It seems that many people who have a love for the Goddess also have a love for the ancient cultures and sites upon which She was worshiped and venerated. We don't have to go too far on these fair isles to come across circles of stone and earth, spirals carved into rock and natural pools and hills sacred to the feminine archetypes.

The complexes of Avebury and Stonehenge in Wiltshire are popular with Goddess loving people as are the mounds and passage tombs of County Meath in Ireland. But it's to Cumbria I would like to take you, to a lesser known site scattered and hidden within the Lakeland Fells where the Goddess still breaths.

I've been visiting the English Lake District for 17 years. I have spent many wonderful days and nights meandering through the fells, climbing upon the high crags, sitting at sacred sites and searching through the bracken for ancient burial grounds and monuments.

Many of you may be familiar with the more popular sites of Castlerigg Stone Circle above Keswick, Sunkenkirk (or Swinside) Stone Circle in the Western Lakes and Long Meg and Her Daughters in the Northern Lakes. However, it was in the lesser known valley of Eskdale that my most treasured experience with the breathing Goddess of Nature took place.

On windy moorland above the village of Boot in Eskdale there lies a complex of circles and cairns ruined and hidden by tall moorland grasses. It is known as the Burnmoor complex and consists of at least 5 stone circles and various cairns. The whole site covers more than 2.5 sq km and one could quite easily pass it by un-noticed.

Why is it that searching for lesser known sites is always arduous? The first time I visited Burnmoor was in 2006. I was on my own and it took an age to find the first of the circles in the low cloud and mist that hung over Eskdale. It is as though one has to go through some unspoken acceptant ritual with the spirits of the place.

The first circle, Brat's Hill has an outer ring of stones surrounding 5 cairns where excavation uncovered burnt remains and antler picks. For me, at that time, the circle was a welcome rest and as I sat down I felt an overwhelming urge to sleep as though the Goddess Rhiannon herself had made me the finest bed and beckoned me into her fey realm.

Of course I didn't sleep, I resisted the urge to join the Goddess for fear I would not return and instead made my offerings in quiet solitude. The mist was clinging and close, making visibility difficult and so it was impossible to gain an impression of the overall site that day. Still, an air of grace seemed to slowly meander through the mist leaving me with an impression of peace and ancient life.

The following year I discovered the other circles and some of the ruined cairns, and through that trip I recognised the vastness of this site and the practicality of the location.

During that second visit it seemed like the magic of the place had retreated somewhat. It was summer and the land was dry with a barren feel to it. Burnmoor went out of my mind then for a while and it wasn't until early this year I made my third visit. It was during this trip that I encountered the Goddess' presence most strongly.

It was January 2009, the week after the Christmas holidays. There were very few tourists around in the Lakes and the locals seemed to be engaged in quiet time recovering from the Christmas rush. It gave the Eskdale Valley a forgotten feeling.

Two days into my holiday I decided a walk up to the stone circles was in order. I was staying within walking distance and wrapped up warm and ventured out onto the Fells.

To get to the circles you take a bridleway onto the moor from the edge of the village of Boot. The path takes a fairly steep incline which leads you from the valley floor. The paths were covered in ice and the land underfoot which is usually boggy in paces was hard and frozen.

As I reached the brow of the hill I felt a wave of dizziness come over me which I put down to the hard walk up. I rested for a few minutes before looking up at the path ahead.

It was then that my inner eye saw them. Lining the bowl shaped moorland were hundreds of ancient figures. There were men, women and children, all with brilliant eyes looking at me, watching and waiting in eerie silence while the wind formed images of them in my mind. I saw the village and circles, the cairns of the dead ones as if they had just been built. These ghosts from the past surrounded me and with sharp focus welcomed me onto their land.

I experienced their energy as very feminine and knew in my heart that these people loved the Goddess. In an instant flash I saw them working with the land, planting crops and selecting the best seeds to plant the following spring. I saw the Tribal Priestess making offerings under the full moon on behalf of her people. I saw the older children teasing the younger ones saying the old water goddess would "get them" if they went too close to the nearby Burnmoor Tarn. These people were happy and they were at one with their land.

The illogic nature of the vision did not concern me; I knew this was one of those moments you had to just accept. It was as though they recognised me as one of their own, as a lover of the Earth and all that lies beyond in the realms of the Goddess. I was privileged to be shown these things and in my head I heard a voice saying "remember me".

My time spent in the circles that freezing day was magical and timeless, an experience I will not forget and one I felt I must acknowledge as authentic, at least for me.

There's not an awful lot changed on the fells of Cumbria since our Neolithic ancestors lived on Burnmoor. Lower down towards the village of Boot there are old industrial working but up there, no modern buildings, farm clearances or other inhabitants apart from the odd sheep. I think this is what is special about Cumbria and its ancient sites. Whether these ancestors worshiped the Goddess or not, the land itself is alive with Her presence.

You can hear Her voice on the winds and sense the heart beat of the earth mother as you tread the well worn pathways. You can see her energy undulating and infusing the trees, gills, valleys and hills in spring and summer. You can sense the icy grip of the crone and the timelessness of the winter months brings you visions beyond belief. The Goddess is truly alive in Cumbria and waiting for your visit.

Burnmoor is above Boot, Eskdale. The following grid references take you to the circles. NY172028, NY172027, NY172023, NY172024, NY173023.
There is parking at Dalegarth Station and a strenuous walk from Boot up onto the moor. The nearest and largest circle, Brat's Hill, is on your right.

*The 2009 Goddess Retreat run by Goddess Within will take place in Eskdale this June. See the website for further details.