While the Stones of Stenness are not as numerous as the nearby Ring of Brodgar, this stone circle is much more peaceful. I almost don't want to recommend this as it is the ring's quiet calmness that seeps into you if you take the time to stand and stare. The combination of the size of the stones and the low rolling countryside mean that the circle can be seen from some considerable distance but for me it is the spirituality that you feel when standing within the circle that makes it special.

On the shore of the Loch of Stenness, Orkney
Google map: bit.ly/tShXMM

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The stone circle was built in 1931 to commemorate the Eisteddfod in the area. As a stone circle, it is interesting in its form; the stones chosen for the circle are weathered, and give the site an antique look so that uninformed passers by may think it is of age with neolithic or bronze age stone circles elsewhere. This circle indicates that those who erected the circle were hoping to identify with an ancient British culture and in turn be identified as native Britons.

www.bangorcivicsociety.org.uk/pages/green.htm
Siliwen Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2, UK
Google map: bit.ly/rJB4xF

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It's well worth a visit. Built during the Neolithic period, about 1000 years before Stonehenge, the burial chamber is a dolmen of the Severn-Cotswold tomb type with upright stones supporting a capstone weighing approximately 36 tonnes. Part of the mound covering the tomb still remains, two parallel lines of stones form an avenue leading away from the chamber and two flat parallel standing stones point to nearby Coed Sion Hill. During excavation in 1914 920 human bones were found in the chamber and the Bell-Beaker style pottery show the site may have been used until the Bronze Age. Legend has it that anyone spending the night in Tinkinswood at certain times of the year will die, go mad or become a poet - interesting!

www.stonepages.com/wales/tinkinswood.html

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Long Meg and Her Daughters is one of the largest and most atmospheric of all the Stone Circles in the UK.
Set above the beautiful Eden Valley in Cumbria it has a spiritual quality and calming atmosphere.
More often than not you will be the only person there.
Visit at dusk and watch the sun set in the distance behind Blencathra bathing the Pennine Hills behind you in a warm glow. You can align a setting sun in the groove atop the stone that is Long Meg herself. The circle itself is her 'Daughters'.
Then walk around the circle counting the stones. Legend has it that they hide and no matter how many times you count them you will reach a different number.
It is un-toursity, no stalls selling you trinkets, no ticket to pay, no car parking charges.
Long Meg is close to Langwathby Station on the famous Settle-Carlisle railway line and just off the A686, Penrith to Alston road, described by the AA as one of the ten best drives in the world.
A lovely place to visit and quietly calm a busy and stressed mind.

Little Slakeld in the Eden Valley, near Penrith.
Close to Langwathby Station on the famous Settle-Carlisle railway line and just off the A686, Penrith to Alston road.
Grid Ref NY570372.
www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=101
Key in Long Meg Walk for a Discover Eden walk from Little Salkeld taking in River Eden, De Lacey’s cave and Long Meg.
Google map: bit.ly/smBwX9

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Cumbrian folklore says that Long Meg and her daughters were witches turned to stone as a punishment for dancing here on the Sabbath. Take care. If you count the same number of stones twice, they will come back to life.
But Long Meg and her daughters are not related. Long Meg, at twelve feet high, is made of local red sandstone. She stands back from the main circle to catch the dying winter solstice sun. The other 50 stones are granite.
Together, they make one of the largest stone circles in Britain, dating back to 1500 BC. Yet so few people have heard of them. The mysterious cup and ring marks, like carved tattoos on Long Meg’s shoulders, face all four corners of the compass.
Wordsworth wrote a poem about the “sisterhood” of the stones urging their “giant mother” to speak.
We found them after an autumn walk along the river Eden, near Little Salkeld. Just before we emerged from a wood to the stone circle, our children spotted a red squirrel, which brought a different kind of magic to our day.

www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=101
Key in Long Meg Walk for a Discover Eden walk from Little Salkeld taking in River Eden, De Lacey’s cave and Long Meg.
Google map: bit.ly/smBwX9

