Hill O' Many Stanes
Stone Rows; Standing Stones
Also known as Mid Clyth Stone Rows
Caithness is known for its stone rows; foremost amongst these is unquestionably the Hill O' Many Stanes at Mid Clyth. The stones themselves are extremely unremarkable as standing stones go - the tallest amongst them is less than a metre tall. What sets this apart from all other Scottish stone rows is the fact that there are over 200 stones standing out of what may have originally been around 600.
The stones are laid out in twenty-two almost parallel rows running down a hillside, although the rows actually fan out a little from top to bottom.
It has been suggested that the stones formed a lunar observatory as major and minor standstill points of moonrise and moonset can be sighted using various alignments of the stones. Which doesn't even begin to explain why so many stones were used here.
1/15 Looking down the slope to the east.
2/15 Looking across the slope to the northeast.
3/15 Looking up the slope to the north.
4/15 One of the tallest stones, a little under a metre tall, at the southern edge of the rows.
5/15 Looking up the slope to the west.
6/15 Looking up the slope to the northwest.
7/15 Looking up the slope along one of the rows.
8/15 Looking up the slope along one of the rows.
9/15 Looking across the slope to the southwest.
10/15 Looking down the slope to the southeast.
11/15 Looking down the slope along the rows.
12/15 Fallen stones at the northern edge.
13/15 Looking down the slope to the west.
14/15 Morning light over the North Sea to the east, seen from one of the stones at the top of the slope.
15/15 Looking up the slope to the west.
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