Cumbria is well known for the number of place names and areas associated with Viking or more particularly Nordic settlers and farmers. Less well known is the structure to be found about four miles West of the town of Ambleside, in the Little Langdale Valley. This is a natural hill which has been structured and layered into a recognised platform. This platform takes various names and I've always known it as a "Thing Mot" The interesting point about the Thing Mot, is that there are only two known examples outside Norway, the one above is much more famous at Peel Castle, on the Isle of Man. Whereas the one at Little Langdale is much less known. It's at the end of a valley with limited public access and there is little to be found in the way of ruins, homesteads or antiquarian buildings of any kind. Though at the time it was in use, it must have been very popular, with lots of people living in the near vicinity.
It's long been supposed Thing Mots were a centre of local Government, or a place of judgement like a modern day court, where disputes may be settled by whatever means. There is the Roman Road to Hardknott and Ravenglass close by as well as the junction to Great Langdale.
Maybe if you were to score a line from Peel through Little Langdale to Norway, you may well pick up some interesting and historical mystical ruin along the way.
