23rd June 2009
A glorious day, so Hilary, Mark, Moss and I headed to the other side of the island to visit the standing stones and stone circles at Machrie Moor. Geoff Holder in his book 'Mysterious Arran' quotes Aubrey Burl's guide to stone circles which calls these "the best group of architecturally varied stone circles in Western Europe" . Holder continues that, "in a highly concentrated area you can find seven stone circles, plus several chambered cairns, standing stones and hut circles'.
You walk along a track from the car park between Blackwaterfoot and Machrie, which takes you into beautiful moorland from which you can see Goatfell and the other mountains. After a mile or so of easy walking you come to the stone circles and standing stones. The stone circles vary in size, and some have altar-type stones with them, and there are also single stones scattered around that seem like sentries. Further on you reach the three large standing stones, as well as one large stone on its own. It really is quite eerie, especially as they are next to a derelict farm house, Moss farm.
This is a great walk for people who don't fancy anything too strenuous. Machrie Moor itself is beautiful, with stunning views, and the standing stones are awesome. I have included a photo of Mark and Hilary next to one of the large stones to give an idea of scale.
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