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The Ring of Brodgar. Photo by Dg-505 –

Top 10 unbelievable facts about the Ring of Brodgar

The ring of Brodgar is a neolithic henge and stone circle on the mainland. It is the largest island in Orkney, Scotland. The ring of Brodgar is part of the UNESCO world heritage site known as the heart of neolithic Orkney.

The stone circle is 104 metres in diameter and is the largest in the British Isles. The ring comprises 60stones of which 27 remained standing at the end of the 20th century. The tallest stones stand at the south and west of the ring.

The Scottish geologist Hugh Miller after in 1846 he wrote that the stones ‘look like an assemblage of ancient druids and mysteriously stern and invincible silent and shaggy’. It is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage site. The ring of Brodgar is a series of important domestic and ritual monuments built 5000 years ago in the Orkney Islands.

I . The ring of Brodgar area was used as a ceremonial centre for neolithic people

Ring of Brodgar. Photo by Steve – 

The standing stones of sternness and the ring of Brodgar were complex neolithic buildings that were architecturally impressive to be house were unearthed at the ness of Brodar in 2004.

The buildings were in use between 3500 and 2300Bc. They were beautifully crafted and valuable objects which the theory. The area was a centre for rituals and ceremonies. 

The wall was discovered during the Ness of Brodgar dig. It stretched across the width of the Peninsula and controlled the movement to the ring of Brodgar. It is believed the stone circle was a sacred place and was partitioned off.

2. The ring of Brodgar Orkney’s legendary dancing giants

The ring of Brodgar is Orkney’s most beautiful and mysterious site. It is believed that a group of giants gathered in the field between the loch one evening. They would set a playing tune and joined hands and dance in a circle. 

3. The ring of Brodgar acts as an astronomical observatory

The Ring of Brodgar marker. Photo by Wknight –  

The result of excavation in Britain has shown various similar sites that connect with the movement of the sun and the moon across the sky. Astronomical alignment seems to exist in a large number of stone circles.

Professor Alexander Tom was an expert in the field of archeo-astronomy and spent several decades studying stone circles. According to Thomi’s conclusion were that the stone rings were astronomical observatories.

4. It was the heart of the Neolithic of Orkney

The stone circle is practically in the centre of a massive neutral çauldron’ formed by the hills of the surrounding landscape. The site is accentuated by the water of the loch but that was always the case.

When the ring was erected between 2500BC and – 200Bc the stenness loch didn’t exist. The area was wet, marshy bog, surrounding pools of water or lochan. The sea only breached the narrow landbridge at the Brig O’Waithe in Stenness. Filling the loch was saltwater around 1500BC – 500 to 100 years after the ring was built.

The ring of Brodgar was part of the enormous prehistoric ritual complex that incorporated the stone. A short distance to the east of the Brodgar ring is the solitary standing known as the comet stone. The area surrounding the ring of Brodgar and the entire Ness is rich with archaeology including the massive mounds.

5. The ring of Brodgar was built by Mesolithic people and not the Orkney’s earliest people

The Ring of Brodgar. Photo by Kenny –  

When we look at the neolithic village of Skara brae / prehistoric monuments like Brodgar we tend to think that they were built by the fit people to live in Orkney. This is not the case.

This is because the fragment made the flint tool found in Orkney fields in the lowest levels of the Orkney Neolithic site. It shows that a creative and skilled community of Mesolithic people lived in the islands almost 4000years before the ring of Brdgar was built. Mesolithic people were able to construct the boats. They arrived in Orkney around 6000Bc from Britain/ Scandinavia.

6. The stone circle at the Ring of Brodgar is four times bigger than the standing stones of stenness

The ring of Brodgar is very large with 103.7 diameters. While the stones laid out the perfect circle even though some of them are broken stumps and some of them stand between 2.1 m and 4.7m high.

The standing stones of stenness are a much smaller stone circle. It is situated less than a mile away. However, both of them are older than other stone circles in Britain.

The ring of Brodgar is surrounded by a deep ditch that is carved out of sandstone bedrock. That may have resulted to have been filled with water. The stone circle was a significant place. There are two causeways to cross into the circle itself.

7.  Bird watching is epic at Brodgar

During the summer it brings out seven different species of wading birds and the 8 species of duck. Visitors are recommended to take advantage of the wetland habitat. presence of great yellow bumblebee around the patches of wildflower. The bumblebees are present in autumn when the wading bird is seen in large numbers near the shore.

during the winter season, farmlands birds like lapwings and twites are seen at that period. While spring brings a mix of species of skylarks, ducks and wading birds in courtship displays. Birds like owls, hen harriers and merlins fly low over the reserve as they search for prey on the ground.

8. The Brodgar RSPB nature reserve

The RSPB nature reserve is located in a spectacular setting beside the Ring of Brodgar stone circle. It has Harry loch on one side and stenness on the other.

The reserve is best for experiencing and seeing the Orkney waders, curlews, snipe, lapwings, dunlins, redshanks and oystercatchers, especially in the period of summer.

9. The ring of Brodgar offers opportunities for the visitors to experience and view the sunset

The Ring of Brodgar sunset. Photo by cowbridgeguide – Wikimedia commons

Most visitors take the advantage of long summers and early autumn evenings to visit the circle at sunset, especially in midsummer. The visitors are warned and advised that in case planning to visit at dusk there is no peace or quiet.

They should also be aware that they are not only the humans visiting but also other creatures visiting the place during the late evenings.

10. The watch stone found at the Ring of Brodgar

The watch stone. Photo by Will Craig-  

The circle that is standing in solitary splendour by the shore of loch stenness is a monolithic stone called the watch stone. There was a smaller second stone beside the watch stone called Odin’s stone.

It was destroyed by a farmer in the 19th century. He was annoyed by the visitor to the circle were trampling his crops. The farmer destroyed the Odin stone and pushed over the other stone before the angry locals threatened to burn his house if he did not stop.