Arbor Low

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Abor Low is a dramatic and windswept stone circle and henge in Derbyshire. The name "Arbor Low" is thought to be a corruption of the old english eordburgh-hlaw meaning "the earthwork mound". The site consists of a number of features, the stone circle itself is surrounded by a still deep ditch and circular mound or henge. None of stones is still standing and there is a dubious theory that they never did. Aubrey Burl in his book "An Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Britanny" points out rather convincingly that all stones have fallen in the same direction, blown over by the continual stong north winds and that one of the stones still rests on the upright stumps of others indicating that they were at some timestanding. The circle is approached via the famryard of Arbor Low farm where a small entrance fee of 50p is asked for. You have to walk through a muddy field up a slight hill to get to the henge. The circle is completely hidden from view by the walls of the bank around which have been place small cubes of stone with roman numerals carved on them. These are modern and are not explained by the plaque at the entrance of the farm. Once you crest the bank or enter via one of the two entrances you are greeted with an atmospheric circle with grandiose views to the all around.

To the SE of one of the circles two entrances is a mound, you can see this in the top right hand corner of the picture. In additon to this there is another barrow called Gib Hill nearby.

It is thought that the circle would have been the center of a ritual complex as it lies in the middle of a landscape of eight neolithic tombs including Five Wells and Harborough Rocks. There are also many bronze age cairns nearby indicating that the site had been used for many years for ritual or funerary purposes. Despite the fact none of the stones is still standing I'd highly recomend a visit to this circle.

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