Twelve Apostles Stone Circle

With so much to explore on Ilkley Moor, we spent two days hiking in the area to discover as much as possible. We walked to the Twelve Apostles on day two and this one is one of a number of stone circles on the moors, along with Backstone Circle and Bradup Circle.

The first thing I should say is that the circle is not really on Ilkley Moor, despite being known for its position there. It is actually on Burley Moor, which is part of the larger Rombalds Moor just to confuse you. Secondly, it's not really a stone circle either, it is believed to have been a 'ring cairn'. Though they seem to have served the same ritualistic purpose, a ring cairn may have been encircled by a larger stone circle or used as an alternative to a stone circle in certain regions. Differences between the two also include the central area of the circle; in a ring cairn the cairn was created in the centre, whereas a stone circle's central area was open. A stone circle was also comprised of just the standing stones, while a ring cairn involved constructing banks of earth and stone.

On first glance the Twelve Apostles look like a stone circle - it is made up of 12 evenly spaced stones around half a metre high, with a total diameter of around 15 metres. However, there are stones in the centre which was presumably the cairn at one stage. The Twelve Apostles is not actually in its original position on the moor and has been changed and moved over the years. There may have been more stones at some point too and a number of them have been damaged and repaired over the centuries. The mystery surrounding it continues with its age which has apparently been difficult to define, but other monuments similar to this date back to the bronze age or Late Neolithic period, so we'll go for that. Another quandary that the monument also provides for us, is its name which has religious connotations, however it was built around 2,000-3,000 years before Christianity began - another mystery!

It's not all bad news though! It is still an interesting site to visit with beautiful views over the moors and a great hike to get to it. Check the weather before visiting though - we had a lovely sunny day but there were plenty of wet, boggy areas on the moor so take care and be prepared!