Three Brothers Altar Stones, Lancashire

The Three Brothers are monumental altar stones on the limestone belt of Warton Crag, enveloped in forest and bracken. The sun doesn?t shine much here, and the limestone pavements are usually encrusted in a deep green moss.

The Three Brothers represent a key megalithic site in Lancashire, but the stones themselves are notoriously difficult to find because a) the OS map is vague, b) as you wander through the woods there are at least 3 or 4 other clusters of three boulders that look identical and c) the three you are looking for are hidden by foliage from all angles at this time of year.

I reached the Three Brothers for the first time in the evening, the woods deserted apart from deer and buzzards. It was difficult to photograph all three stones together as they are spread in a straight line. It is a remote, peaceful but somehow compelling place, full of drama.