Dawn at the Twelve Apostles
Dawn at the Twelve Apostles stone circle. Burley moor. Yorkshire
This stone circle is thought to be about 4500 years old and was constructed during the Bronze Age. No one knows it's true purpose or who built it. The Victorian antiquarians who first came to these moors thought it was used by the Druids as a sort of clock for telling the hours or seasons.
The circle is at the junction of two important prehistoric tracks which cross the moors and one of them is believed by archaeologists to have been a major prehistoric trade-route that crossed the mid-Pennines. Around 1800 BC – the academics guess – the ring of stones took shape.
It is believed that originally there were 20 stones with a central pillar in the middle - this would have given the impression of a sort of dial with the shadow of the sun, or moor pointing to various stones in the ring.
In recent years many of the stones had fallen down and were scattered in the deep heather on the moors, but some of the local people resurrected them and the circle in this state is what we see today. It is still a beautiful place with superb views across the moors. But it is battered and bruised, and whatever Spirit once resided here is probably long departed.
Early one morning in October I carried a heavy rucksack of cameras up from the Cow and Calf car park in the pitch dark, and walked along the slippery path over the moors to the circle. The sky was starting to glow in the East which suggested that a perfect dawn was on its way. I hoped so - because I had been here before and had several false alarms, where the sky was drab and flat. But this morning the sky gave me a show with gorgeous blues, yellows and reds. There was still frost on the side of the stones and in the middle of the circle and the sun light was reflected off these. Across the valley the mist was still hovering over the little town of Otley in the distance below...and then the sun very slowly appeared over the Chevin and my camera was aligned with the sun and the capstone of the circle.
I imagined standing here perhaps four and a half millennia ago when our ancestors may have witnessed much the same scene - with the sun rising over the moors and valleys, and perhaps them giving thanks to their Gods for another day.
This stone circle is thought to be about 4500 years old and was constructed during the Bronze Age. No one knows it's true purpose or who built it. The Victorian antiquarians who first came to these moors thought it was used by the Druids as a sort of clock for telling the hours or seasons.
The circle is at the junction of two important prehistoric tracks which cross the moors and one of them is believed by archaeologists to have been a major prehistoric trade-route that crossed the mid-Pennines. Around 1800 BC – the academics guess – the ring of stones took shape.
It is believed that originally there were 20 stones with a central pillar in the middle - this would have given the impression of a sort of dial with the shadow of the sun, or moor pointing to various stones in the ring.
In recent years many of the stones had fallen down and were scattered in the deep heather on the moors, but some of the local people resurrected them and the circle in this state is what we see today. It is still a beautiful place with superb views across the moors. But it is battered and bruised, and whatever Spirit once resided here is probably long departed.
Early one morning in October I carried a heavy rucksack of cameras up from the Cow and Calf car park in the pitch dark, and walked along the slippery path over the moors to the circle. The sky was starting to glow in the East which suggested that a perfect dawn was on its way. I hoped so - because I had been here before and had several false alarms, where the sky was drab and flat. But this morning the sky gave me a show with gorgeous blues, yellows and reds. There was still frost on the side of the stones and in the middle of the circle and the sun light was reflected off these. Across the valley the mist was still hovering over the little town of Otley in the distance below...and then the sun very slowly appeared over the Chevin and my camera was aligned with the sun and the capstone of the circle.
I imagined standing here perhaps four and a half millennia ago when our ancestors may have witnessed much the same scene - with the sun rising over the moors and valleys, and perhaps them giving thanks to their Gods for another day.
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Also in: High Moorland
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