20/05/2026
Local Cumbrian farmer Calum Stott is on a mission to revive the culture of stone lifting across Cumbria and England, one of the world's oldest strength disciplines, dating back thousands of years.
Calum was recently part of a group that placed 12 stones across 5 locations with weights ranging from 68kg to 192 kg near Thirlmere reservoir here in the central Lake District.
The Valley O’ Styans circuit commemorates the communities that once lived there before the dam was built. The stones link to the history and geology of the area, reflecting on the village's farms, community and what once existed before the area was flooded.
Calum has also found references to historic stones close to Ennerdale Water in the western Lake District on a 19th-century map, and tracked down the Longton Egg, a large, smooth, egg-shaped stone that sits in the garden of an old smithy near Middleton in Teesdale that was lifted by men in the 1800s on their way home from a late night of drinking.
His inspiration to research stone lifting in England began when he heard David Keohan passionately share his journey of travelling around Ireland to revive the lost tradition of stone lifting on a podcast.
David’s journey and the stories and folklore behind Irish stone lifting have now been made into a book, The Wind Beneath The Stone, which you can find at the bookshop from tomorrow.
