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The great recumbent stone at Rothiemay, packing stones at its foot and three standing stones of the circle in the field behind.
Morayshire

Rothiemay Stone Circle

A recumbent stone circle near Huntly whose great recumbent stone is carved with more than a hundred cup marks.

Welcome

There's something special about finding a stone circle in an ordinary farm field, and the one at Rothiemay is a remarkable sight.

It's a recumbent stone circle, a kind found in the north east of Scotland, where one huge stone lies on its side between the uprights. Rothiemay's recumbent is a giant, more than four metres long and weighing nearly 20 tons. Its inner face, the side looking into the ring, is covered in cup marks. These are small round hollows carved in prehistoric times, and some of them have a ring cut around them. A dozen more cups are carved on the top of the stone. Four tall stones of the circle still stand, out of perhaps twelve, and the one to the east has eight cup marks of its own. Some of the others were taken away around 1845. Bring a camera and take your time, as there's a lot to find on that one great stone.

A short drive awayHuntly Castle13 min by roadSee itHuntly Castle
Before you go

You see the circle from the field gate.

The gate
Beside the road, about 70 metres north of the stones.
The field
A working field, with cattle in it at times. Keep dogs on a short lead.
Protected
A scheduled monument.

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Where it is

In a field just north-east of Milltown of Rothiemay, AB54 7ND.

Close byRothiemay, Huntly and round about.
  1. The red front of the Dean's building on Depot Road in Huntly under its name.Dean's of HuntlyThe home of Dean's shortbread, with a bright bistro and a shop beside the bakery.8 miles 12 min by road
  2. Close-up of a bald eagle's white head and hooked yellow beakHuntly Falconry CentreA bird of prey centre in the hills west of Huntly, where owls, hawks, falcons and eagles fly in demonstrations from April to October.10 miles 15 min by road
  3. Tall copper pot stills in the stillhouse at the GlenDronach Distillery.The GlenDronach DistilleryA distillery of two hundred years in a quiet glen near Huntly, known for richly sherried malts.11 miles 16 min by road
  4. Weathered gravestones set into arched recesses within a ruined church wallDeskford KirkThe roofless ruin of a small late medieval church south of Cullen, with a richly carved sacrament house of 1551, one of the finest in Scotland.11 miles 16 min by road
  5. Rows of casks on their racks in a Glenglassaugh warehouse.Glenglassaugh DistilleryA distillery on the shore of Sandend Bay, silent for over twenty years and working again.14 miles 23 min by road
  6. The wall of glass-fronted vending lockers inside Thorneybank Farm Shop, filled with onions, carrots, oranges, rolls and jars of honey.Thorneybank Farm ShopA family farm shop on the B9001 near Rothienorman, open from 6am to 8pm every day through its wall of vending lockers, selling its own vegetables and home bakes.16 miles 24 min by road
Directions
A single-storey lodge with a slated roof sits behind a stone wall and clipped hedge, mature trees shading the curving drive.RothiemayGate LodgeSleeps 2 · 2.2 miles
A triangular timber cabin stands behind a wooden gate and post-and-rail fence, bare trees framing the entrance.RothiemayMidparkSleeps 2 · 2.2 miles
A stone cottage with a slated roof and a blue front door, climbing roses in pink and white flanking the porch.RothiemayButlers CottageSleeps 4 · 2.2 miles
A grey stone cottage with dormer windows and a black front door, climbing roses either side, set behind a lawn.RothiemayBailies CottageSleeps 6 · 2.2 miles
The dining room at The Bank in Huntly, a wall of lit shelves of whisky above tables laid with linen.RestaurantsThe Bank Café & Restaurant7.1 miles
Ruined stone castle towers rise above autumn trees and a grassy pathAttractionsHuntly Castle7.5 miles
Looking straight down on the Huntly Nordic and Outdoor Centre: the lodge, the white dry slope and the loop of the roller-ski track among autumn trees, the tubing lanes at the top.ActivityHuntly Nordic and Outdoor Centre7.5 miles

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The Daily for 23 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a concrete road bridge with angled supports spanning a sea loch, twin cloud-wrapped mountain peaks rising behind autumn-coloured hills.

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Stay nearby

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

A single-storey lodge with a slated roof sits behind a stone wall and clipped hedge, mature trees shading the curving drive.Gate Lodge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Rothiemay
  • 2 miles from Rothiemay Stone Circle
Check datesA triangular timber cabin stands behind a wooden gate and post-and-rail fence, bare trees framing the entrance.Midpark
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Rothiemay
  • 2 miles from Rothiemay Stone Circle
Free 30 Oct – 1 NovA stone cottage with a slated roof and a blue front door, climbing roses in pink and white flanking the porch.Butlers Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Rothiemay
  • 2 miles from Rothiemay Stone Circle
Free 9–12 NovA grey stone cottage with dormer windows and a black front door, climbing roses either side, set behind a lawn.Bailies Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Rothiemay
  • 2 miles from Rothiemay Stone Circle
Free 31 Oct – 3 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in MorayshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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