Raedykes

Nearest town:
Stonehaven (5km ESE)
OS reference:
NO832906
OS sheets:
38, 45
Latitude:
57° 0' 22.53 N
Longitude:
2° 16' 35.86 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8330190600 Taken after resurfacing at the north side, the cairn is beyond the highest point. You can see were I battered my way in!

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 20, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8330190600 Standing up in the middle of the cairn. The most famous of the cairns can be seen to the north.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 20, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8330190600 Crawling on hands and knees, this the south side of the cairn. It is at least still 1m high.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 20, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8330190600 The fifth and highest cairn is a nightmare set amongst gorse/jabby stuff. This the centre.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 20, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8327190608 To the far right Eddie’s Law, the walk from there to Raedykes is a nightmare.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 16, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO83227190608 The eastern side of the cairn taken from the south side.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 16, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8327190608 The east side of the cairn looking onto the actual Raedykes Hill.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 16, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8327190608 The trench in the fourth cairn at Raedykes leading to a possible cist.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 16, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8235590610 Internal kerb or ring, the rest covered in jabby stuff.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 15, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8235590610 Looking over Rickarton to the North West.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 15, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8235590610 A second fallen stone on the north side.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Mar 15, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8325590610 This wee guy stands all alone on the eastern side.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Feb 3, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO8322690655 The south east section of the cairn. Much of it is covered in gorse.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Feb 3, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO83229068 The south west section, Raedykes Hill left and Garrison Hill, right.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 30, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO83229068 the north part of the cairn. This looking north, the nearby gorse was to be a problem later.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 30, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by drewbhoy

NO83229068 the north east section looking over to Raedykes and Garrison Hill, to the east.

Image credit: drew/amj
drewbhoy
drewbhoy Jan 30, 2018
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by GLADMAN

One of Aberdeenshire’s hidden gems.....

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN May 7, 2010
Image of Raedykes (Ring Cairn) by Chance

Plans of individual Stone Circles at Raedykes.

Image credit: Mr W. Douglas Simpson, M.A., F.S.A.Scot.
Chance
Chance Sep 6, 2008

Articles

Raedykes

drewbhoy
drewbhoy May 22, 2018

Like other visitors to Raedykes I thought there was 4 cairns/stone circles, however according to Canmore there are five. Canmore is right, unfortunately they don’t describe the complete nightmare to find it.

I approached from the north (on a beautiful crisp Spring day), from Eddieslaw looked for cairns here, sadly all ploughed out) and there are much easier routes. After ploughing through a bog, jumping several burns and jumping over several fences I made it to dry land without injury. From here its head to the top of the hill. On the hill several deer looked down, their thoughts easy to read....check that idiot! Polite version!

NO 83220 90680

This ring cairn is surrounded by a stone circle with 9 stones still standing, inside several kerbs remain in place. It has been described before. This is the site nearest to West Raedykes steading.

NO 832716 90608

Sitting a short distance west, about 20m, is a cairn half covered in jabby stuff. Still it looks in reasonable condition and looks like it might have a been a kerb cairn. It has been houked in the centre.

From here I walked past the high gorse, jabby stuff etc to the most famous site.

NO 83226 90655

This is a truly fantastic site with truly fantastic scenery to match the imposing standing stones which appear to be looking west, imo. Apart from these stones smaller stones still stand whilst others have fallen. The inner kerb is in the same condition. Sweetcheat’s oft used phrase ‘gentle restoration’ screams here. Maybe one day!

NO 83220 90680

Slightly to the north of the previous there is a small cairn. A small ditch appears to lead to the possible remnants of a cist. Several kerbs also remain in place.

NO 83255 90610

I walked back past the famous standing stones to look south at the highest of the gorse, whins etc over a fairly ruined fence. There was no way through except to crawl or throw myself into the gorse. After what seemed ages I made it through to the tiniest of clearings. If you find this you are standing on the cairn. Crawling round the edges I found several kerbs still in place. It is almost 7m wide and 0.5m high. There is a small hollow in the middle but nothing to suggest serious damage..........to the cairn.

As for me, another battering but it doesn’t matter as Raedykes is one of my favourite places, an essential visit if in the area.

Visited 15/3/2018.

Raedykes

T
taras Jan 6, 2007

Raedykes is a bit of a misnomer; Raedykes itself is a Roman camp on nearby Garrison Hill, while the ring cairns are actually on a different hill, Campstone Hill. There are four ring cairns, one obvious, one less obvious and two dubious. The most intact cairn, on the very top of the hill, features three large stones which Watt* suggests could be “the precursor of a great recumbent stone circle without a ring cairn”, the kind of circle most prevalent in this region.

The choice of location is obvious, commanding a great view across to more modern monuments in the form of the masts on Cairn-Mon-Earn and at Durris in one direction, and Stonehaven and the sea in the other. The nearby Hill of Cairneymore, as the name suggests, would have been a superb source of materials.

Getting there: Take the A597 out of Stonehaven for just over 3 miles; you’ll cross one bridge, the Findlayston Bridge, about half way there. Eventually you’ll come to a place where there’s a turn off the road to the right, up a small hill, with a post box in the wall on your left. Go up this hill and you’ll quickly come to a fork in the road.

If, as I did, you want to access the cairns via the Roman camp, carry on up the hill (right fork), and use a map to get across to Campstone Hill! This is an interesting way to go, as you’ll go through Cairneymore Hill – which is fairly obviously the source of all the stones in the cairns.

If you want to go straight to the cairns, take the left fork, and carry on until you’re looking down on a small cottage, called Union Cottage. There should be three green gates in a ‘T’ on your right; follow the middle of the ‘T’ up to the crest of the hill and you’re there. Either way, taking an OS Explorer map is a very good idea.

Video of the main ring cairn

*Archibald Watt, “Early Stonehaven Settlers”, Stonehaven Heritage Society 1994.

Miscellaneous

Raedykes
Ring Cairn
Chris
Chris Oct 2, 2006

Burl describes a line of 4 ring cairns, the outer two of which have stone circles. He rates them as ruined, but recognisable.

Topics

Cleanly split stone! 7
T
taras
Dec 2007

Sites within 20km of Raedykes

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