Beautiful Aikey Brae Stone Circle. Of the 150 or so recumbent circles in the North East of Scotland, this is my favourite.
The Stones in the Snow
I used to live close by and enjoyed many a summer picnic and winter stroll there. One year I watched a solar eclipse, with my children, sat right in the middle of the circle. The setting made it feel timeless and magical.
The snow picks out detail and shape, makes the stones look different.
The fallen stone on the right in this next picture must have popped right out of the ground when it fell, because you can see the carved point of the anchoring lower part.
An Urban Stone
This pointy feature can also be seen on the Lang Stane, hidden away just off Union Street in Aberdeen, leading to the theory that it was once part of a stone circle too.
But back to the sun and snow at Aikey, and the smiling recumbent.
The stones on a book cover
Let’s finish up by staring through the gap between recumbent and flanker, to the world beyond. The stones in this picture, from Aikey Brae Stone Circle, feature on the cover of my book SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD.
Quote from THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR:
A Dancer’s Journey – a contemporary series
These books are so naughty that I’m a little worried nobody will be able to look me in the face again after reading them. But not that worried. They’re heading out into the world anyway.
When dance student Amalphia Treadwell embarks on a secret relationship with her charismatic new teacher, she has no idea of the danger that lurks in his school in Scotland…
See the series page here on the site for full blurbs and quotes
Series on Amazon UK
Series on Amazon worldwide
Historical Dark and Romantic Books
My historical novels combine little-known dark events with love stories and a hint of magic.
- SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD: ancient battle, neurodiversity and forbidden romance.
- THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR: witchcraft, a stone circle, a castle and six chapters of medieval Christmas.
- FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE: kidnapping, friendship and chocolate.
See my About Page here
Newsletter
Go here to sign up for my occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a bit more intimate than the blog. If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
Absolutely beautiful
It is such a beautiful place.
I love your photos and follow you on Twitter. I’ll probably not be able to visit Scotland again, so whatever you post or tweet is wonderful. Brings back so many memories.
https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/
http://www.MLRigdon.com
Your sites and writing look and sound so interesting! Thanks for sharing them 🙂
Lovely post, thank you!
Glad you like 🙂
Serene…..and magical! Its exquisite to be exploring another part of the world thru someone else’s eyes….a new perspective(?), same(?), tehre’s(?) or mine(?) – I wonder!! Whatever, its awesome!
Never been to Scotland – on my bucketlist of places I want to visit before I die……
https://wickedly.blog/
Glad you liked the visit, and thank you for sharing your site 🙂
What a stunning place. My latest blog post is about buzkashi so my head and heart have been in Afghanistan – your post brought me straight back to Scotland.
It is a beautiful place.
Your pic of the Lang Stane evokes dim memories of my Aberdeen childhood. We built our own mythologies around it.
I don’t remember Aikey Brae in particular, but any megalith in that part of the world had my mum dragging me to it.
These stones do inspire storytelling!
I will probably never travel to Scotland. Your posts allow me to vicariously experience its beauty. Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoy the posts Scott 🙂
If photos can be called poetical, these Aikey impressions are pure poetry! Thank you Ailish. Aikey is famous in folk song and legend. A fair used to be held there in olden days as a “feeing market” where farm labourers could sign up with a farmer for seasonal work. They were the guys who created the “bothy ballads”, so called because these journeymen slept in the bothy and entertained themselves in the evening by singing there.
The fair has started up again a few times over the years, once as a horse show, other times mainly a modern fairground. I don’t think it’s running just now. I remember being taken to it as a small child and my horror at the side show freak exhibit :O
I heard of horrors tooI … but somehow I’m enmeshed in the old feeing market days,
know why.
What a pleasure starting my day with your post – thank you! The images are all intriguing, but I especially like your smiling stone. A long smile would be my response, too, if I could just lie down after centuries of being upright.
I’m so glad you liked the post Jazz! The recumbent has been lying down for millennia so it’s probably really relaxed by now 🙂
I liked the smiling stone as well.
I love that smiling stone too 🙂
beautiful pictures! I would love to visit Scotland someday. I can’t imagine how beautiful it was to watch the eclipse in that circle. How many others before did the same? Awesome.
