Meg without Her Daughters

I’ve been here many times, and probably blipped it on more than one occasion, but here she is again. Long Meg is the tall (3.8m) sandstone pillar that stands outside the huge stone circle made up of her ‘Daughters’. Meg was obviously a witch and Her Daughters were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath!

We had a quick visit this afternoon, as I wanted to check on the markings on Meg. I have been reading a book on Prehistoric Rock Art and this stone figures as an important example. It is easy to find two of the rings, some of the grooves and several cup marks. It is less easy to make out some other marks, but there is quite a complex set of carvings. In extras I have posted a close up of one of the rings.
 
We really don’t know for certain when or why these marks were made, but there are lots of examples in northern Britain and in Ireland. They probably date from the Neolithic period and had some sort of ritual significance, but exactly what is a mystery.
 
(I do find this place quite sad. It is one of the most important and impressive stone circles in the country; it is most certainly one of the largest. And yet it is uncared for. There is a farm road running through the middle. For a lot of the year cows graze and churn up the ground. There is no official parking and no information for visitors. Such a waste.)