After visiting the prehistoric village of Skara Brae to start off Day 6 of our Compass Buster tour, we were off to see some more standing stones. (Another chance to get through to Jamie Fraser?!) We had already seen the famous Callanish Standing Stones while we were on the Isle of Lewis, this time we would be visiting some Orcadian standing stones.
Our next stop was the Ring of Brodgar, which was a short drive from Skara Brae.
Even walking up to the site, we could see how expansive and impressive it is! This stone circle has a diameter of 104m, which makes it one of the largest stone circles in the UK.
This stone circle and henge is estimated to have been built between 2500BC and 2000BC. The exact age is not known. And we still do not know exactly why this was built. It seems likely this site, along with the Standing Stones of Stenness – located a short distance away, played a ceremonial role for the peoples living here in the Neolithic times.
What a moody, wild and beautiful landscape.
It is thought that there were originally 60 stones in this circle. Currently, 36 stones remain – some standing, some prone. These standing stones are large – some stones are up to 4.7m tall! It is really incredible to think how the Neolithic peoples would have planned, quarried the rock, transported them and constructed this stone circle…
Expansive panorama of part of the Ring.
Walking around the stone circle, we came upon this:
It appears lightning had shattered this standing stone, causing part of it to lie flat on the ground.
This particular lightning strike was recorded in 1980 – relatively modern. It is reasonable to think that lightning strikes over the past centuries would have also caused the other standing stones to have shattered – resulting in broken and fallen stones.
Besides these standing stones, there are also several mounds in the surrounding area. Similarly, we do not yet know exactly why these mounds were built. Perhaps they had a ceremonial use? Or perhaps some other purpose entirely!
A knowe – or mound, surrounding the Ring of Brodgar.
Although we may never find out the real reason why the Ring of Brodgar was built, I’m tempted to believe this tale – The Dancing Giants of Brodgar. This tale tells of a group of giants, who were so entranced by the music of their fiddler, that they formed a circle and danced the night away upon the Ness of Brodgar. Losing track of the hours and the night, the giants danced and danced until the morning sun rose from the horizon. When the sunlight touched the still dancing giants, it turned them into stone – thus giving rise to the Ring of Brodgar.
If you are planning a visit to the Ring of Brodgar, this website has directions and information to help you plan your trip. We found it really peaceful, walking amongst these megaliths. And there was a great sense of history seeped into the stones and the atmosphere here.
This landscape and incredible megaliths are pretty impressionable – I don’t think either of us will be forgetting this visit!
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After visiting the Ring of Brodgar, our next stop was just a few minutes away – The Standing Stones of Stenness. This is also part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.
The Standing Stones of Stenness is estimated to date back to 3100BC – similar to Skara Brae. This makes it one of the earliest stone circles in the UK. Experts think there were supposed to be 12 stones constructed in this circle – although 1-2 may not have actually been raised. This stone circle is smaller than the Ring of Brodgar, with a diameter of 44m, but the standing stones here are much larger – true megaliths! Some stones are reported to be 6m tall!
Even as recent as in the 1700’s – 1800’s, the Standing Stones of Stenness and several nearby Standing Stones (particularly the Odin Stone) were shrouded in traditional myths and legends. People of all ages would have visited these stones – sealing pacts, declaring oaths and performing various ceremonies within this circle of megaliths.
Currently, there are only 4 stones standing here at this site. Unfortunately over the years, some of the Standing Stones were destroyed. In particular, one farmer (stressed to be a non-native Orcadian) set out to destroy these Stones. Perhaps he was sick of having to weave around the Stones with his plough, or perhaps he was tired of people walking through his fields to visit the Stones – particularly the Odin Stone. Whatever the reasons, he took down the Odin Stone, toppled one of the Standing Stones and destroyed another. He was eventually stopped before further damage could be inflicted on the remaining Standing Stones.
In early 1900’s, the Standing Stones of Stenness was placed into state care and in 1999, this site became part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are some fascinating links between the various Heart of Neolithic Orkney sites – both in their proposed functions, geographically and also in their alignments with each other. One such connection that I found fascinating is that you can view Maeshowe perfectly aligned in between the two dolmen stones near the entrance to the Standing Stones of Stenness circle. I think this is way too perfect to be coincidence!
If you’re interested in visiting these stones to see for yourself the fascinating Stones of Stenness and to admire the work of Neolithic builders and engineers, you can find more directions and information here.
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We would definitely recommend visiting these sites if you are in the area. It is really awe inspiring to gaze at something that was erected thousands of years ago and without using any of our modern day technologies. Makes you wonder how wise these Neolithic people must have been! It is definitely possible to visit the various sites of The Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site all in one trip – like we did on this tour. And if you are traveling independently, you can spend as much as you would like in each location, more time at one and less at another. We were fortunate enough to have visited 3 of the 4 major sites of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site on this trip. All that we missed was Maeshowe, which is accessible only via a guided tour – guess we’ll have to come back to Orkney another time for this!
After our very interesting history lesson, we were off for a wee walk to finish Day 6. Stay tuned next week for more!
From Vancouver with Love,
Ioana and Natalie
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