Robin Hood’s Pennystone, Lunedale

The Stone in the Valley

Travellers along the romantic vale of the Lune may notice, in a field to the right of the B6276 between Nettlepot and Wemmergill, a huge isolated rock resting above Sleight’s Pasture.

In the 19th century it was described as:

“An immense mass of rock… known as Robin Hood’s Pennystone.”

It very nearly disappeared. When an enclosure wall was being built nearby, the stone narrowly escaped destruction. According to an 1884 account, it was saved by the timely intervention of the manor bailiff.

The name survived.

And so did the stone.

Today it is marked on Ordnance Survey maps as “Robin Hood’s Stone,” ensuring the legend remains embedded in the geography of Lunedale.

The 1884 Teesdale Mercury Account

On 19 November 1884, the Teesdale Mercury printed a detailed account of the local tradition surrounding the stone. Within the article, reference was made to The Lord FitzHugh Magazine, which gave the legend in fuller form.

It described Robin Hood and his men amusing themselves upon the summit of Shacklesborough when:

The bold outlaw picked up a very large stone, placed it upon the toes of his right foot, and after swinging it backward and forward, tilted it with amazing force in the direction of Lunedale.

As the stone spun through the air, a fragment was said to fall at Kelton, while the remaining mass travelled on and landed in Sleight’s Pasture, where it has ever since been called Robin Hood’s Pennystone.

A further reference in the Teesdale Mercury in 1929 repeated the tradition, showing that it remained part of local memory well into the twentieth century.

Measuring the Distance

Modern mapping allows the story to be viewed differently.

The straight-line distance from the summit of Shacklesborough to Robin Hood’s Pennystone is approximately 3.17 miles.

The route crosses valley ground, open moorland and rising landscape above Selset Reservoir.

Even by legendary standards, that is an extraordinary throw.

The scale of the distance makes it clear that this is folklore, not history. There is no evidence that Robin Hood ever travelled through Teesdale or near Barnard Castle.

Yet the measured distance adds something unexpected to the story. It anchors the myth firmly within the landscape. It makes the legend tangible.

A Stone Older Than the Legend

Modern academic research has recorded the Pennystone as a glacial erratic boulder, carried and deposited by ancient ice long before written history.

Work by Paul and Barbara Brown notes that the stone measures approximately 4.26 by 3.3 by 1.53 metres and contains cup markings and carved grooves, suggesting prehistoric rock art rather than medieval origin.

In other words, the stone is likely thousands of years older than the Robin Hood legend attached to it.

Its position is significant. From nearby ground there are clear views towards the summit of Shacklesborough at around 454 metres above sea level, itself known as a site of prehistoric activity. The wider landscape around Blake Hill and upper Lunedale contains further evidence of ancient human presence.

The Pennystone sits quietly within that much older story.

Why Call It Robin Hood’s Stone?

Across Britain, dramatic or unusual landscape features are often linked to legendary figures. Robin Hood, giants and saints frequently become attached to boulders, hills and natural formations.

Large isolated stones demand explanation.

Before glacial science, before archaeology, before detailed mapping, stories filled the gaps.

A vast boulder resting alone in a field above Lunedale invites imagination. Linking it to an outlaw strong enough to kick it three miles across Teesdale was a way of making sense of its presence.

The name was strong enough to enter print.

Strong enough to survive reprinting.

Strong enough to appear on official maps.

And strong enough to be remembered today.

Shacklesborough and the Landscape of Myth

Shacklesborough stands high above Baldersdale with broad views across Teesdale and towards Lunedale. Standing on its summit today, looking south across Selset Reservoir and the upper valley, it is easy to understand how a story like this might have begun.

A dramatic hill.

A vast open sweep of moorland.

An isolated stone in the distance.

The geography invites myth.

Folklore, Not Fact

There is no historical record placing Robin Hood in Teesdale or near Barnard Castle.

The Pennystone legend is not presented as fact.

It is part of Teesdale folklore.

What makes this tale different from many others is that it is documented. Printed in 1884. Repeated in 1929. Marked on Ordnance Survey maps. Recorded in academic study. Measured across modern mapping tools.

That layering of record gives the story weight beyond simple rumour.

Where Is Robin Hood’s Pennystone?

Robin Hood’s Pennystone lies in Lunedale, west of Barnard Castle in County Durham, close to the B6276 between Nettlepot and Wemmergill, above Selset Reservoir.

It is marked on Ordnance Survey mapping as “Robin Hood’s Stone” and sits near a disused quarry above Sleight’s Pasture.

The straight-line distance from Shacklesborough to the stone is approximately 3.17 miles.

The landscape between them remains open and unchanged.

The stone itself lies on private farmland and is not within open access land. For that reason we chose not to approach it or photograph it directly. The Pennystone can still be understood through its mapped location and the surrounding landscape that inspired the story.

Even today the Pennystone rests quietly in the fields above Selset Reservoir, a silent reminder of one of Teesdale’s oldest landscape stories.

A Quiet Reflection

Robin Hood’s Pennystone is likely prehistoric.

The legend attached to it is Victorian.

The name survives in modern mapping.

The landscape remains.

Perhaps that is the real story.

Not whether the outlaw threw a stone across Teesdale, but how generations of people have stood in the same valley, looked at the same boulder, and felt compelled to explain it.

In Teesdale, even the stones carry stories.