Looking for a very different walk? There's a very special place, not very well-known, despite it being one of England's most significant and mysterious prehistoric sites, sometimes called 'the Stonehenge of the North': the Thornborough Henges. This site is very different to its Southern cousin. There are no stones to see and neither are there any crowds. The Thornborough Henges are thought to be over 5000 years old and consist of three circular mounds, ditches and banks.
You can see and feel some of the scale of these curious landmarks by wandering around the site - English Heritage recently added some interpretation panels. It's one of the largest ritual religious sites in Britain. The Thornborough Henges are thought to be the world's only triple henge complex.
Unlike some prehistoric sites where your imagination has to work harder than your eyes to discern any traces of the past, at Thornborough it's still possible to see the ditches and banks, particularly the northern henge.
The structure is apparently in alignment with Orion's Belt in the night sky, something they have in common with Egypt's Great Pyramids. Some believe the Thornborough Henges were built even before the pyramids. If so, what made man so many miles apart decide to build these great works in line with Orion?
Thornborough Henges are just off the B6267 between the A1 and Masham, near West Tanfield.