Stone-age Orkney: Standing Stones and the Ring of Brodgar

Thousands of years ago in Britain people liked to erect giant stones in circles. Theories abound about how and why but no one is exactly sure. Was it religion? Was it science? Clearly it was a matter of some importance given that it would have taken considerable effort to achieve. Whatever the reason, the engineering was impressive since many of these stone monuments are still standing today (and open to travellers).

The most famous Standing Stones in Britain are at Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain in the south of England. The ancient stones are an impressive sight but it is hardly an intimate experience. With hordes of tourists visiting every year, it is understandable that access is tightly controlled. There was a time when you could walk amid the stones but since the 1970s it has been roped off. These days general visitors must first pay £6.60, then stick to a path around the perimeter of the stones, before returning to the gift shop and food outlet. If that is too mass-tourism for you, never fear – you can arrange out-of-hours access to the stones through English Heritage.

Or you could head north instead.

The Orkney Islands off the north-east coast of Scotland, near the Shetland Islands, are remote from a London-centric perspective of Britain. They are remote even from Edinburgh or Aberdeen. But 5,000 years ago it was a thriving centre of stone-age civilisation. There are circles of Standing Stones scattered throughout Mainland – the name Orcadians give to the biggest island in Orkney – including the Standing Stones of Stenness and the nearby Ring of Brodgar. It is likely there were once more, but over the centuries many stones have either fallen or been raided by farmers for construction materials.

The best-preserved site is the Ring of Brodgar from the 3rd century BC. The site is World Heritage-listed, yet it is free to visit and if you have your own transport, it is usually uncrowded. (If you don’t, you can join an organised tour). There is a small car park and a path providing easy access up to the stones. Then you can meander around the stones at your leisure. Of the original 60 slabs, 36 survive and 27 are still standing.

When I visited in June, the meadows were filled with purple and white wildflowers – the fluffy white wisps of bog cotton were my favourite. It was a bright sunny day – warm enough that I actually got sunburnt on my shoulders. The scene looking out from the lichen-covered stones across the red-green fields to the blue ocean was tranquil. My friend and I stopped for photographs and to write and draw in our journals. Despite the beautiful summer sunshine, we only saw another half dozen other visitors.

I can imagine that the mood of the stones would be quite different as the weather changes. An electrical storm would charge the stones with elemental power. A snow-filled landscape would bring peace of a different kind – not the serenity of summer but the eerie peace of a landscape with almost all life in hibernation. I later saw some stunning images from Orkney Photographic in Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, showing exactly this.

We thought about returning to see the stones at sunrise or sunset but there was one practical obstacle. Since it was the time of the Summer Solstice and we were so far north, the sun was setting around midnight and rising again at 3am. After a full day of sightseeing we were just too tired to stay awake and then drive halfway around the island.

Ring of Brodgar
About 5 miles North East of Stromness on the B9055
Grid reference – HY 294 134
West Mainland, Orkney Islands
Scotland, UK

Tourist information: Visit Orkney
(The Visitor Orkney office is near the bus terminal in Kirkwall. They can also help with accommodation and provide left luggage facilities).

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This is dedicated to Darren Cronian of Travel Rants and My Life in Leeds. Last week he said on Twitter: “Finding the travel media sites/blogs rather boring right now…” I promised to write something interesting for him to read and asked if he was more the Flintstones or Star Wars type. He replied: “I’d have to say Flintstones or Captain Caveman”.

So in honour of Darren “Captain Caveman” Cronian, I am running a series of posts on stone-age Orkney. Sorry to all you Star Wars fans out there – my post on the real-life Tataouine in Tunisia will have to wait!

The next post in the series on the stone-age burial chamber Maeshowe will be published next Wednesday. The final post on the 5,000-year-old village of Skara Brae will be published the following Wednesday. Please subscribe so you don’t miss out!

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