Nine Maidens

West Cornwall


A small stone circle of nine upright stones. The name derives from maedn (later shortened to mên, as in menhir), meaning stone.


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1. Mên-an-tol

0.39 MILES

This baffling monument is the only one of its kind in Cornwall, consisting of two upright menhirs flanking a hollow, ring-shaped stone. Squeezing through…

2. Lanyon Quoit

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Perhaps the most impressive of all of the ancient sites in this part of Penwith, this is a classic example of a quoit, or dolmen – a table-like structure…

3. Madron Holy Well

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Down a muddy track lined by hawthorn hedges, this natural spring has been revered since ancient times, and its waters are reputed to have magical and…

4. Chûn Castle

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Little now remains of this Iron Age hillfort, but in its day, this man-made stronghold would have been one of the best fortified redoubts in Penwith. As…

5. Chûn Quoit

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A well-preserved dolmen that probably marks the site of a burial tomb, and is likely to be associated with the original settlement that later developed…

6. Tanglewood Wild Garden

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This secret garden is the very definition of a labour of love. When the owners bought it in 2001, it was little more than a tangle of brambles and…

7. Chysauster

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Penwith's moors would have been littered with Iron Age settlements 2000 years ago. Most have vanished, but a few remain – and Chysauster is the best…

8. Church of St Senara

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