A challenging and rewarding return cycling journey across Northern England following the Coast to Coast route and Hadrian's Way through the Lake District the North Pennines and the Hadrian's Wall corridor before heading back the way you came.
United Kingdom: Cumbria – Long Meg and Her Daughters
Standing Stones and Leaden Skies: Long Meg and Her Daughters, Cumbria
Part of our Coast to Coast cycle ride, Penrith to St John’s Chapel
🚲 A Detour Worth Every Pedal
We were somewhere between Penrith and St John’s Chapel, well into our Coast to Coast ride, when Karen suggested we swing off the route to have a look at Long Meg and Her Daughters. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure I had the legs for a detour. The sky was doing that particular shade of grey that the north of England does so well — not quite threatening rain, but not making any promises either. Mid-morning, chilly, the kind of day that makes a Londoner question his life choices.
But off we went, and I’m glad we did.
The site is near the village of Little Salkeld, a few miles north-east of Penrith in Cumbria. You come upon it across farmland, and there’s no grand car park or visitor centre to prepare you. One moment you’re cycling past fields, and the next, there they all are — dozens of ancient stones spread across a hillside, arranged in a great oval that stretches roughly 360 feet at its widest. It’s the third largest stone circle in England, behind Avebury in Wiltshire and Stanton Drew in Somerset, which says something, because this one doesn’t get anywhere near the same attention.
We leaned our bikes up against a gate and walked in.
🗿 Who Was Long Meg?
The circle itself — the Daughters — consists of around 69 stones in total, though only 27 of them are still standing upright. They’re made of rhyolite, a type of granite, and they range from fairly modest lumps to impressively large boulders. But Long Meg herself is something else entirely.
She stands slightly apart from the circle, to the south-west, and she’s a proper presence. A 12-foot monolith of red sandstone, quite different in rock type from the rest. Carved into her surface — and you have to look carefully — are some remarkable examples of prehistoric rock art: a spiral, a cup-and-ring mark, and concentric circles. These carvings are thought to be contemporary with the circle itself, which dates to somewhere between 3,500 and 3,000 BC. That’s Neolithic — older than Stonehenge as we know it, older than the Egyptian pyramids. People were hauling stones around this Cumbrian hillside five and a half thousand years ago. Karen and I have trouble getting furniture up a flight of stairs.
Nobody knows for certain what the circle was used for. The best current thinking is that it served some combination of ceremonial, ritual, and possibly astronomical purposes. Long Meg herself is positioned so that, when you stand at the centre of the circle and look towards her on the winter solstice, she aligns perfectly with the setting sun. Whether that was intentional or a remarkable coincidence, we’ll never know. The people who built this left no written records — just these enormous stones in a field in Cumbria.
William Camden, the Elizabethan antiquarian, visited in the 16th century and noted there were around 77 stones at the time. That’s a few more than today, which tells you what centuries of farmers and builders will do to a prehistoric monument when they need a handy lump of stone.
🧙 Witches, Wizards, and a Colonel With Bad Luck
No stone circle worth its standing water would be complete without a good legend, and Long Meg delivers.
The most popular local story is that Meg and her daughters were a coven of witches, caught by a Scottish sorcerer called Michael Scot — a real historical figure, as it happens, a 13th-century mathematician and astrologer who acquired a fearsome reputation for dark arts — dancing on the Sabbath. As punishment, he turned them all to stone. The legend also holds that if you manage to count the stones and get the same number twice, the spell will be broken. Given that people have been trying and failing to count them for centuries, the witches appear to be in no immediate danger of liberation.
There’s also a warning: if you chip a piece off Long Meg, she’ll bleed.
And then there’s the story of Colonel Lacy, an 18th-century local landowner who lived at Salkeld Hall just down the road. He decided the stones were in the way of his ploughing and ordered them to be blasted with gunpowder. As soon as the work began, a ferocious thunderstorm broke out. His labourers took this as a fairly clear sign from the universe, downed tools, and refused to continue. The stones, needless to say, are still there. Colonel Lacy is not.
William Wordsworth visited in 1822 and was sufficiently moved to write a sonnet about it, describing the site as the country’s most notable monument after Stonehenge. High praise from a man who could see the Lake District from his front door.
