Axe Stones

These Stones are part of the wider Longridge Fell Stone Circuit – ‘The Stones in the Trees’. The entire circuit consists of the Brownslow Brook Stones, Witch and the Oak, Spruce Stone, Taiga Stone, Acorn Stone, Hansel and Gretel, the Axe Stones and the Giant's Whetstone.

Weights
Stone 1 - Hatchet Stone - 61kg / 134lbs

Stone 2 - Broad Stone - 75kg / 165lbs

Stone 3 - Felling Stone - 130kgs / 286lbs

Stone 4 - Splitting Maul Stone 156kg / 344lbs

Location
View on Google Maps
View on what3words - directors.tablet.hours

Original Challenges
Stones to chest

Name Origin
The stones take their names from the traditional tools of woodland work, reflecting the fell’s forestry heritage and echo the axes once used in managing the woodland, linking the stones to the historic labour and character of the surrounding forest.

Stone Placement
Stones unearthed and placed by @dances_with_stones in the woodland just east of the Longridge Fell Trig Point. Access to the stones is via either Jerffrey Hill or Ribchester Ribble Ride, both provide sceninc views of surrounding fells and the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. 

History
Historically, the character of Longridge Fell was shaped by both extensive tree felling and sandstone quarrying during the 19th century.

Timber was an essential resource, with woodland managed for fuel, fencing, and construction, while later conifer plantations—introduced from the mid–late 1800s into the early 20th century—were established to support sustained forestry and land recovery.

 At the same time, high-quality sandstone extracted from the fell supplied Lancashire’s expanding cotton industry and was used in major projects including the Liverpool Docks and Lancaster Town Hall. 

Together, forestry and quarrying left a lasting imprint on the landscape, shaping the mix of woodland and worked ground seen on the fell today.