It was wonderful. I hope you get a chance to visit 🙂
Lovely pictures of a lovely site. I fell in love long ago with the Standing Stones of Stenness on the Orkney’s, one of my favourite spots in Scotland. This said, thanking for joining my blog subscribers. Occasionally I will talk of Scotland there, it has not only inspired composers, but also myself.
I would really like to visit Stenness one day.
In the 90s, when I was a poor, but resourceful student, I walked up there from the youth hostel in Stromness with all my photo gear. Locals thought I was mad, but I got a few nice sunset pictures!
Sounds amazing!
Lovely post and photos, Ailish. Thank you.
I’m glad you like them, Nancy 🙂
Love the ‘smiling recumbent.’ Your post had me wondering what the faeries do when it snows. Supposedly they live in or under stone circles.
I’m sure they’re safe there under the snow 😉
[Note: My computer is being weird and this is my third attempt at commenting, so sorry if this is somehow a duplicate!]
Totally gorgeous pictures! I’m planning a visit to Scotland soon, but sadly don’t think we’ll get that far north. I still can’t wait to show my kids lots of stone circles and castles and other magical things.
My blog has lots of flash fiction, including a story I wrote a couple years ago that features a Scottish fairy hill: a fairytale with a modern twist. https://oliviabrannanwrites.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/milk-and-honey/
No, just one comment, don’t worry. I loved your fairytale (shared on Twitter) and your picture of the Fairy Glen on Skye. The fairy hill features in my post on Skye: http://ailishsinclair.com/2017/06/over-the-sea-to-the-fairies/
We’re travelling elsewhere now but Scotland is definitely in our future plans. Thanks for your stunning photos and writing: feel a little homesick for a gorgeous place that was never home!
Happy travels 🙂
There are a few places in the world that often call to me. Scotland is one of them. I’ve written about it and shared photos of every visit. About 6 of then in total. Your blog speaks to me as well. I’ll be looking forward to your newsletter now too. Be well 🙂
Here’s a little ditty from my last pop over: https://donnaweidner.com/2017/10/12/getting-stoned-a-monolithic-tale/
I loved that post Donna! Quite magical. I’ve shared it on Twitter too 🙂
Oh, thank you Ailish. It is a magical land. Inspirational in many ways.
This site looks magical–especially the smiling stone.
I do love its smile 🙂
Breathtakingly stunning.
🙂
Magical!
🙂
vielen dank !!!!
What a magical place! Interesting about the carved bottoms, didn’t know they did that when raising stones.
I’ve only been to Scotland once and I’ve been dying to go back to explore more of it, it’s such a beautiful country! I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog, I love your photos and descriptions of places 🙂
The carved bottoms are interesting, aren’t they? I’m glad you like the photos 🙂
Beautiful area and photos.
It is a beautiful place 🙂
Thank you for reading my post and I’m so glad it led me to yours.
You’re welcome 🙂
Who built those circles–or do we not know that?
The most widely circulated theory is that they were built by early farmers and settlers to the area. They’re at least 4000 years old.
What is it about stone circles? They just make you wonder… As for sitting in the middle and watching a solar eclipse – wow! Loved the smiley stone too 🙂
We welcome visitors over at A Bit About Britain – http://www.bitaboutbritain.com – best regards, Mike.
Your site looks an amazing resource, Mike! Thanks for sharing it.
Ailish, such Lovely descriptions and photos of a wonderful mystical place of the ages. I recently visited a mystical Celtic site on my blog http://www.shortwalkslongpaths.com
I loved your journey into the ancient world Rich, and have tweeted it 🙂
I love your photographs which make me homesick as I am Scottish born. My blog Lost in the Past https://somerville66.blogspot.com/ is about history, nostalgia and travel.
Sorry for making you homesick Liz 🙁 I love your blog and have tweeted the post on Shandon Hydro, a place I’d never heard of before.
My birthplace and where my mother’s family farm was.
I love that they included the stone in the building. Louise
The building is possibly near the original site of the stone. It’s a bit of a mystery!
Beautiful pics of a magical place.
It is a lovely place 🙂
Aikey Brae was the first stone circle I had seen (in the 80s). I saw so many of them over the years of living in Aberdeenshire but my favorite was a single recumbent stone of pure white quartz in the field next to our cottage outside New Deer. I am fascinated by the Picts and their language. Great post!
