Boscawen-un Stone Circle


Pronounced boscawen-oon, this is a large and well-defined stone circle (actually an ellipse), consisting of 19 upright stones, plus one leaning stone near the centre. It was erected sometime during the Bronze Age: the name derives from three Cornish words, bos (farmstead), scawen (elder tree) and un (pasture).

It's an important cultural site, which is probably why the Gorseth Kernow (the bardic organisation founded to revive Cornwall's language and culture) chose to hold its inauguration ceremony here in 1928.

There are no road signs to the circle, but having an OS map makes it relatively easy to find. From Penzance, take the A30 west towards Land's End, passing through the village of Drift. Follow the road and pass the turning to Boscawenoon Farm. Soon after, you'll see a grassy layby on the left-hand side of the road with a wooden walkers' gate and a small stone marker – a trail leads from here to the stone circle.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Carn Euny

1.18 MILES

This Iron Age village is one of only a few in Penwith to have survived the centuries relatively intact. The remains of several circular huts can still be…

2. Merry Maidens

2.22 MILES

Among the best-preserved of Penwith's stone circles, this group of 19 stones supposedly mark the petrified remains of a group of girls who were turned to…

3. Tanglewood Wild Garden

2.73 MILES

This secret garden is the very definition of a labour of love. When the owners bought it in 2001, it was little more than a tangle of brambles and…

4. Trengwainton

2.79 MILES

Two miles north of Penzance near Madron is the walled garden of Trengwainton, which has a subtropical collection of ferns, shrubs, magnolias and…

5. Penberth Cove

2.99 MILES

Cut into the cliffside, this steep cove looks inescapably romantic, with its little cluster of stone-walled cottages and a steep slipway sliding down into…

6. Gwenver Beach

3.12 MILES

The northern end of Sennen's sands is the prettiest, a 150m curve of soft yellow sand. It's joined with the main beach at low tide, but it's a bit more…

7. Lamorna Cove

3.16 MILES

About a mile south of Mousehole is the weeny cove of Lamorna, a pocket of rocks, cliffs and pebbly sand which was a popular subject for many of the key…

8. Newlyn Art Gallery

3.37 MILES

On the edge of Newlyn, this historic gallery was founded in 1895 to display the work of the artists of the Newlyn School, but since 2007 the gallery's…