Julian Cope tells us that this was once an "elegant nineteen-stone ring like all the others on the Land's End peninsula." In 1754 thirteen stones were still standing. The nearby Ding Dong mine resulted in mineral workings creeping closer and closer to the circle until they reached the site itself. Burial urns were found by locals digging into one of the nearby barrows, and such workings continued until 1861, when J.O.Halliwell reported that there were three fallen, two leaning and six upright stones, which is the current state of the site.
| Visit date: | 13/08/1999 |
| Reporter: | Andy Gates |
| Email: | andy@project-people.com |
| Website: | www.hollyking.freeserve.co.uk |
| Purpose: | Touching base |
| Spoke to Land Spirits: | Yes |
| And they said: | Nothing, just silently witnessed what I said to them. |
| Flowers: | Yes |
| Disturbed soil: | Yes |
| Picnic remains: | Yes |
| Ritual remains: | Yes - Small arrangement of local stones at foot of most prominent member of circle |
| Also found: | Paths thourgh site boggy and well trod |
| Action taken: | Local flowers well on way to decomposition and didn't jar, so I left them. Small pattern of stones doing no obvious harm (IMO) so left those too. Removed choccy wrapper. |
| Comments: | Wreathed in mist, isolated in middle of high moor and utterly silent, beautiful and evocative. First time ever felt compelled to disrobe outdoors, as if to show I couldn't conceal anything from stones. |