Nine Ladies Stone Circle

So I visited the Nine Ladies stone circle in the Peak District this July as ‘research’ for my first book, Bury the Truth. The stone circle is the location of my gruesome opening scene, so I figured I would take a look while I was visiting the UK.

The Nine Ladies are on Stanton Moor, about a 25-minute drive for my detectives from Chesterfield Station. I parked somewhere vaguely near where my fictional characters park in the novel and followed the same route as my detectives.

Admittedly, it was much more pleasant for me than I made it for DI Hale. No mud, torrential rain, Detective Constables trying to take annoying selfies, or misplaced body parts. Instead, it was a lovely summer day with dappled light under the silver birches, vibrant ferns lining the pathway, and heather blooming on the moorland.

The Nine Ladies are roughly knee-to-waist height, arranged in a ring about 11 meters across. They’re made of gritstone, which is the geological equivalent of saying “local rock.” They’ve been standing here for about 4,000 years, which is genuinely impressive when you consider I can barely keep a houseplant alive for four months.

There’s also a lone stone called the King Stone standing off by itself about 40 meters away, apparently having a timeout.

Despite its underwhelming presence, there’s something kind of great about being able to just walk up to a 4,000-year-old monument and touch it rather than peer at it from behind a wire fence (I’m side-eyeing you, Stonehenge). No ticket booth, no ropes, no security guard telling you to back away. Just you and some Bronze Age people’s rock arrangement.

It’s was peaceful. The heather and birch trees were pretty. I had the place almost to myself, and for free outdoor activities in the UK, this was genuinely pleasant.

Look, I’m not going to pretend the Nine Ladies are as Instagram-spectacular as my German backpackers make it seem. You’re not going to have a mystical experience unless you bring your own mysticism. But if you’re in the Peak District and you enjoy walking, looking at old things without a thousand other people, and you like free activities, this could be for you.

Practical Information

• Location: Stanton Moor, Peak District (about 5 miles from Bakewell)
• Cost: Free
• Facilities: None. It’s literally just stones in a clearing
• Accessibility: Requires walking on woodland paths that may be muddy and are uneven in places
• Time needed: 30 minutes if you’re a speed walker to an hour if you prefer to stroll and smell the heather
• Will it change your life? No, but it’s a nice way to spend an hour or so