One of the things that is such a draw for me are the neolithic sites sprinkled around Orkney.   No other human-built structures I’ve visited has had me wondering about those who built them as much as the stone ruins of Scotland.  They’re simply magical.

Stones of the Ring of Brodgar at sunset

There are neolithic sites here spread around but without a doubt, the Ring of Brodgar is my favorite.  Each stone is unique and interesting to look at on its own. Their textures, shapes,  and silhouettes are all intriguing.   More after the break…

I love the texture of this stone

I imagine seeing fossilized leaves in this stone

You get a feel for the setting with this image, with the Loch of Harray in the distance

That's me and my friend Susie in front of one of the stones

While each stone is interesting on its own, as a whole the Ring is even more fascinating.  It represents an amazing amount of work on the part of people some 4500 years ago who had the spare time and motivation to haul literally tonnes of rock from all corners of Orkney, stand them up in the ground, and then dig a 10 meter wide, 6 meter deep trench around the entire thing.  The diameter is that of a football field.  The work to do all this would have taken teams of people months if not years.  And we don’t know why they did it…

The setting sun at Brodgar was one of the memories I needed to relive on this recent trip to Orkney

It’s simply magical.  And luckily the Ring of Brodgar, along with several other stunning sites in the area, was included in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage List.