Ring of Brodgar

Amazing place, not sure why everyone is getting so excited about some stones. Until you approach the site on a narrow causeway with a lock either side one sea water and one natural water. From a distance it isn’t much but as you walk closer you can sense the history and the importance that this place will have had in the lives of the inhabitants. We took photos and walked around with lots of people but there was still a calmness about, I would love to visit when there was no one else.

My favourite place to be. There's something very special about the stones. I went at sunrise, there was no-one else around. Went later in the week too and the gates had been opened meaning we could walk close to the stones. Loved it. If a coach of visitors arrives, wait a few minutes, they don't seem to stay too long!! Take your time look and feel the stones they have stood up for 4500 years.

The Ring is a natural amphitheater created in neolithic times with huge, natural red sandstone columns. The Ring is surrounded by low hills and 2 bodies of water. Research suggests that the stones were brought from multiple different locations around Orkney and were placed in a shallow ditch. The purpose of the Ring is unknown as well as the reason for the stone's angled tops. The grounds are rich in cotton grass and purple bell heather. There is a small ranger station on site, but no public rest room.

Wow- this is an incredible set of stones. Care is being taken to manage the effect of visitors by closing off the inner path when necessary (it was closed when we were there) which means less direct access than at other historical sites in the area, but it was still a fantastic visit. 10 minutes walk from car park.

Impressive Neolithic structure. Beautiful settings. Spectacular landscape. A good walk to take in the significance of time and your fleeting time on this earth. Come early or late in the day to take in the scene and avoid the swamp of tourists.

The spellbinding stone circle - the Ring of Brodgar - is arguably the most iconic symbol of Orkney's prehistoric past. It is a site of ritual and ceremony, and hauntingly beautiful. The Ring of Brodgar is an archaeological treasure and without doubt one of the islands' most visited attractions. It can be found in a magical landscape that is the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most photographed attractions in Orkney - particularly at sunset. The ring was built around 2500-2000BC and covering an area of almost 8,500 square metres it is the third largest stone circle in the British Isles - just pipped by Avebury and Stanton Drew. Sitting within a natural amphitheatre of hills and surrounded by a ditch, 27 of the original 60 stones survive today. According to legend, it was a religious shrine and possibly a place of ritual, while others believe the ring was built for the astronomical observation of the equinox and solstice. The truth is, we don't know for sure which only adds to the mystique. Nearby, the solitary Comet Stone keeps a watchful eye, while just one mile from the site the Standing Stones of Stenness cast their spell. Four giant megaliths, at a towering six metres, date back to 3100BC making it one of the oldest stones circles in Britain. Close by, the Barnhouse settlement reveals an excavated group of house dwellings dating from 3300-2600BC. Other details: The Ring of Brodgar is free to visit and open year-round. Some sections of the inner path may be closed periodically to allow the grass path to rest and regenerate. Walk among the enigmatic stones of one of the most spectacular prehistoric monuments in the British Isles. The Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge is an enormous ceremonial site dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. The Ring of Brodgar comprises: -A massive stone circle, originally consisting of 60 stones – 36 survive today. -At least 13 prehistoric burial mounds. -A large rock-cut ditch surrounding the stone circle. The Scottish geologist Hugh Miller, visiting in 1846, wrote that the stones ‘look like an assemblage of ancient druids, mysteriously stern and invincibly silent and shaggy’. The Ring of Brodgar is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, a series of important domestic and ritual monuments built 5000 years ago in the Orkney Islands.

For you Neolithic buffs, this is quite a trek but amazingly pristine and accessible. The Stonehenge-like formations are simple and mindboggling. This area dates back 3100 BC and Denovian culture. Most amazing to me is the durability of the monuments. Modern facilities, museum and small restaurant nearby.

Amazing site, and definitely one for you budding photographers, the stones and the views are amazing, if you are fortunate enough to arrive on a clear day at the right time, it's magic. Highly recommended.

The Ring of Brodgar is another site that I had never heard of before embarking on our cruise of the British Isles. So, it made for another fascinating discovery to learn a little about and take some pics. It is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is estimated that the Ring of Brodgar was built around 2500BC to 2000BC. That would make it older than the famous Stonehenge!!! It is believed that this stone circle (which is surrounded by a ditch) originally had 60 stones of varying sizes. Only 27 of the stones are still standing today. It is a site of ritual and ceremony, and is surrounded by beautiful landscape. Very popular attraction especially during Sunset. Cool to see in person!! Historic and beautiful! Definitely visit when you are in this part of Scotland.

