Machrie Moor is, along with Stonehenge and Avebury in England and the stones on the Isles of Lewis and Orkney in Scotland, one of the best sites for standing stones in the UK.
There are seven ancient stone circles as well a several chambered cairns, individual standing stones and hut circles. Some circles are made of giant granite boulders and others made of giant red sandstone pillars.
The standing stone circles date from around 2000BC. The six stone circles are situated below a prominent notch on the skyline to the northeast where Machrie Glen divides into two steep-sided valleys. At the summer solstice, the notch is intersected by the sun at sunrise, and this may explain why the circles were sited in this location.
Various myths explain these stone circles. One myth tells of a group of fairies sitting on the top of Durra-na-each and passing the time by flicking pebbles onto the moor below. The ‘pebbles’ became the standing stones and the stone circles.
Another legend tells of mythical heroes Fingal and Fheinn clashing with a Viking raiding party on the moor. The Celts won the battle and raised stone circles over the graves of their fallen comrades.
I last visited 3 years ago, and my then 10yr old son is in a couple of he photos to let you see the size of the stones. Ive been here a few times over the years, but this time the weather was pretty awful when we were there but they are a beautiful site even when it’s dull.
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