Kirkton of Bourtie stone circle

About

Kirkton of Bourtie stone circle is a recumbent stone circle located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated about 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) to the northeast of Inverurie at the end of a south-facing hillside just outside the hamlet of Kirkton of Bourtie. It stands on arable land near a minor road at an altitude of 515 ft (157 m) above sea level, with the Hill of Barra prominently visible to the north.

The circle is badly damaged, with only the eastern flanker, the recumbent and two western stones surviving. The recumbent is broken but is the longest of all known such stones; it measures around 17 ft (5.2 m) in length by 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m) broad and with a girth of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m). It probably weighs upwards of thirty tons.

The stone sits on a slightly raised mound and is aligned with the "major southern moonset". The east stone is 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) high, while the west stones are 6 ft (1.8 m) and 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) high. The other stones, of which there were once probably six or seven, are missing, but it is thought that the circle may originally have had a diameter of around 71 ft (22 m).

Some stones that may possibly be from the circle have been incorporated in a nearby gateway...