'I went hiking in UK beauty spot and made mysterious historical discovery'

When setting off on a hike, you expect to come across stunning views, wildlife, and nature's peaceful silence. However, one adventurer received far more than anticipated after stumbling upon some mysterious symbols carved into stone whilst exploring the English border.

Astonished, they posted on Reddit: "I found this carving on a rock in a country estate on the Scottish Border . It shows the Roman numerals XVIII, two circles, one has a plus symbol in it and one has a minus symbol. From what I can tell the other characters are an anchor, a snake and a diamond shape. I used a stick to remove the moss and there doesn't appear to be any additional carving inside the diamond shape.

"The picture shows the correct orientation of the carving and the rock was about 18 inches tall. Found on the floor of a wooded area, next to a river. Any ideas?"

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While fellow users expressed their astonishment at the find, others urged them to contact local heritage groups to discover more about it.

One user commented: "I wish I lived in a country where you could go for a walk and discover cool ancient s***."

Another user remarked: "Contact a local historical society. Might be that you discovered something important."

A third user observed: "It's almost certainly a marker of some sort, probably 19th century or later.

"You say it's on an estate, so it's probably something to do with estate lands, so more likely a border or location marker than a way marker.

"The fact that it says 8 suggests it's one of at least 8 similar stones, so id be asking someone who knows something about the estate."

Another user chimed in: "It is relatively fresh. If it was Roman or Pictish out in that weather it would be a lot more weathered.

"The curve of the snake on the left looks almost new. You can see the smooth stone inside the groove."

Discussing the enigmatic markings found on rocks throughout the region, the Rock Art Project revealed how approximately 5,000 years ago, ancient Scots etched symbols into surfaces across the countryside for different purposes.

Their statement reveals: "We call these prehistoric carvings 'rock art' and, if we look carefully, we can still see traces of them today.

"Thousands of prehistoric carvings are known in Scotland, and there may be many more waiting to be discovered.

"They were clearly important to the people that created them, but we know little about how were they used, or what purpose they served."

The group has been charting identified rock art on their website, complete with geographical coordinates and symbol descriptions.

Their statement continues: "Rock art is one of the most fascinating and mysterious aspects of our past.

"Rock art refers to images, symbols, and marks that have been painted or engraved onto natural rock surfaces.

"People have been creating rock art across the world for over 40,000 years. We find it deep within caves, in rock shelters, and on outcrops and boulders in the open landscape."