Tag: Great Britain

Merry Maidens

When you think of stone circles in Great Britain what comes to mind? Stonehenge? The stone circle in Outlander? There are other stone circles you can see in England and Scotland.

The truth is there are many stone circles in Great Britain. It is said there are 316 stone circles in England, 508 in Scotland, and 81 in Wales.

Merry Maidens

Within the county of Cornwall in England there are 17 stone circles and this includes the Merry Maidens. Merry Maidens is made up of 19 granite stones. The circle is a diameter of 75 feet (24m). It is in a perfect circle with each stone about 3-4 meters apart. The tallest is 1.4 meters. The stones gradually diminish in size from SW to NE. This is believed to follow the cycle of the moon.

Tales Behind the Stones

The Cornish legend behind the monument is the stone circle was the petrified remains of a group of local girls who had been turned to stone as a punishment for dancing on the Sabbath. Further away in neighboring fields are three other stones. One is said to have been a fiddler and the two others were pipers. The story is they are further away because they heard the church bells ringing out at midnight and they attempted to flee because they realized they were breaking religious rules. They were caught as well and were turned to stone. This story was most likely started to turn people to the church and away from pagan practices.

Location

The stones are in a field next to the B3315 in the parish of St. Buryan in the West Penwith area. It has a small car park that can fit 4-5 cars.

If you are traveling to Cornwall and would like to see a stone circle up close and personal without the crowds of Stonehenge, then stop by this ancient group of stones. You will get to see something that could be over 3500 years old.

Haunted Pubs-The Hole in the Wall

There are many places that are said to be haunted in York, England. A few places that lay claim to this are pubs. One such pub is The Hole in the Wall.

Ghost Story

The story up on the wall of the pub is this pub was formerly named the Board Inn. A builder was said to have found a tunnel beneath the pub. Ghostly footsteps were heard echoing in the dark, so they quickly bricked it up. They say in 1816 excavation was done and a hole discovered that led to an eery dungeon where chains and manacles were hanging. We asked the bartenders about the story and they said both were working one night and they heard a voice talking, but no one was there.

The name of this beer goes well with the pub’s haunting story.
Location

The Hole in the Wall is on High Petergate in York not far from York Minster. It is in the older walled in section of town. You can get to York via train. If hiking is not a problem you can walk from the train station to the old walled in section.

Unique decor in one of their rooms.
Cute gargoyle, which fits in well with the area. This pub is in close proximity to York Minster.
Their sticky toffee pudding was pretty good. My friend can vouch for it.

There are several pubs and places in York with stories of ghost sightings or haunting tales. They even have tours covering some of these establishments. If you are into this sort of thing, check out The Hole in the Wall.

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