East Aquhorthies Stone Circle

  • Near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire

 

Overview

Wander among one of Scotland’s best-preserved recumbent stone circles and wonder about its original purpose. 

East Aquhorthies Stone Circle is a recumbent stone circle – a monument type only found in north-east Scotland. It has a large stone set on its side and flanked by two upright stones, usually on the south or south-west part of the circle.  

The stones here appear to have been chosen for their colour. They’re all rough, pinkish porphyry, except for: 

  • the stone next to the east flanker, which is red jasper  
  • the two flanking stones, either side the recumbent stone, which are grey granite 
  • the recumbent stone, which is made of red granite quarried from near Bennachie 

Opening times

Open year-round.

Historic Scotland

Facilities

Download our visitor app

Discover more on the go – the Historic Scotland app lets you find out about Scotland’s most iconic places wherever you are.

Plan your visit

More than 20 of our sites are now open. Please book your tickets in advance.

Become a member

Join Historic Scotland to visit our properties free of charge for a full year and support our work at the same time.

Hire a site for filming

Use one of our fantastic locations on your next shoot for an awe-inspiring backdrop to your work.

Learning visits

Our 300+ historic places serve as creative inspiration for all sorts of learning activities – and for learners of all ages.

Search our events

See the past brought to life by the imaginative year-round programme of events at our properties.