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A path winds between weathered standing stones beneath autumn trees in misty grassland.
Ross and Cromarty

Black Muir Woods and the Touchstone Maze

A wood above Strathpeffer with a labyrinth of more than 80 standing stones from all over the north of Scotland, an old curling pond and an Iron Age hill fort.

Welcome

In a clearing in Blackmuir Wood, on the hill above the old spa village of Strathpeffer, more than eighty stones stand in rings on the grass.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

This is the Touchstone Maze, laid out in 1994 by the artist Helen Rowson, and every stone in it was brought from a different quarry across the Highlands and Islands.

Together they make a map of the ground beneath the north of Scotland. Among them is Lewisian gneiss three thousand million years old, one of the oldest rocks on Earth. Strictly it is a labyrinth rather than a maze: a single path winds through it with no dead ends, so nobody gets lost.

The wood around it is lovely in any season, and especially in autumn, when the birches turn gold. Paths lead up past an old curling pond by the car park to the site of an Iron Age hill fort, with views out over the strath.

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Before you go

The wood and the maze are open at all times and free, with parking by the old curling pond.

Where
Blackmuir Wood, above Strathpeffer.
The maze
More than 80 stones, one path.

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Did you know

Standing stones are arranged in a circular pattern with winding paths through misty grassland.
Did you know

Older than almost anything.

The maze includes Lewisian gneiss three thousand million years old, among the oldest rock on Earth.

A winding gravel path curves through a circle of standing stones in misty Ross and Cromarty grassland.
Did you know

A maze you cannot get lost in.

The Touchstone Maze is really a labyrinth: one path, and no dead ends.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Ross and Cromarty

In a clearing in the woods above Strathpeffer, more than eighty stones stand in rings on the grass. The artist Helen Rowson laid out the Touchstone Maze in 1994, and each stone came from a different quarry across the Highlands and Islands. Together they make a map of the rock under the north of Scotland, including Lewisian gneiss three thousand million years old. It is really a labyrinth, with one winding path and no dead ends, so nobody gets lost. Paths lead on past an old curling pond to the site of an Iron Age hill fort.

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Where it is

In Blackmuir Wood, on the slope above Strathpeffer, with a car park by the old curling pond.

Close byStrathpeffer.
  1. Falls of RogieFalls of RogieSalmon leaping at a waterfall a few miles west.4 miles 8 min by road
  2. The Singleton of Glen Ord Distillery, Muir of OrdThe Singleton of Glen Ord Distillery, Muir of OrdThe Singleton's distillery at Muir of Ord, west of Inverness, open all year for guided tours, tastings, and a bar and deli.7 miles 12 min by road
  3. Bad Girl BakeryBad Girl Bakery7 miles 13 min by road
  4. Café tables and shelved shop goods beside large windows overlooking the coastHighland Farm Cafe8 miles 16 min by road
  5. Black Rock GorgeBlack Rock GorgeA deep, narrow gorge in the woods at Evanton.12 miles 22 min by road
  6. Chanonry PointChanonry PointDolphins off the Black Isle.22 miles 36 min by road
Directions
The ochre-harled old Kilmorack church, now Kilmorack Gallery, with its banner by the door, a giant metal spider sculpture on the gravel and a large metal lizard on the wall.AttractionsKilmorack Gallery7.9 miles
Robertson's Speciality Farm Shop near Beauly, a whitewashed building with a blue sign and a Farm Shop Open board on a barrel.AttractionsRobertson's Farm Shop9.0 miles
The Old School Beauly, a twin-gabled Victorian stone school on the High Street, under a bright blue sky.ShoppingThe Old School Beauly9.5 miles
Ruined stone chapel with arched windows surrounded by gravestones and bare treesAttractionsBeauly Priory9.5 miles
The Black Isle Dairy farm shop, a green timber building with a chalkboard and flower tubs on the gravel.ShoppingBlack Isle Dairy9.6 miles
Deli counter staff behind glass cases of pastries, with Shore crisps in wicker baskets belowCafeCorner on the Square9.6 miles
Autumn pines frame a rocky river rushing through a misty glenAttractionsLittle Garve Bridge9.7 miles
Café interior with green banquette seating, wooden tables and wildflowers in vasesCafeCafe Biagiotti9.7 miles
A stone grotto arch thick with moss and hung with ferns beside a muddy woodland path in Reelig Glen.WalksReelig Glen9.8 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the maze, and when each is next free.

Buteo, a long turf-roofed log cabin on level ground, a log picnic table in the grass before it and the hill behind.Buteo at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Struy
  • 13 miles from the Touchstone Maze
Check datesTringa's long turf-roofed log walls on the hill, foxgloves in flower in the grass below.Tringa at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Struy
  • 13 miles from the Touchstone Maze
Check datesSylvia in sunshine: a log cabin with a pale gable and oak door, whisky barrels along its gravel yard and a birch beside.Sylvia at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Struy
  • 13 miles from the Touchstone Maze
Check datesStrix on its green slope in summer, the turf roof and deck among birch and oak, the hill behind.Strix at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Struy
  • 13 miles from the Touchstone Maze
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Ross and CromartyAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Read on

What we have written about it and more in Ross and Cromarty.

ArticleUnravelling the mysteries of the Touchstone Maze in Strathpeffer
More in Ross and Cromarty

Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .