Castlerigg Stone Circle on a frosty dawn. One of the oldest stone circles in Britain it is dated to approximately 3400 B.C. Stone Circles are some of the earliest large man- made monuments on earth. Used for solstice festivals they were also places where trading of stone axe heads and animal skins took place. In their uses they were an early combination of Cathedral and Town Hall. One of the largest stone axe quarries in Europe stands on the hill opposite Castlerigg.