We didn’t linger too long — the C2C wasn’t going to ride itself, and St John’s Chapel was still a long way off. But as we clipped back into our pedals and got moving, there was something quietly satisfying about having stood in a place that humans had been visiting, in one way or another, for over five thousand years. On a grey mid-morning in Cumbria, surrounded by damp fields and a circle of ancient stones, that feels like quite enough.
Planning Your Visit to Long Meg & Her Daughters
| 📍 Location | Little Salkeld, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 1NJ | 🕖 Opening Times | Open all year, any reasonable daylight hours (dawn to dusk). No fixed closing time. |
| 🌐 Website | english-heritage.org.uk | ||
| 📞 Phone | 0370 333 1181 | customers@english-heritage.org.uk | |
| 🅿️ Parking | Small free car park available at the site off the minor road near Little Salkeld | ℹ️ Notes | Free entry. One of the largest stone circles in England. Dogs welcome. No facilities on site. Long Meg herself is a 3.6 metre standing stone separate from the main circle. |
| 🎟️ Entry | Free |
🚗 Getting There
Long Meg and Her Daughters lies around 6 miles north of Penrith, near the village of Little Salkeld. From Penrith, take the A686 towards Alston and follow minor road signs towards Little Salkeld. The site is accessed via a narrow lane and a small car park sits adjacent to the circle. There is no direct bus service to the site, so a car is strongly recommended. The Settle–Carlisle railway line stops at nearby Langwathby station, around 1.5 miles away on foot via country lanes, making it a feasible option for those arriving by train.
The Best Time to Visit Northwest England
Northwest England — encompassing the Lake District, Manchester, Liverpool, the Pennines, and the Cheshire Plains — is a region of dramatic contrasts: fells and coastlines, industrial heritage and rural tranquillity. Its climate is Atlantic-influenced, meaning it receives more rainfall than most of England, particularly in the western uplands. Each season brings its own character, and there is genuinely no bad time to visit — only different reasons to go.
🌸 Spring (March–May)
Spring is one of the most rewarding times to visit Northwest England. Temperatures climb steadily from around 7°C in March to 15°C by May, and the days lengthen noticeably. The Lake District bursts into colour: daffodils carpet Wordsworth’s Grasmere from late February into April, lambs appear on the fells, and the deciduous woodland that fringes Windermere and Ullswater turns a vivid, fresh green. Rainfall is still present — this is the north-west — but showers tend to be shorter and brighter than in winter, often giving way to crisp, clear afternoons ideal for walking.
Manchester and Liverpool come alive in spring, with outdoor markets, canal-side dining, and festival season beginning to pick up pace. Crowds in the national park are noticeably thinner than in summer, meaning you can secure accommodation more easily and enjoy popular spots such as Tarn Hows or Rydal Water in relative peace. Easter weekend is the exception: it draws visitors in large numbers, so booking ahead is advisable.
What to pack: Layered clothing including a fleece and a waterproof jacket, walking boots with ankle support, lightweight trousers, a warm mid-layer for higher ground, sunscreen (UV can be deceptive even in cool temperatures), and a small day rucksack. A compact umbrella is useful for city days in Manchester or Liverpool.
☀️ Summer (June–August)
Summer is peak season across Northwest England, and for good reason. Average temperatures sit between 17°C and 21°C, occasionally nudging higher during warm spells, and the long northern evenings — still light past 9 pm in June and July — give walkers and cyclists exceptional value from their daylight hours. The Cumbrian fells are accessible at their most reliable, and boat trips on Windermere and Coniston Water run at full frequency. The coast at Morecambe Bay is at its most attractive, with wading birds feeding across vast, shimmering mudflats at low tide.
Culturally, summer is when Northwest England is at its most animated. The Lake District’s summer festivals, Manchester’s eclectic music and arts calendar, and Liverpool’s famous Albert Dock programme all peak in July and August. That said, the region’s popularity brings its costs: the A591 through the central Lakes becomes congested, car parks at Langdale and Wastwater fill by mid-morning, and accommodation prices are at their highest. The more remote western Lakes — Ennerdale, Loweswater, the Caldbeck fells — offer an escape from the crowds and reward independent exploration.
Rainfall does not disappear in summer; a week of glorious sunshine can be interrupted by a day of heavy Lakeland downpours. Always carry waterproofs, even in August.
