Ring of Brodgar Circle henge View all content for Ring of Brodgar

This is it - the number one most awe-inspiring ancient site I have had the pleasure to visit. The photographs really don't do it justice. We visited in early September, and went there twice - the second time at midnight, under a completely clear sky, with beautiful twinkling northern lights, the solitary light of the Flotta Flare, and the huge expanse of the Milky Way directly above us. The lack of light pollution in this area (and I'm from Aberdeenshire, where it's not a major problem) means the night sky here is absolutely stunning. The correct pronunciation is, according to a local tour-guide friend, 'brodjer' (with a slight nordic 'y' on the j). It's easily accessible, with an unobtrusive car park nearby. There are 28 stones remaining out of an original 60 (!), and stones 3, 4, 8 and 9, numbered clockwise from the NW entrance, have runic carving, a cross, an anvil, and an Ogham inscription (source for these last two facts: Janet and Colin Bord, 'A Guide to Ancient Sites in Britain', 1978).

Posted by taras 4th August 2006ce

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