Stone Rings

When I was a kid I became very interested in neolithic sites. One of the most famous of these is of course Stonehenge. Unfortunately when I went there I found it to be a bit of a tourist trap and as such you generally can't get up to the stones. If you are interested in these types of historical sites there are many others that are less well known and much more easily accessible. A little bit of research and you can find all sorts of these sites both in continental Europe and across the British Isles.

I had the good fortune of visiting Orkney and for neolithic sites it is a wonder. You can find everything there from tombs - complete with Viking graffiti - to standing stones, to settlements. The neolithic village of Skara Brae overlooking the Bay o' Skaill and originally inhabited between 3200BC and 2200BC is an incredible site to visit and well worth a trip if you are in the area. The standing stones of Stenness are also quite beautiful, especially at sunset and are easily accessible - just watch out for the sheep. The Ring of Brodgar is another group of standing stones and is just down the road from Stenness - just a few minutes apart by car.

I took the ferry from Gill's bay to St. Margaret's Hope to get to Orkney, driving up from Inverness but it is also possible to fly to Kirkwall from other locations in Scotland to get there.