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Machrie Moor

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Our view

"Discover the standing stones of one of Scotland's finest early settlements on the Isle of Arran"

Walk directions

From the car park go through a gate and continue along a straight farm track. Cross a stile at the second gate. In the left hand corner of the second field there is a megalithic site. You won’t see anything above ground as it was only identified when flints dating back 7,000-9,000 years were found.

Continue on the track and after a couple of sharp bends cross another stile then turn right over a third stile to access the cairn at Moss Farm Road. This was the burial place of a powerful individual. It has only been partially excavated so no one knows for sure what is under the centre but it could be a stone-lined cist containing the body with perhaps pottery and tools.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Footpaths, rough tracks, road, 3 stiles

Landscape - Forest, seashore, fields and moorland

Dog friendliness - Keep on lead near livestock and where requested by signs

Parking - Machrie Moor Standing Stones car park

Toilets en route - Car park at Blackwaterfoot

About the walk

Arran is world-famous for its archaeological remains dating from the mesolithic period. The island is littered with them, but the greatest concentration can be found on the wild, windswept Machrie Moor. For it was here that humans settled from the earliest of times and have left the remains of... their hut circles, chambered cairns and standing stones. The circles of grey granite boulders and tall, weathered red sandstone pillars are an impressive sight against a winter sun on the wide expanse of moor. Magnificent Monuments The earliest inhabitants settled here some 8,000 years ago and, across the millennia, later settlements were created and the first simple monuments erected. Within this small area of moor there are over 40 stone circles, standing stones, chambered tombs and hut circles making it the finest neolithic and Bronze Age site in Scotland. Most visitors head straight for the three large red sandstone pillars, the tallest standing slightly over 18ft (5.5m). These stones were once part of a much larger circle; the other stones have fallen or been removed. No one is certain what function these Bronze Age circles performed, but it is likely that they had a religious significance. Many stone circles are precisely aligned to particular celestial events like the rising of the midsummer sun, and they possibly also fulfilled seasonal functions, indicating when to carry out certain rituals or to plant and harvest crops. A survey of the area by archaeologist John Barnatt in 1978 revealed that four of the circles were aligned with a gap in the skyline of Machrie Glen, where the sun rises at midsummer. Legendary Figures Other early Arran inhabitants had another explanation for the circles. At a time when people attributed anything they did not understand to legendary figures, the standing stones on Machrie Moor became the province of the giant Fingal, a Scottish form of the Irish warrior Finn MacCumhail and the double circle still has the name of Fingal's Cauldron Seat. According to legend, Fingal put his dog Bran in the outer circle and tied it to a stone with a hole in it to stop it wandering while Fingal had his meal in the inner circle. The dwellers on the moor lived in round huts, the remains of which are still visible. There is no explanation as to why and when they departed, leaving their monuments, but one theory is that climate change forced them to move to a warmer and more sheltered part of the island. In the thousands of years since they left, the area has become covered by a blanket of peat bog. There is undoubtedly more to discover under this protective layer as recent excavations continue to uncover even older structures.

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About the area

South Lanarkshire offers some of Scotland’s best days out, with country parks, museums, activity centres, historic sites and walking trails to choose from. Many of the area’s museums are a window into the county’s industrial heritage, the biggest claim to fame being New Lanark.

Route details

Difficulty:

Easy

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

3 miles (4.8kms)

Ascent:

114ft (35m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

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Machrie Moor

Recommended by

Our view

"Discover the standing stones of one of Scotland's finest early settlements on the Isle of Arran"

Walk details

Difficulty:

Easy

Gradient:

Gentle

Distance:

3 miles (4.8kms)

Ascent:

114ft (35m)

Walk directions

1 of 6

2 of 6

Leave the enclosure and continue along the farm track. Just after the next stile the road curves left to pass a derelict building. There’s a stone circle here by the road that is known as Fingal’s Cauldron. The stone circles like this one were erected round about 2000 BC.

3 of 6

Follow the grassy track down from the circle to go through a gate that leads onto the open moor. Here, in front of you are the most spectacular of the standing stones. This was a sacred place where ancient beliefs and rituals were developed over several millennia from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

4 of 6

There’s a modern, grassy path that links five visible stone circles on the moor. The most spectacular is Circle 2, which has three of its seven or eight upright stones still standing. One of the fallen stones was split and made into millstones in the 18th century, then apparently abandoned.

5 of 6

Wander round the moor, noting that some circles are just low, squat, granite boulders while others are tall sandstone pillars. Look out for one circle, which uses both granite and limestone. When you have seen enough return to the gate, leave the moor and re-trace your steps back to the car park.

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Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Footpaths, rough tracks, road, 3 stiles

Landscape - Forest, seashore, fields and moorland

Dog friendliness - Keep on lead near livestock and where requested by signs

Parking - Machrie Moor Standing Stones car park

Toilets en route - Car park at Blackwaterfoot

Walks in South Lanarkshire Dog-friendly walks in South Lanarkshire Family friendly walks in South Lanarkshire

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

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Get an AA guide

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

South Lanarkshire

Machrie Moor

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Machrie Moor

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