Bigstones

Nearest Town: Banchory, Aberdeenshire

OS Grid Reference: NJ 69 90 64

Directions: Off the B9119 to the west of Echt. The church is signposted, follow this and park at the church. Circle is in the graveyard. The outlier is in the woods to the north of the church. Free entry.

Site Notes: Another site on Aberdeenshire County Councils ‘The Stone Circle trail’ Midmar Kirk is a fine site situated directly in a churchyard. It is not unusual for christians to attempt to subvert or destroy an ancient site in their insecurity, but fortunately this site is largely complete, although slightly distorted. It is thought that the circle was damaged during the building of the church and some of the stones were put back incorrectly, as the grading of heights does not match the other sites in the area. It does not matter however, as the site is a beauty, and you can see real evidence of the effort put into leveling the recumbent as the chock stones are clearly visible. In the woods to the north of the circle is a magnificent 8 foot tall standing stone. Allegedly once part of a row of three or more, this is all that remains.

Update: After my fourth visit to this site, I have only just noticed the graffiti from the 1800′s etched onto the recumbent. The year 1864 (shown below) and some initials is all I can decipher-can you understand any more?