East Aquhorthies

Nearest Town: Inverurie, Aberdeenshire

OS Grid Reference: NJ 73 22 08

Directions: Leave the centre of Inverurie on the B9170 Blackhall Road, go past the council offices and Morrisons Supermarket. At the roundabout with the A96, go straight on, the circle is signposted. Follow this minor country road almost dead straight for several miles. Ignore the first car park for woodland walks, and carry on to the second signposted for the circle. Park here, and follow the lane uphill as directed. Circle is on the right at the brow of the hill. Free entry. Also known as Easter Aquhorthies, it is pronounced 'Easter aqwitheez'.

Site Notes: One of my favourite circles, this site is in state care and has been restored, but this does not grate like some other sites. It has often been theorised that circle stones were selected for colour amongst other things, and nowhere else is this more apparent. A range of pinks, reds, whites and greys decorate this site, and as you can see from the photos, some have seams of the most gorgeous red quartz. Another feature of recumbent stone circles is the grading of stones from the lowest directly opposite the recumbent, gradually increasing in height as you get around to the recumbent and flankers. Hopefully, the 360 degree panorama below illustrates this.