Sunrise over the twelve Apostles,

Sunrise over the twelve Apostles, Burley Moor, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. January 1st 2019.Set high on Burley Moor at a height of 380 metres above sea-level the Twelve Apostles stone circle stands close to a track 20-30 minutes walk from the Cow and Calf rocks and car-park. This is a delightful circle set in a spectacular location - although it seems to have been restored in recent years as old guide books refer to it as being badly damaged. It now has the 12 stones that its name suggests but the archaeologist Arthur Raistrick suggested that there were originally around 20 in the circle with a diameter of just under 16 metres, set within a rubble bank. None of these stones are particularly tall, the largest is less than a metre and a half in height and the whole aspect of the circle is similar to some of those found in Derbyshire.
There have been theories that suggest the stones were used for observation of the movement of the moon or celestial bodies - indeed it was once known as a 'druidical dial circle', however the fact that the site has been altered in the past would make this very difficult to prove. It is also said that from the circle the rising summer solstice sun appears exactly above the White Horse at Kilburn.
Often referred to as 'The Twelve Apostles of Ilkley Moor' the circle is in fact on Burley Moor, one of the constituent areas of the larger Rombald's Moor
Glossary Item: Bronze Age
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