giants stone

carn stabba is the name given to this area in which significant arrangements of large stones are to be found, this giant stone is between 3.4-3.8m high , 8.4m long and around 4m wide at its largest point.  its side and top have visilbe depressions that are due the erosion of water and week acidic solutions forming dish shaped basins which in some cases etch their way through the thickness of the granite.  carn stabba includes at least one ancient site, carn stabba cave, and many of the stones found here take on zoomorphic features. there are clear lines of sight with the nearby trencrom hill tor enclosure and the ancient sites on trink hill.

it is one of the sites where fire beacons celebrate the summer solstice. these are lit on cornish hilltops. and extend from lands end across the cornish moors to kit hill on the cornwall/devon borders. other sites include castle an dinas, chapel carn brea, and carn stabba.

the summer solstice was a fire-festival of great importance with the lighting of fires, seen as ritually strengthening the sun.  the use of fires were understood to drive out evil spirits, and was also connected to fertility rites.  to protect crops and herds, blazing gorse or furze was carried while people would dance around the fires or leap through the flames as a purifying or strengthening rite.