Isle of Arran (part 1 - Machrie Moor)
From last December...
We had family visiting so we took the opportunity to rent a car (WAHOO) and head down to the Isle of Arran. It's a small island, often referred to as Scotland in miniature and my goodness, it is gorgeous. We spent only a day there, but at some point will return just because there was plenty to see and do and the island is so gorgeous!
One of the main reasons we went there was to see the sets of standing stones on Machrie Moor. The last set of standing stones we saw was Clava Cairns and I wasn't as impressed with those as I was with these standing stones. Mostly because these stones are pretty much like what I'd expect Outlander *should* look like.
It was a lovely, cold, misty day as we set out on our walk through sheep pastures to the standing stones. So, basically a typical Scottish day.
The first set of stones you see as you're walking along are pretty easy to miss, except they're surrounded by a fence. The stones are mostly submerged by the land and not really that, exciting? The second set we saw (above) is far more impressive.
I loved this house. Of course, it's derelict, but the location is amazing. And in the distance, is one of the tall, standing stones. What an incredible view.
This is the tallest and most impressive of the circles. These three stones were once part of a far more impressive circle of seven or eight. (I'm 5'8" tall, just for reference. These stones are MASSIVE!) We wandered around here for a little bit, just soaking up the feeling of the place. It just feels old and it's so incredible to think that these stones have been here for so long that nobody even knows why they're here or what they were used for.
And a picture of my little baby girl who looks so much bigger these days! She slept so well on this hike and woke up incredibly happy! She loved (and still loves) cold weather and rain. She's definitely a Scottish babe.
Machrie Moor is a collective of 6 standing stone circles, although there are at least 11 spread out in that particular valley. Additionally, there was also a settlement in this valley, dating back hundreds to several thousand years. The circles were possibly placed there because there is a notch in the valley, where the sun rises on the summer solstice, but the exact purpose of the stones remains unknown. Excavations on the valley have discovered stone huts, bone fragments in an urn, various food vessels, and definite proof that people lives and worked in this valley. Now, it is barren, save for the flocks of sheep and the occasional hiker. The hike is an easy one and definitely worth it to see this incredible view! I recommend going on a cold, rainy day to get the maximum Scottish experience. :)