Ales Stenar

Ales Stenar is a great stone ship setting, fifty-nine boulders of up to five tonnes each arranged in the outline of a ship some sixty-seven metres long, standing on a windswept clifftop above the Baltic in the far south of Sweden. Around fourteen centuries old, its exact purpose remains a mystery, and its dramatic setting above the sea makes it the country's most striking megalithic monument.

What you'll find

• The stone ship - the great outline of boulders in the shape of a vessel.
• The clifftop setting - the monument on the grassy headland above the sea.
• The sea view - the Baltic stretching away from the cliff.
• Sunrise and sunset - the low sun through the stones, the classic photograph.

When to go

The warm months for the clifftop walk; sunrise and sunset light the stones dramatically and draw photographers. It is exposed and windy, so dress for the coast.

What to expect

It is a single monument reached by a short uphill walk, seen in under an hour, so the reward is the setting and atmosphere as much as the stones. Its meaning is genuinely unknown, so imagination fills the gaps. The clifftop is very exposed to wind.

Nearby

The fishing hamlet of Kaseberga is below; Ystad and the Skane coast spread west.

Key facts