Standing with the Stones

 The Rolling Stone Charlie Watts died this week. He was the sensible one I always thought. There are few things more unnerrving than watching Mick Jagger from the front; watching him from the back is  one of them as Charlie recently commented.

As a slight connection, I found myself yesterday, not in the company of Rolling Stones, but with Standing Stones.

Here is the Road To Nowhere- not a song by the Stones, but apt.

Kilmartin Glen lies up between Oban and Lochgilphead on the west of Scotland.You might have thought the Rolling Stones were old but these stones are over 5000 years. The stones of the Glen are one of the most important locations of  Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in Scotland.

About 350 ancient monuments ( 150 of them prehistoric) lie in a 6 miles radius and they  include standing stones, a henge monument and  burial cairns, the oldest burial cairn is over 6000 years old.

 Some of these, and several nearby rocks are carved with cup and ring marks.

Nobody knows why there exist here in such quantity but the land here is very flat, protected by the  surroundings mountains, yet  is within walking distance to sea, sea lochs and freshwater lochs.

  It has been proven, by very clever people, that the standing stones line up in accordance with the times of the mid winter and summer solstice. I confess I didn’t understand that but academics are still arguing about it so I’ll let them get on with it.

Indiana Jones Scottish style.

                                                 Burial cairn

A field of standing stones

There are three stones in this picture,  two in line with this one.

The small print says much about human sacrafices.

We walked round the whole areas, there was nobody else there.

 I could hear screaming and screeching on the wind.

The crime writer was convinced this was the voices of the sacraficed coming back to tell their story.

Mr Spreadsheet checked his phone and pointed out that the wee house in the corner was  in fact a primary school, and it was lunchtime!

Caro Ramsay