A LAKE District holiday park has moved to quash rumours that a wooden henge in its grounds is a fertility symbol intended to help couples conceive.

Skelwith Fold, Ambleside, is concerned that comments on the internet could attract guests hoping for more than the park can offer.

Its henge is a group of 10-feet tall carved tree trunks encircling a taller bulbous-headed shaft.

It is located on open land at the summit of the mainly wooded 300-acre park.

According to director Henry Wild, the rumours began after a guest recently sent a Tweet pointing out that the henge bore a striking resemblance to ancient fertility monuments she had seen.

Others suggested, he said, that the park could be a useful place to visit for couples who wanted to return home with more than a coil of Cumbrian sausage as a memento of their stay.

“We’re slightly concerned that some people could start taking these internet whispers seriously, and be coming here for the wrong type of outdoor pursuits,” said Mr Wild.

“For that reason, we have now decided to add a disclaimer to our website stating that the henge is for aesthetic enjoyment only, and has no more fertility powers than a fridge.”

The website also points out, said Mr Wild, that the henge is in fact a relatively recent addition to the park, and dates back to just 2005 when a severe storm hit Cumbria in the winter of that year.

Following the devastation, the park commissioned acclaimed sculptor Kate Eveson to use some of the fallen oaks to create a monument to all the hundreds of other trees destroyed.

The result is the wooden henge, described by Kate as ‘bringing together the themes of ancient myth and folklore in a circular layout which symbolises strength and life’.

As such, admits Mr Wild, the sculpture could be interpreted as signifying regeneration – but its main purpose, he says, is to provide a place of quiet reflection amid the mountain scenery.

“People in the past have described Skelwith Fold as the most romantic holiday park in England,” said Mr Wild.

“However, suggesting that our sculpture is anything other than a purely artistic erection is just the product of a fertile imagination,” he added.