Drumtroddan Standing Stones

The Drumtroddan Standing Stones stand on a bleak, windswept hilltop near Port William in the Machars, with wide views across Galloway. They are an alignment of three tall stones raised 4,000 to 5,000 years ago; two have fallen, and the third still stands about three metres high. Historic Scotland suggests they marked a place where people watched the sun or moon, perhaps with other stones or timber posts that have not survived, and that choosing, moving and raising them took careful planning and organisation. Short stone rows like this cluster in south-west Ireland and along Scotland's western seaboard. The stones are part of a prehistoric landscape that includes a fort and the Drumtroddan cup-and-ring marked rocks, and came into state care in 1931. Visitors can photograph them for Historic Scotland's Monument Monitor project. There is no car park or sign: go through a chained but unlocked farm gate on the B7021 and walk about 300 metres uphill through livestock fields in strong footwear.