Caves, Mines & Circles - Little Salkeld's hilltop distractions

I'd seen several photos of the picturesque Lacy's Caves over the years, its one of those walks that often fills a few inches in the odd walking column, but I had never been lucky enough to visit. The caves aren't naturally occurring and are an 18th century folly commissioned by Lt-Col Samuel Lacy of Salkeld Hall, consisting of five chambers they where used for entertaining and the abundance of rhododendrons nearby suggest they where originally surrounded by planted gardens.

Spurned on by another appearance in a local newspaper I decided to drag the kids away from there electronic devices and force them to get a little bit of fresh air. The walk from Little Salkeld to Lacy's Caves usually follows a circular route including the Long Meg Stone Circle but to avoid rebellion a simple straight there and back would be sufficient. It is probably worth noting that my daughter represents her school in a total of four sports & the district in one of them so its more the shame of being spotted out with her uncool⁽¹⁾ Dad, than laziness!

Overall a worth while distraction, with a pleasant walk beside the Carlisle-Settle railway & through Caves Wood.

Lacy's Cave...

Some of the walk is on a disused railway siding serving the disused Long Meg Gypsum Mine and some of the disused hoppers & sleepers can still be spotted. The mine area had a 'Keep Out' sign and the persistent barking of dogs put off any further examination.

Long Meg Gypsum Mine sidings...

Since we where in Little Salkeld it would be a shame not to visit Long Meg & her Daughters, albeit by car & not on foot.

Long Meg is the sandstone monolith while her daughters are the 59 remaining stones forming the circle...

Rock art...

¹ - Thats a matter of personal opinion. I always thought of myself as 'cool' but teenagers these days have poor judgement.