Standing Stones - Machrie

Once you are on the south of the Island(On a good day), you look onto Kintyre. Kintyre is the peninsula on the other side of Arran, from the song Mull of Kintyre. It’s so clear today, that you can see Ireland between Kintyre and the island of Sanda.



We are continuing round the island to Machrie. The sun is now high in the blue sky. Arran ignores the cliché of Scottish weather in the summer. In 15 or so trips in early July, I’ve seen more sunburn than I’ve seen umbrellas.

We can now see Goatfell and it’s surrounding peaks. Although technically I think we’re still in Ayrshire, we get a vista more associated with the highlands.



We have now come to Machrie, to see another of Arran’s attractions; The standing stones. Standing stones, most famously at Stonehenge, are extremely old relics of past civilisations. These stones in Arran are from a round 2000 BC.

The walk of around a mile takes you along a dirt path in front of the mountain vistas and through fields of sheep, who look on wondering what you find so interesting about their field.



The Machrie standing stones are the remains of six round burial grounds surrounded on their circumference by boulders. Not all are still standing, but the most impressive are one 3 or 4 meter tall standings tone which stands alone, and a collection of about 3 standing stones.






It’s a mini Stonehenge, very peaceful, and very picturesque, and since it is a short drive and a miles walk, shouldn't be missed. As a burial ground, it makes a pretty good resting-place. It lies on a plain(Machrie means plain in Gaelic), surrounded by mountain vistas.