Ring of Brodgar

Brodgar is a true henge, a ditch cut into bedrock enclosing a circle a hundred and four metres across, with thirty-six stones now standing of an estimated sixty. It was built between about 2500 and 2000 BC, and the ditch alone, up to three metres deep and cut through rock with stone and antler tools, represents an enormous amount of labour. It stands on a narrow neck of land between two lochs, with the Stones of Stenness, the Ness of Brodgar excavation and Maeshowe chambered cairn all within walking distance, and Skara Brae a short drive; together they form the UNESCO Heart of Neolithic Orkney inscribed in 1999. Several stones carry Norse runic graffiti cut by twelfth-century visitors. The site is unfenced and free, with a path around the outside.

What you actually see

• The rock-cut ditch - a henge dug three metres into bedrock with stone tools.
• The thirty-six stones - survivors of an estimated sixty in a 104-metre circle.
• The Norse graffiti - runes cut into the stones by twelfth-century visitors.
• The monument cluster - Stenness, Maeshowe and the Ness within walking distance.

When to go

Year-round and free; Orkney's long summer light gives very late evenings, and midwinter gives dramatic low sun. The site is exposed and there is no shelter of any kind. Wind is constant.

Honest expectations

Visitors must keep to the outer path in wet conditions because the interior turns to mud and erodes. There are no facilities at the ring itself. Orkney weather is severe and the ferry or flight in can be disrupted.

Nearby

Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe are within a kilometre; Skara Brae is a short drive west.