Men-an-tol

[Stormcloud]

Hi

I just wanted to share a sacred spot not too far from where I live that is very special to me called the Men-an-tol. Often when visiting you are accompanied by barn owls, and last time I visited a beautiful fox stood and watched me from not far away. There are many stories about the properties of the central stone - some say crawling through it can cure bad backs, some say it increases fertility.

[Heddwen]

Hi Stormcloud, what a beautiful part of the country you live in. I have some lovely memories of a visit there a few years ago. I wonder, could you adjust the picture slightly I can't seem to see all of it. Did you crawl through the stone?

[Huathe]

Stormcloud,

The place does look special. Do you have any knowledge of the place's history? How long has the stones been there and who placed them there?


Heddwen,

I don't think the picture can be adjusted to be viewed all at once. I think it is the way the BBS is set up on displaying photos.

[skydove]

Have you tried moving the blue bar at the side up and down to view it, sorry if you have but I know to my bitter experience that if technical things aren't explained to me several times in words of one sylable I dont get the hang of them!
I visited this place a couple of years ago but was surprised that the stones are quite small the hole only big enough for a small person to crawl through, the walk to it and the ancient small stone walled fields approaching it gradually take you further and further back in time. Did you go to the stone circle further along the track?

[Heddwen]

Thanks it seems like we have similar computer skills, Skydove. somehow, I can now see all of it. I just clicked on everything

[Stormcloud]

I wasn't expecting the photo to be that big to be honest, not sure why that happened!

I've heard the stones are very old, some say neolithic, which wouldn't surprise me, but I've also heard the current alignment may not be their original placings. Other than that, I'm afraid I'm an incomer to these parts, so don't knw much more.

I did crawl through the central stone (also called the crick stone I think) the first time I visited, but haven't since, as it just didn't feel appropriate, and the ground either side of the stone seemed a little eroded last time I visited, so I contented myself with lying on my belly in the grass and just taking in my surroundings. I haven't visisted the stone circle further down though would like to at some point. My husband has a broken back, so the walk down to the Men-an-tol is usually enough for him.

[DJ Droood]

Great shot!

Is the hole in the middle of the stone natural or man made?

[Stormcloud]

Good question! I wasn't entirely sure, and I think I'd kind of assumed it was carved that way, but have done some research and everything I've found agrees that the hole is natural. One of the suggestions was this which I found interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock-cut_basin

[Fox of the Oaks]

Thanks for sharing this Stormcloud. I would like to one day visit this place, having a large limb of my ancestry from Cornwall.

Regarding viewing attached pictures, one way to see more of it is to right-click and select 'open in a new tab' (at least that's how it's done on Firefox browser).

PineRaven.

[AndyN]

This a great site that I've been to very many times over the years. With others I was involved in starting the Cornish Earth Mysteries Group - now defunct - and have drawn and written about it. I've attached an article I wrote in 1995 for our local earth mysteries magazine Meyn Mamvro. The article is about the stones being part of a lost stone circle - you can find the stumps of many of the missing stones if you look - and astronomical alignments from it. The moon as it rose at its outhern major standstill would be framed by the holed stone if it was set at 90 degrees to its present position. I have had some very intersting otherworldly encounters there.

moon an tol bw.jpg

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Men an Tol Observatory.doc

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