Our next step was the Lake District where we visited Castlerigg. Absolutely stunning. Took my breath away. The stone circle is set on the summit of a hill, which is surrounded by amazingly formed hills 360° around. I felt very energised by the place and felt like I was again in a very special place. The stone circle had a group of stones that pierced the circle. To me, it felt like a phallic entering of the circle, a joining of both feminine and masculine energies. Whilst feeling the energy there and observing the magnificence, my mind wandered about the people who had built and used the circle so many life times gone. I felt that many generations of people had and still are having ceremony there. I really wanted to spend more time here but our journey was time limited so we had to move on. I vowed to come back to the Lake District as it is so very beautiful and Castlerigg so invigorating.

Our next stop was a beautiful stone circle named Swinside. The weather was poor but we decided to go for it anyway. We walked through field upon field and finally reached quite a large stone circle. Unfortunately, because I was cold and wet, I wasn’t really able to appreciate the place as much as I would have liked to but the weather added to the mystery and isolation of the place.

We were on the move again up to the western side of Scotland via Glasgow and to a place called Templewood. I was starting to feel like I needed to stop somewhere and spend longer than a few hours at a site. I love to spend as least a day if not three at one sacred site. Just being, drawing, observing, photographing and experiencing the stillness and the energy movements. Going from one circle to the next was having its toll on me so we agreed to stop for at least a day at the next site.

I then had the strangest experience. Once we had arrived, eaten and got ready to explore, Linda and Mandy went off for a walk to visit a number of burial mounds and Tina and I went straight to the stone circle. It was a strange circle as the middle was full of stones, which I had never seen before. Without thought, both of us walked straight into the circle and sat down leaning against one of the stones. Immediately, I felt uncomfortable and uneasy. I felt my life energy draining out of me. I didn’t know what it was bur I didn’t like the energy of this stone circle. I had never felt like this about any of the sacred sites I have visited.

After a while we left, agreeing that it had a strange energy. We went to visit the first burial mound but by this time I was really tired. All my energy had been drained out of me and I felt an urgency to leave the place altogether. We went straight back to the van and waited for the other two. I slept and woke up feeling awful. What I drew in my diary was full of death. I just wanted to leave. Linda and Mandy eventually came back after admiring every flower and all of nature on their amazing walk but quite unusually had decided against going to the stone circle. We left almost immediately even though it had been me that had needed to stop. We went and had a shower, which Linda suggested might wash any lingering bad energies.