It seems likely that single standing stones like the one above, which is over two metres high, have been used as route markers for possibly thousands of years. Stone is readily quarried in north Derbyshire, and once erected they are extremely durable, although some may have been broken up when the commons were enclosed. But in an open, moorland landscape they would have clearly stated ‘here is the route’ and would have been visible a mile away.

No-one knows how many such stones survive today, and not all are marked on the OS map, unlike the stone illustrated. They can be confused with gateposts, but these are generally shorter and have holes bored in them to attach hinges. Some have been worked so that they have been roughly squared, although they have no inscription, as with the stone below, which can be found at SK 299521, just off the public footpath but clearly visible from it. The location is in a direct line from the top of Alport Height to the alignment of Prathall Lane, leading into Gorseybank, southeast of Wirksworth, which might have been the route of the Portway in early medieval times.

A third stone near Wirksworth can be seen opposite the Malt Shovel Inn, near the crossroads of the Alfreton-Ashbourne turnpike with the route down to Belper from Bolehill, although it must be much older than these. It is marked on an early nineteenth century map as ‘menhir’ and may well indicate a very early route of the Portway, avoiding the steep descent into the town by circling it on the east and north sides. As with the other stones, this is on private land, but is clearly visible from the road.

In common with many other prehistoric and historic sites, we can never know the full story behind these enigmatic stones, but this basic supposition – that we are looking at ancient route markers – is supported by the use of similar stone markers (but with lettering) for guide stoops in the early eighteenth century and then the introduction of regular milestones on the turnpike roads.