Hill O' Many Stanes
Wick, Highland
Stone Rows; Standing Stones Canmore
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.

Images ©2003 Martin McCarthy, Theasis Photography

Nearby Sites

3km Cairn of Get Chambered Cairn
5km South Yarrows Broch Broch
6km Camster Stone Row Stone Rows; Standing Stones
6km Grey Cairns of Camster - Long Cairn Chambered Long Cairn
6km Grey Cairns of Camster - Round Cairn Chambered Cairn
8km Lower Camster Standing Stones
11km Achavanich Stone Circle
11km Guidebest Stone Circle; Cairns
(NB: All distances are as-the-crow-flies. Lochs, mountains and beautiful winding roads will make it further. Sometimes much further.)