Temple Wood Stone Circle

PricingFreeFree for all visitors

Free entry for everyone

Entry

Free for everyone

Pricing details

Free entry for everyone; no membership card is needed.

ParkingParking not known

The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.

Parking details

Historic Scotland says parking is at Lady Glassary Wood car park, about 400 metres from the stone circle, but publishes no charge or free statement, so the status is recorded as unknown; reviewers describe it as free. The same car park serves Nether Largie South Cairn and the Nether Largie standing stones.

Driving pin: Lady Glassary Wood car park, 421 m south-east of Historic Scotland's own pin on the circle. The circle is in Kilmartin Glen, a quarter of a mile south-west of Nether Largie off the A816; a track runs past the standing stones to it. Historic Scotland gives journey planners only.

About

Temple Wood Stone Circle stands among trees on the valley floor of Kilmartin Glen, and was used for ritual and burial for some 2,000 years, from before 3000 BC to about 1000 BC. The earliest monument here was a timber circle; a stone circle begun to replace it was never finished. About 3000 BC an oval setting of 22 standing stones was raised beside it, and thirteen of them now stand. One carries a spiral like those in Irish passage-grave art, a strong hint of links between Kilmartin and Ireland. Later, low slabs filled the gaps between the stones, and from about 2000 BC small burial cairns and stone cists were added until the interior became a cairn like those of the linear cemetery nearby. Park at the Lady Glassary Wood car park and walk about 400 metres across farmland; Nether Largie South Cairn and the standing stones are on the same walk.

Check today’s timesSee all times

Temple Wood Stone CircleOpen all year; an unstaffed open site, no hours published

Opening times may change at short notice.

Historic Scotland: 'Temple Wood Stone Circle is free to visit and open all year round.' No hours, closures or notices on 20 October 2026; not on Historic Scotland's closures page. Historic Scotland's directory lists it as 'Kilmartin Glen: Temple Wood Stone Circle'.

The site sits on working farmland, so follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to keep yourself and the animals safe; strong footwear is recommended for the walk of about 400 metres from the car park. Information boards explain the circle's phases. No toilets or other facilities.

Photo: The ring of standing stones at Temple Wood rising from a low stone cairn on grass, under a bright cloudy sky with an oak at the right. Bob Embleton, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_Wood_stone_circle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2573419.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.