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Out running on Ilkley Moor recently, I bumped into two walkers searching for the 12 Apostles Stone Circle. Although drawn to the stones by their spirituality, a simple map reading error was taking them in completely the wrong direction. Storm clouds were gathering and Ilkley Moor's famous song was plainly not known to them as neither wore hats. I suggested that they abandon their search. This is my bid for their forgiveness. The 12 Apostles sit high on the summit plateau of Ilkley Moor with magnificent views in all directions. Take a hat, a good map and a flask of coffee (bible optional).

www.theaa.com/walks/ilkley-moor-and-the-twelve-apostles-421294
Google map: bit.ly/u0aiYk

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Its a burial tomb containing thousands of remains including skulls of our ancestors. The Tomb is entered through a tunnel and trolley (think the Great Escape!) which the kids loved. Once inside, you can see some of the remains which have been placed behind protective glass. There is also a museum where you get hands on with some of the items found in and around the tomb. The view from the tomb is spectacular, as its set next to cliffs overlooking the sea.

Tomb of Eagles, Liddle, St Margarets Hope, Orkney, Scotland, KW17 2RW
Google map: bit.ly/rqQ5yq

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The North Yorks Moors are awash with standing stones, circles, burial mounds and markers from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. New ones come to light from time to time that have been covered by heather and bracken for hundreds of years, and a walk on these glorious moors reveals a surprise cross or stone at almost every turn.
Some served as markers on the pannier tracks that connected Yorkshire's monasteries, and some are boundary stones - such as the aptly named Fat Betty on the road between Castleton and Rosedale. Two miles inland from Robin Hood’s Bay are the three Bronze Age stones of the Ramsdale Circle. This is an unsurpassable site for a picnic, with a wonderful view of the coast across rolling moorland, which has probably changed little since the stones were erected.

Google map: bit.ly/qO90XR

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Docked on the River Thames by Victoria Embankment, this boat has been transformed into a lively bar. With views of the London eye, Big Ben and the River Thames you really feel like you are drinking in the heart of London. On a summer's day sitting up on deck drinking is an excellent place to be while you watch the world go by. A must see if you are out drinking in London.

www.thetattershallcastle.co.uk
Victoria Embankment, Kings Reach, London,
SW1A 2HR
+44 (0) 207 839 6548
Google map: bit.ly/u65iIa

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It's only twenty minutes' walk up a lonely track and there, in a farmer's field is a magical stone circle stone measuring twenty-seven metres across and consisting of 55 irregular monolithic stones. If you love that feeling, as I do, that you are the only person who has ever been there, visit this place.

www.visitcumbria.com/sl/swinside-stone-circle.htm
Google map: bit.ly/ofZjnu

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So many tourists descend on Stonehenge, a bleak, cold setting where you are fenced off from the stones. You would be better off travelling 22 miles north to Avebury. Arrive early on an Autumn or Winter morning when the stones rise out of the mist, touched with frost. Wander freely between the stones, along the Avenue to West Kennet Long Barrow. If you are of a certain age, the memory of 'Children of the Stones' will send a shiver down your spine and, if you are very lucky (as I was on my 40th birthday) you'll meet Avebury resident, stone circle expert and Arch-Drude, Julian Cope.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1RF
+44(0)1672 539250
Google map: bit.ly/nPzaaB

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The North Yorks Moors are awash with standing stones, circles, burial mounds and markers from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. New ones come to light from time to time that have been covered by heather and bracken for hundreds of years, and a walk on these glorious moors reveals a surprise cross or stone at almost every turn.
Some served as markers on the pannier tracks that connected Yorkshire's monasteries, and some are boundary stones - such as the aptly named Fat Betty on the road between Castleton and Rosedale. Two miles inland from Robin Hood’s Bay are the three Bronze Age stones of the Ramsdale Circle. This is an unsurpassable site for a picnic, with a wonderful view of the coast across rolling moorland, which has probably changed little since the stones were erected.

