Daughters dates back to the Neolithic and is one of the oldest in Britain, but unlike Long Meg it’s smaller diameter allows the eye to view it more completely and to feel it’s intensity at the centre. Of the thirty eight remaining stones, thirty three are still standing including those that make up an unusual rectangle feature just inside the eastern arc. Just as the sun was about to descend over the Derwent Fells a double rainbow appeared to the east. A local woman I met the following morning said this was a common occurance at that very same place. At the heart of the circle we toasted the setting sun with our horns of wine, tipping a little out for Castlerigg too.

That night the night sky was extraordinary so I wandered back up to the circle to bathe in the starlight. As I gazed up I hoped my future memory of the moment would be as pin sharp as the constellations above me. A sense of timeless came over me, but then I realized I didn’t have the circle to myself. Sat against one of the stones in the pitch black were two photographers discussing F stops and shutter speeds. Luckily I’d had my brief moment to remember.

The next morning we were treated to another natural spectacle. At first light Castlerigg was encircled by a low mist that hugged the ground down to Thirlmere and Helvellyn. There was a good crowd present to witness the sunrise which took a while to appear over Clough Head. A number of photographers had set up ready outside the circle and inside most stood still in expectation. The surrounding fells began to catch the light and then suddenly the stones lit up and took shape. As the long shadows formed the land began to warm and the low mist began to disappear.