Aberdeenshire Stone Circles in Winter

Aberdeenshire stone circles: Aikey Brae stone circle

I love the way Aikey Brae Recumbent Stone Circle seems to materialise as you step out of the dark woodland path. It’s my favourite of the Aberdeenshire stone circles; it feels like my ‘home’ one. I did used to live nearby so have visited it more than any other. This was Boxing Day.

Aberdeenshire stone circles: frost and sun

It was bright and frosty and enchanted. There was chocolate.

A few days later, on the way to see a friend, I stopped by Loanhead of Daviot:

Aberdeenshire stone circles:  Daviot

The day was damp and dark and cold. The circle felt calm and steadfast. Timeless.

The double recumbent:

split stone

And then, in the new year, many weathers happened at Berrybrae circle. First there was sun (pictured below) before a gale blew up and brought horizontal sleet.

Aberdeenshire stone circles: Berrybrae

Let the rest of the year hold more timeless enchantment (and chocolate) for us all, rather than horizontal precipitation!

Winter Reading

My novels all involve dark historical events, romance and a little magic…

  • SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD opens on a snowy winter solstice in 1st century Scotland. The main character is neurodivergent, and has been non-verbal until that first scene of the book.
  • If you like castles, Scotland, history, witches, stone circles and Christmas done medieval-style, you might like THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR. There’s also a love story.
  • FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the kidnapped children of 18th century Aberdeen, and features Christmas in Colonial Pennsylvania.

They’re all available in paperback, kindle and on kindle unlimited.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Signed copies from me

Stone circle quote from THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR

18 Replies to “Aberdeenshire Stone Circles in Winter”

  1. I’ve been there and I’ve visited the stone circles myself, but still, to live near them? The history, the magic, the ancient stones? What a gift. I’d visit them everyday. It’s like walking on the bones of history.

  2. “It was bright and frosty and enchanted. There was chocolate.” Enchanted? Sounds like heaven!

    I’m also very envious of all the stone circles you can visit. They all look enchanting!

  3. Mystical stones whispering to us of another time, if only I could hear all their secrets.

    It is wonderful that you share these with us in the photos along with the story of your time there. I hope I will be able to see them in person one day.

    You are so lucky to see them on a regular basis, to have a sense of them in different times and seasons… Although, horizontal sleet? Yikes. As we scurry for cover, these stones stand, silently witnessing.

  4. I suspect we share an obsession with old stones. My wee dog is in the current Historic Scotland magazine at Machrie Moor on Arran. I’ll walk for miles to get to them. I walked my hubby into a bog on Jura to get close to won. To say he was annoyed is an understatement. Stones, Cairns, Brochs, clearance ruins and castles. Have you been to Hill o many stanes at Caithness?

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