East Aquhorthies Stone Circle

The stones are a short walk from the carpark, along a dirt road between fields.  It started to sprinkle, but didn't start actually raining until we were back in the car.


The stones are located near Inverurie in north-east Scotland, is one of the best-preserved examples of a recumbent stone circle, and one of the few that still have their full complement of stones. It stands on a gentle hill slope about 1 mi west of Inverurie, and consists of a ring of nine stones, eight of which are grey granite and one red jasper. Two more grey granite stones flank a recumbent of red granite flecked with crystals and lines of quartz. The circle is particularly notable for its builders' use of polychromy in the stones, with the reddish stones situated on the SSW side and the grey stones opposite. The discovery of a possible cist covered by a capstone at the center of the circle indicates that there may once have been a cairn there, but only a conspicuous bump now remains. The ring of stones is not quite circular and has a somewhat "squashed" aspect. As is the case with other recumbent stone circles in the region, opposing pairs of stones have been erected on either side, increasing in height from a single low stone on the NNE side with the tallest stones, the flankers, opposite on the SSW side. The flankers are each about 8.2 ft high, while the recumbent is 12 ft long by 4.6 ft high. It is aligned so that its level top lines up with the southern moonset in the direction of the nearby Hill of Fare. Two other large stones support the recumbent at right angles, projecting into the circle.