Stone Circle

Getting there - (OS Map ref NJ 717915) From Strichen, take the A981, 1 mile south of Strichen, turn right (West) down a track past a house and farm buildings. Take the first turn on the right then turn left. Park considerately outside Gardener's Cottage. Follow the path on the right of the building (difficult to see but it is there!) and follow it to the top of the hill. Its about a five minute walk.

Info - In 1830 this stone circle was demolished by a tenant farmer but was rebuilt at the land owners insistence. Unfortunately the stones were not put back in their original places. In the 1970s, Strichen and Community council restored the stones and archeological excavations were started. Enough information was gathered to rebuild the circle in its original position. The circle is approximately 50 feet (15m) across and includes a recumbent stone and two flankers. They are all made of local gray granite and weigh almost four tons. The movement of the moon in the southerly sky can be seen in the area marked by these stones. Pieces of white quartz can be seen scattered over the bank of stones surrounding the circle. There is an anvil stone about just over 6 feet (2m) to the east outside the circle, which would have been used to break up the quartz. A stone marked with 6 cup marks was found buried inside this circle. This would have been used to mark the rising and the setting of the moon. This stone can be found on the north side of the bank of stones surrounding the circle. This site also contained evidence of a later use - the remains of a created woman were found in the bank and in the centre was a small cist made of flat stones that contained charred bones.

Lindsey's tip - The road is not tarmaced so take it carefully and the path is over grown so if wet, wear suitable footwear. From this site you can also see the remains of a 19th century house and the round building near the circle is an old dovecote. Oh, and watch out for the sheep poo!