A local resident has raised concerns with a parish council about this year’s impacts of the summer solstice at Castlerigg stone circle.
The resident has complained to St John’s, Castlerigg and Wythburn Parish Council about human effluent on roadside verges and field boundaries, littering, noise, inappropriate parking, camping and fires.
The issues have been brought to the attention of the National Trust, English Heritage and the Lake District National Park Authority.
The site is a scheduled ancient monument and legally protected and it is against the law to cause reckless or deliberate damage to it.
The stones are maintained by English Heritage and the site managed by the National Trust and English Heritage.
Efforts are under way to explore ways of working with other bodies to mitigate the problems for 2024.
The trust has said the summer solstice is not an event it encourages or permits but it has no enforcement powers which makes it difficult to manage.
In the past, it has had 24-hour rangers on duty at the site and large numbers of police officers had also been deployed to the area.
The trust said in a statement: “In recent years, our ranger team has worked hard to build relationships with visitors to Castlerigg Stone Circle during the summer solstice, resulting in the majority now showing a huge amount of respect for the site, cleaning up and litter picking after visiting.
“There is however still a small minority who behave irresponsibly and leave behind mess, taking our ranger teams away from their vital nature conservation work. We respectfully ask that visitors dispose of their litter responsibly, camp in designated campsites and remind them that fires and disposable barbecues are not permitted anywhere in the Lake District National Park. We want to encourage people to get outdoors and to enjoy the Lake District, but to respect the landscape and the people and wildlife that call it home, by leaving no trace and following the Countryside Code.”
At parish council level, councillors have agreed that the clerk supports the concerns of the local resident and raises the issues with all appropriate authorities.
Coinciding with the June heatwave, an eyewitness said: “I have not seen so many cars and camper vans there before. Perhaps we have reached saturation point.”
She told of cars and campervans being parked beyond the climbing wall (Goosewell Farm) to a third of the way down the hill. She added: “There were a number of tents put up around the stone circle itself. Surely this is not good for an ancient monument. On my way past the circle there was gridlock as people were unable to get up or down the hill. I have never seen this before, even at a solstice. What has changed?
“There was also loud music blasting out from the site. Not Keswick as I know it. If there had been a fire or other incident, it is unlikely emergency vehicles would have made it through.” Tents were set up along with camping chairs and mass get-togethers, akin to a festival.
On YouTube alone, dozens of videos of the site have been shared on social media, leading to saturation exposure.
Among those making videos include vloggers, druids, drone operators, mystics, self-proclaimed psychic healers, travel bloggers, Georgian dancers, fitness coaches, road-trippers and even the humble fell walking enthusiast.
Factfile
- English Heritage describes Castlerigg as perhaps “the most atmospheric and dramatically sited of all British stone circles”.
- It is also among the earliest British circles, raised in about 3,000 BC during the Neolithic period, it said
- Castlerigg is about 97½ ft (30m) in diameter, and formerly comprised 42 stones.
- There are now only 38 stones, which vary in height from 3¼ ft (1m) to 7½ ft (2.3 metres).
- It is said to be one of the first sites to be included in the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 141 years ago.
