The Lake District in the North West of England in the United Kingdom is an amazing place filled with vast grasslands and scenic waters. It boasts of wonderfully unique delicacies, lovely walking paths, and olden-day inspired structures. It hosts many interesting and enjoyable events. Suffice to say that the Lake District is filled with so much culture and history.
Not all of the Lake District’s awesome historical places are easily accessible; some of them are buried underground and not so effortlessly seen. Some of the other historical sites are privately owned and one needs to seek permission to visit while some sites can be visited without the added hassle.
Northern Lake District
The Mirehouse historic house is a family home erected back in 1688. William Wordsworth, the famous poet who wrote Daffodil, was a regular guest here, as well as other famous writers.
The Castlerigg Stone Circle is a famous monument made even more beautiful by its scenic mountain background. The main stone circle has 38 large stones, some of which stand 3 meters or 10 feet high, taller than the height of the average man. It is about 5,000 years old and is one of Britain’s earliest stone circles.
Western Lake District
Western Lake District also has its very own stone circle. The Swinside Stone Circle dates back from the Neolithic period. It is also known as Sunkenkirk, which hails from a legend that people tried to build a church on this site but the devil kept interfering with the construction.
The Gosforth Cross is a Viking cross that is carved with crucifixion scenes and Norse mythology images, which depicts two different belief systems. At 4.5 meters or 15 feet, it is the tallest Viking cross in England.
Eastern Lake District
If you’re going on a stone circle quest, then Eastern Lake District has its own to add to your list. The Cockpit Stone Circle is located in Moor Divock and measures 27 meters or 90 feet across. Like many other stone circles, though, its purpose is still unknown.
The High Street Roman Road is an impressive 2,000-year-old road built by the Romans to link their fort at Brougham near Penrith and Ambleside. The highest fell this road crosses is named after it.
Central Lake District
The Burnmoor Stone Circles have five separate stone circles and date back as far as 2000 B.C. Each stone circle contains at least one burial, marked by a stone cairn. Near it are some stone banks and other cairns that seem to be more recent. It is still not determined whether they were used as meeting places, as a mark of ownership, or as ritual monuments.
The Copt Howe Rock Carvings are mysterious rock carvings that may have dated back some 6,000 years ago. There are circles, lines, and some hollow marks on the rocks and other abstract shapes.
The Lake District truly is peppered with places of interesting history. To go and see for yourself, search through the hundreds of picturesque Lake District cottages in the region and be amazed by the wonderful historical sites that this scenic place has to offer.