Secrets In Stone

Aberdeenshire's mysterious circles invite visitors to explore the stories and legends of ancient Scotland

- REBECCA GIBSON

STONE circles have had us scratching our heads for centuries. These megaliths are crusted in lichen and mystery, their historic purpose ambiguous at best.

They might have been used for rituals, sacrifices, burials or calendars, although wackier theories include petrified giants who rejected Christianity.

Communities of old went to great lengths to haul these stones, many weighing several tonnes, to their chosen sites and manoeuvre them into position.

They must have been important, and part of their charm is that nobody really knows why.

The most famous example in Scotland is the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney, but there are over 100 stone circles in Aberdeenshire alone. Most of them are recumbent stone circles, a type unique to this region.

The key feature of these circles is the recumbent itself - a massive slab that lies flat, with an upright flanker stone on each side.

We have used the What3Words app to provide parking locations for each of these stone circles. Just type the three words into the app or what3words.com to find directions.

OLD KEIG

What3Words: regulator.penned.capillary

A true piece of buried treasure without so much as a signpost, Old Keig lies just five miles northeast of the village of Alford.

It's not as intact as other stone circles - consisting of five standing stones in a wonky row like a smile with teeth missing - but its spectacular recumbent is almost as big as a car.

At around 53 tonnes, it's the largest recumbent in Aberdeenshire, and it was transported some 9.5km (6 miles) to this location from the Don Valley.

As a stamp of its age, the stones of Old Keig are splotched with black, white, grey and zesty green lichen.