www.ramsdale.org/megalith.htm
Google map: bit.ly/vioyoG

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Found by the picturesque harbour of Solva, an inlet that fills and drains completely of water, depending on the tide.
The Harbour Inn is a great place to sample Brain's bitter, a creamy, nutty brew. We enjoyed the fish and chips out in the sheltered beer garden and soaked up the last rays of the October sun while admiring the little boats stranded high and dry at low tide.

www.harbourinnsolva.com
31-33 Main Street, Solva, Pembrokeshire SA62 6UT
+44 1437 720 013
Google map: bit.ly/pG6cDA

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The Boathouse Tearoom is a little National Trust cafe, located by the world's smallest harbour and offering a great selection of hot and cold food to sustain visitors on the half-mile trek to Barafundle Bay. We tried the scones with home-made jam and clotted cream and bought some locally produced honey.

beta.nationaltrust.org.uk/stackpole
Stackpole Quay, Stackpole, SA71 5DE, Wales
+44 1646 672672
Google map: bit.ly/nIN09e

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Often voted the best beach in Britain, Barafundle Bay is definitely worth the walk over the rugged cliffs.
The wide bay is filled with golden sand bordered by dunes at the back and craggy cliffs with rockpools and secret caves on either side. A wonderful place for a picnic, a paddle or a potter in the rockpools.
Visitors can park their cars at Stackpole Quay, have a bite to eat in the National Trust cafe in the boathouse and see the world's smallest harbour, with room for just one boat!

Barafundle Bay, Stackpole Quay, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Google map: bit.ly/p5yNCJ

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Cromwell's Tavern is a friendly local pub, found near the castle in the heart of Pembroke.
It's a great place to try Welsh bitters and admire all the music memorabilia: framed pictures of Kiss, Jimi Hendrix and others line the walls and we didn't dare take on the locals at pool, after spotting all the trophies in a glass cabinet!

2 Westgate Hill, Pembroke, Dyfed SA71 0NU
+44 1646 682718
Google map: bit.ly/qC3vOO

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A great example of a city farm, Gorgie Farm has been open since 1982 and is just a bus ride out of the city centre. Take the family - it really is the perfect way to spend an hour or two away from the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh. There are a number of animals to see in fields, stables and sheep houses and smaller animals and reptiles can be found in 'The Pet Lodge'.
The Farm operates solely on donations, so although admission is free, see if you can spare a few pounds to keep this great community project going.

www.gorgiecityfarm.org.uk/home/
51 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh, EH11 2LA
+44(0)131 337 4202
Google map: bit.ly/njy7eS

* Rachel is our Been there local for Edinburgh. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/edinburgh-local-rachel-brown.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/RachelBrown

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Charlie's Bar is the place to go for a great night out in Milford Haven. Situated near the docks and the marina, it's a small bar with several rooms, a pool table, pub quiz machine and very loud music blasting out on a Friday evening.

The Old Sail Loft, The Docks, Milford Haven, Dyfed SA73 3AF
+44 1646 690098
Google map: bit.ly/o1ndu7

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St David's Cathedral (Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi) is one of the most beautiful houses of worship in Wales. Located in Britain's smallest city and nestling in the greenest hollow on the rugged Pembroke coast, the cathedral is a must-see for anybody visiting Wales.
There has been a church on this site since the 6th century and in the Middle Ages, it had a strategic position at the crossroads of the Celtic world: Ireland, Scotland, England and the Basque lands.

www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/
The Close, St Davids, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6RH
+44(0)1437 720202
Google map: bit.ly/qJrvVJ

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This family-run ice cream parlour, cafe and restaurant is something of an institution and THE place to be seen in The Mumbles.
More than 30 varieties of Italian ice cream are produced each day - I wolfed down a divine selection of three sorbets: lemon, creamy strawberry and raspberry, served with a crisp wafer. There is great coffee and a fine dining menu, chalked up on the blackboard, offering pasta, pizzas, soups, stews and salads.
The cafe is always full and visitors gaze through the vast glass windows at the view of Swansea bay; it's almost like being in Naples on a cloudy day!

www.verdis-cafe.co.uk
Knab Rock, The Mumbles, Swansea SA3 4EN
+44 1792 369 135
Google map: bit.ly/pK8STM

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