Stones and Stones to Fraserburgh

Well, a bit delayed in getting something out for yesterday. We moved up to Fraserberg and then spent most of the time this evening looking forward to the next couple of weeks. Bottom line up front: looskks like we need to delay going to Orkney for a week and we will have to forgo going to Isle of Skye, since we didn't have pre-arranged booking.

Well, the bed was a bit softer than the night before, so I had a bit more sleep. We are missing our airbed with the 3" topper for our poor arthretic joints. Peter braved the shower in the corner of the raised bathroom Modifications to the existing older hotel required raising the floor for the plumbing in the bath.

Peter drove today. We ended up going a bit South to check out a couple of sites that we drove past yesterday. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, there were a number of fast cars out enjoying the roads on the way to a car show at a gardening nursery. We were in search of a recumbent stone circle called Sunhoney, but it lookded it was on private property. Instead, we ended up at an older church yard with recombent stone circle in the cemetary, MidmarKirk [ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/echt/midm…] . Obviously, modified due to the proximity of the church, it is still impressive to see such large stones carefully placed.

After Midmar Kirk, we moved down the road to Cullerlie, a stone circle with several carins in the center marking ancient burials [ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/echt/cull…} . Prior to today, we had seen the recubment stone circles, but this stone assembly did not have the recumbrent with the large stones on either side, but instead had stones of equal high surounding the central area with 8 low carins. Also different is the fact that tjhs stone circle was not located on a noll with a commanding view, but instead, was set on realtively flat terrain.

Then we were off to a "wild" recumbent circle called Kirkton of Bourtie stone circle. This stone circle was located out in the middle of a grain field. Luckily, the field had already been mowed, so we only had to walk over the stubble. Also, since it was "wild", it waf full of overgrowth and not trimed and proper. Never-the-less, still quite impressive up with a good view.

This was a busy day with the next recubant circle up the road called Aikey Brae [ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/deer/aike…] , a medium walk up past a field of what loked like turnips to a recubent circle just South of a small tight wood. Each recombent circle has the recumbent and the attendents situationed to face towards the S-SW. The standing stoned are not all still standing or in observance, but if they exist, then they are usually graded with the tallest closest to the recumbent trio.

We deicded to change the gendra for a while and moved on to the Old Deer ruined Cistercian abbey [ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/deer/deer…] . Now many of the walls were still standing, and smaller than what we saw in Ireland.Then on to the last site of the day, the White Cow Carin [ http://leshamilton.co.uk/megaliths/whitecow.htm, & http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/5199/w…} across the road from Louden Wood. Recombent Circle By the time we arrived, it was already 3:30 so we couldn't do both and we opted for the White Cow. It was a bit of a walk out to the sight. No longer possible to drive out to be close. We ened up not quite remembering where it was on the road sigh at the beginning, so we walked by it a bit. But was quite nice when we walaked back and finally found it. About 5:30 by the time we arrived back to the car. So then on to Fraserberg, the closest larger city in the area.

We were lucky and the hotel was only 39 pounds for the night with Sunday dinner specials in the pub. We had stopped at a &B down the road, pretty threadbear for the 60 pounds with shared bath, Only 4 B&B and one hotel in town. Salton Inn is situated one the town square near the fishing docks.

The hotel has recently been updated and our room on the 3rd floor is quite modern and so much better than the hotel the previous night. I had a lamb shank with mash and veggies a large glass of wine, Peter a blue cheese burger with a beer all for less than 12 pounds. A good place to spend the time to look forward to the next porton of the trip and to plann the next steps.Read more