Druid's Circle

Druid's Circle

Thirty stones make up this unevenly spaced circle, with a diameter of roughly 80 feet. The stones are elevated on a rough bank of rubble, and entrance is through a group of four stones set eight feet apart. Druid's Circle is within sight of Circle 275.

Despite the name, this stone circle has no connection whatever with the druids; in fact, it predates the druids by some 2,000 years. The circle probably dates to the Neolithic period and may be as much as 5,000 years old.

The Stone of Sacrifice

The most striking stone has a very obvious ledge, and this has led to it being called the Stone of Sacrifice, though there is no evidence that any form of sacrifice ever took place here. Curiously, for a stone with such a name, there is a local tradition that if a newborn baby is laid on the ledge, it will have good luck for life!

Another legend connected to the circle says that a broken stone was rolled down the nearby hill, causing it to shatter, but in the morning it was restored to its place in the circle.

Excavations in 1957 found evidence of cremation remains. In the centre of the circle was a burial cist with the cremated remains of a child inside an urn. Nearby was a pit containing another urn with the cremated remains of a child.

Several prehistoric trackways run past the circle, which suggests that it was a place of some importance. The Druid's Circle is known as Meini Hirion in Welsh.