The Old Stones of Scotland

Where to start with Scotland? From what amounts to a stone circle showroom at Machrie Moor on Arran in the southwest, up to Orkney in the far north where some of Britain’s most spectacular prehistoric remains can be found, there are amazing sites of all types up and down the country. Some settings are unexpected – Balfarg, one of Scotland’s largest henge monuments – is situated in the centre of a 1980s housing estate in Fife, while the stone circle of Craighead Badentoy in Aberdeenshire is surrounded by huge industrial containers. If you don't have long, then the Isle of Arran or Kilmartin Valley (Argyll) are good choices, as both are reachable in a day from Glasgow and contain a wealth of prehistoric monuments. If you have longer, then consider visiting Orkney or Western Isles such as Lewis and Harris for world-famous sites as well as hundreds of lesser-known treasures. The Old Stones of Scotland is part of a series covering the megalithic and other prehistoric sites of Britain and Ireland. The series is published together as The Old Stones: A Field Guide to the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland, available as a book and an ebook.