East Aquhorthies Stone Circle

East Aquhorthies is one of the finest recumbent stone circles in existence, a type of monument found only in north-east Scotland, where about a hundred are known. It was raised about 4,000 years ago on a hillside a mile west of Inverurie with Bennachie on the skyline: eleven upright stones ring the circle, and on the south-west arc a great red granite recumbent, quarried near Bennachie, lies on its side between two tall grey granite flankers that would have framed the rising and setting of the midsummer moon. A slight rise in the unexcavated interior suggests a ring cairn and similar sites began as cremation pyres. Reviewers call it one of the best-preserved circles in Scotland, with every stone still standing, quiet and lovely at sunset; follow the brown signs near the end rather than the satnav, park in the small car park for four or five cars.