What to pack: Light, breathable clothing (T-shirts, shorts, light trousers), a waterproof jacket and over-trousers (non-negotiable), sturdy walking boots, sunscreen and sunglasses, insect repellent for forested and boggy areas, a water bottle, and a map or downloaded OS route if heading onto the fells. Evening layers for cooler nights — even in July, evenings can be chilly at altitude.
🍂 Autumn (September–November)
Autumn is, for many seasoned visitors, the finest season to explore Northwest England. September and October bring warm, mellow light, lower visitor numbers than summer, and the extraordinary spectacle of the region’s deciduous woodland turning amber, russet, and gold. The lakes reflect the surrounding fells in mirror-like conditions on still mornings, and the air carries a clarity that makes long-distance views across to the Scottish Borders or towards the Isle of Man (from Morecambe Bay) crisp and rewarding.
September is particularly clement, with temperatures still reaching 15–17°C and a good proportion of settled days. October sees conditions become more variable, with the first serious storms of the season possible from mid-month, though these are often followed by brilliant spells of sunshine. November tightens into early winter: rain becomes more persistent, the fells above 700 metres can see snow, and darkness falls significantly earlier.
For wildlife, autumn is exceptional. Red deer rut in the forests around Grizedale and across the Pennines, ospreys pass through on their southward migration, and fungi season makes woodland walks in the Lake District and the Forest of Bowland particularly rewarding. Manchester and Liverpool’s cultural season restarts after the summer: theatres, galleries, and music venues fill their autumn programmes, making the cities an excellent complement to outdoor exploration.
What to pack: Warm layers including a wool or fleece mid-layer, a windproof and waterproof outer shell, waterproof walking boots, hat and gloves (particularly for October and November), waterproof over-trousers, thermal base layers as the season progresses, and a head torch for shorter days. Gaiters are worth carrying for boggy conditions from October onwards.
❄️ Winter (December–February)
Winter in Northwest England is not for the faint-hearted, but it offers a singular beauty that rewards those willing to embrace it. The fells above 500 metres regularly receive snow from November through to March, and when clear weather follows a snowfall, the Lake District presents some of the most dramatic winter scenery in England. Helvellyn, Blencathra, and the Coniston fells look extraordinary under snow, and experienced, well-equipped walkers will find route conditions genuinely alpine in character. The low-level walks — around Grasmere, along Borrowdale, or beside Esthwaite Water — remain accessible and are strikingly atmospheric in frost or mist.
The cities make an excellent winter base. Manchester’s Christmas Markets, running through November and December, are among the most popular in the UK and draw visitors from across Europe. Liverpool’s waterfront takes on a moody, cinematic quality in winter light, and both cities’ restaurant, bar, and cultural scenes are at full strength. Hotel rates are lower outside of the festive period, and many of the Lake District’s independent accommodation providers offer reduced mid-week rates in January and February.
Daylight hours are the principal constraint: sunrise comes as late as 8.20 am and sunset as early as 3.50 pm in late December, leaving a narrow window for outdoor activity. Planning walks around the available light is essential. Road conditions across the higher Lakeland passes — Kirkstone, Wrynose, Hardknott — can become hazardous or impassable after snowfall, so check road updates via Cumbria County Council before setting out.
What to pack: Thermal base layers (top and bottom), a heavyweight fleece or down mid-layer, a fully waterproof and windproof outer jacket, waterproof trousers, insulated waterproof boots, hat, gloves and a buff or scarf, gaiters, microspikes or crampons if venturing onto snowy fells, a head torch with spare batteries, a thermos flask, and high-energy snacks. A paper OS map is advisable as phone batteries drain faster in cold temperatures.
Overall Best Time to Visit
For most visitors, late spring (late April to May) and early autumn (September to mid-October) represent the optimum time to visit Northwest England. Both periods offer the most favourable balance of reasonable weather, manageable crowds, comfortable temperatures, and striking natural scenery — without the accommodation pressures and traffic congestion of peak summer. Those whose principal interest is the cities of Manchester or Liverpool will find the region worth visiting at any time of year, since its cultural and culinary offer is year-round and largely weather-independent. Walkers and fell enthusiasts should aim for May or September as their first choice, with summer as a viable alternative provided they book well in advance and set out early to beat the daily rush to popular trailheads.
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