The Ring of Brodgar is another of the Neolithic monument on Orkney. It is the 3rd largest stone circle in the British Isles and was built in a true circle. There are two entrances to the circle but visitors cannot get close to the stones in order to keep visitors from touching the stones. The stones seem smaller than what you see at Stonehenge. The stones themselves are interesting in how they are cut and look like there are several layers to the stones. The circle is in between two lochs. The interior portion of the ring hasn't been fully excavated so the age of the ring is not known but it is thought to be around 2,500-2,000 BC. It is interesting to walk around and think of how and why the stones were placed there.

Our ship stopped at Kirkwall so we took one of the excursions around the island. One of the stops was the Ring of Brodgar. We have been to several other stone rings but this on is open and you can spend some time walking around the stones and try to understand how they were placed in this location. This is a must see if you visit the island.

Given that the Ring of Brodgar is the third largest stone ring and henge in the British Isles, it comes as something of a surprise to learn that the interior has never been comprehensively excavated, and that comparatively little is known about it. It is thought to date from around 2,500-2,000 BC and it's estimated that there may once have been 60 stones in the ring, although now only 27 remain standing. The stones are not as tall as the ones at Stenness just along the road, but they're still pretty damned impressive. As a World Heritage Site, Orkney now commands significant numbers of tourists each year, and the path up to the stones is now so worn that some major remedial work has been taking place during the last few years, with reinforced footpaths leading up from a new car park across the road. This avoids any treacherous negotiation of the still pretty deep ditch that surrounds the henge. The interior of the circle is largely overgrown with heather and bracken, making access difficult, but there are a couple of boggy footpaths that lead into the centre, where you are most likely to find some sort of newage (rhymes with 'sewage') garbage cluttering up the place. If you must leave offerings, at least make sure they are biodegradable! "Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photographs", as the saying goes. Most folk just walk up and around the stones, perhaps also walking across to one or other of the two outlying cairns, and then get back on the tour bus. But it's worth spending a bit longer here just looking around the landscape and the distant views - if you're not blown away by the near-constant gales that is. The hills of Hoy to the south provide a good backdrop for lunar observations, and engineer Alexander Thom believed that Brodgar was an observatory chiefly designed to observe the moon at its lowest point in its 19-year cycle, amongst other things. The great distance between stones on opposite sides of the ring provide an accurate sighting line for observations. Of course, with the discovery of the major Neolithic complex that lies on the Ness of Brodgar, between the Ring and the Stones of Stenness, the archaeological emphasis has shifted back to a more ceremonial interpretation of the site and it will be a few years yet until a more comprehensive explanation of the area is offered. Until then, spend a while with your back against a stone, and let yourself wonder.

These stones date back 500 years before Stone Henge. 15ft tall, at one time it is estimated that there were 60 stones.

Another neolithic site on Orkney? Yawn. Just kidding. Coming from the relatively infantile society of the US, neolithic sites never get old. The Ring of Brodgar is particularly impressive, one of the few stone henges with its megaliths still clearly standing in ellipse formation. Brodgar also happens to be the northernmost henge in Britain, and one of its three largest. Twenty-seven of the original 60 stones remain, one of which was cleaved in two by lightning in recent years. A burial mound nearby provides excellent views back on the henge, which itself is prettily situated between Lochs Stenness and Harray. Although a full excavation of the site has never been conducted, archaeologists estimate the Ring of Brodgar to be between 4- and 5,000 years old. Another essential stop on the Heart of Neolithic Orkney trail.

Loved walking among the stones that stood for many millinia, silent. If they could talk they would tell us when they were erected, the purpose and customs. They have witnessed the naval fleets of two world wars, perhaps more. The lichens that have attached give these massive stones color & tecture. The grasses, weeds and heather flourish while we mortals ponder the minds of the ancients.

A bit like Stonehenge, but better as you can get up close and touch the stones and if you can go with a guide, they can point out the Viking runes on one of the stones. I also enjoyed seeing all the heather flowers beginning to blossom and it must be a stunning sight when everything is in full bloom. Walk around and enjoy the feeling of ritual and mystery and ancient faith.

Really impressive site that you can walk clear around and photograph from virtually any vantage point. There are also small walking trails around the ring that allow you to photograph the ring from other slightly distant small hills. There is a recently discovered excavation site--the Ness of Brodgar--a short walk from the ring. All and all really spectacular. We took a city bus to the ring and only had 30 minutes there. Could probably have used 60-90 minutes to full appreciate the site and possibly to check out the ness but fully worth seeing whether your stop is short or long.