There was a white quartz stone circle near New Deer. Two stones are left, the rocking stones of Auchmallidie. Maybe yours was one of the others?
Those are the stones – I thought it was a recumbent! We lived in a rented cottage in the field to the north, closer to New Deer. Everyone for miles around had white quartz stones in their gardens. I think the quartz was a glacial erratic?
I believe there was a white quartz quarry there for a while.
You have inspired me to start a blog series about living in the cottage.
That will be interesting! I look forward to it 🙂
I’ve never been to Scotland, but I can feel the link of past to present in your words and images, Ailish – that you shared a spot in a stone circle with your family that families centuries past also shared is very very neat! 🙂
http://www.felipeadanlerma.com
Thank you for sharing your site Felipe – your art is beautiful!
Scotland has always been close my heart. Thank you for sharing these eonwonder pictures. And about stone circles.
I loved reading
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Sue.
🙂
Woowww beautiful
🙂
A beautiful landscape. Thanks for the follow 🙂
You’re welcome
Thanks for sharing this Ailish I felt like I was right there with you! 🙂 I will join your mailing list, love your blog
I’m glad you liked the post, and thank you
Amazing and beautiful!
It is
Amazing photos!
Thank you, Samantha 🙂
Wonderful stone circles…they are places where magic happens
They are special places.
Pictures like these spark so many story ideas for me. Maybe because of the feel, the weight, of history behind the stones. Thanks for sharing.
They are inspirational places.
The pictures were gorgeous! You did a great job capturing the beauty both visible and behind/in the stones.
Thank you 🙂
It is stunning. My 1st husband is from Edinburgh and that made me sad about Scotland but as I get older, I’m. Less crazy!! 🙂
Sorry you were sad, Wenchy.
Thanks for taking time away from your writing and photography to visit my blog!
You’re welcome 🙂
You live in a beautiful place, and have a great talent for sharing it with those of us who aren’t lucky enough to live in Scotland.
I’m glad you like it 🙂
Beautiful pictures
Thank you 🙂
Thank you for the follow! I love your photos and one day I hope to see Scotland in person
I hope you get the chance, Yolanda 🙂
The tidbit about the stone in the Union Street is interesting. I wonder if it is really part of the stone circle.
Maybe one that was near its current location.
Great photos Ailish, gives a feel for a truly ancient way of being 🙂
You do feel that there.
So perfect!
🙂
So beautiful ..
Such a lovely place. My husband and I have been planning a Scotland trip and this has given me some inspiration on sites I wouldn’t have normally thought to see.
Some of the best places are lesser known. I hope you have a great time!
Beautiful photos. Thank you Ailish.
Imagined the solar eclipse you described experiencing with your family – definitely magical!
It really was. We could have been in another time with just the stones and trees around us.
How cool is that! You sat in the middle of a stone circle while watching an eclipse!
It was a great experience!
Visiting some Scottish stone circles is definitely on my bucket list. I am a Brit living in Wichita, USA right now. I managed to get back and see Stone Henge, Avebury and Glastonbury last year. Thanks for the lovely pics!
I hope you get a chance to visit 🙂
Somehow you always make me feel as though I’m standing right next to you when I read your blogs. I can see the discussion now about the stone lodged on the Lang Stane … I certainly believe it was once part of a stone circle – either that or a very big flint head! Are they saying the stone circle was there or that the stone has been moved from elsewhere?
They don’t really know. It’s thought to have been nearby.
Beautiful!
It is 🙂
I walked around Long Meg and her Daughters on a recent trip to Cumbria. I am amazed at how many of these circles have survived and how we still know so little about them 🙂
It is amazing, though so many have been destroyed too 🙁
I didn’t know you had a mailing list – I just signed up! I have my website/blog where I post bits of poetry and things to do with folklore and travel, and I’d be happy to have it included in your mailing list if you’re interested: http://thewillowweb.com
Ooh, yes, I’ve been on your blog, and I think it would be a good fit. Will be writing a newsletter in the next few days…
Incredible photos, Ailish! I too am fascinated by the stones and have just added The Mermaid and the Bear to my reading list!
I hope you enjoy it 🙂