Elva Plain Stone Circle

Elva Plain Stone Circle is an ancient monument near Cockermouth, Cumbria.

Elva Plain Stone Circle history

On the southern side of Elva Hill, a small, distinctive outcrop in the northern Lake District between Bassenthwaite and Cockermouth, lie 15 stones arranged in a circle approximately 40 metres in diameter.

The site is most likely Neolithic in origin and would have had a larger number of stones. It is situated close to the River Derwent, which today winds from Borrowdale in the central Lakes through to the northerly Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, and onward to Workington where it meets the Irish Sea.

From the stone circle are views of Skiddaw to the south east and Grisedale Pike to the south. The stones are located on a level terrace on the hillside. Further up the slope of Elva Hill is an impressive outcrop passed by a public footpath.

Elva Plain Stone Circle today

The stone circle on Elva Hill is on private land grazed by livestock. The landowner permits pedestrian access to the stone circle along a path.

It is one of the most northerly stone circles in the Lake District. Other stone circles in the Lakes include the more complete circles at Castlerigg, Blakeley Raise, and Swinside.

Getting to Elva Plain Stone Circle

There is a public footpath from the road south of Elva Hill up to the farm. Follow the track through the farmyard, and the circle is in a field accessed through a gate.

It is possible to park at points on the roadside south of Elva Hill, but not in the vicinity of the farm or on the track leading up to it. Higham Hall and St Barnabus Church are also nearby.