Men-an-tol

The Mên-an-Tol (In Cornish, simply the Men an Toll) is a neolithic granite stone circle, out in the middle of nowhere but somewhat close to Madron-Morvah road, known locally as the Crick stone. It's exact origin point or even why it may have been originally constructed is totally up in the air with a few theories scattered about, but it is believed to have been part of a larger circle.


Despite it's mysterious ancient usage, there's folklore surrounding it from a relatively more modern time including it's use for fertility as well as warding off and curing rickets. Even though I'm not looking to become pregnant or am suffering from rickets, I desperately wanted to revisit the stones as I had gone in primary school and only had a faint memory of them (as well as seeing a snake under a rock). 


I wasn't disappointed and after persuading my dad and brother to come up the muddy trail and through a field with me, we stood in front of the stones. While they're not as big or intimidating as Stonehenge, they have their own vibe of being old and 'knowing' - these stones have been around long before me and will likely be around long after. Of course there were other tourist types there, poking offerings left around the stones and being generally bemused, but it was still fun to see them.