Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge

  • Mainland Orkney

 

Overview

Walk among the enigmatic stones of one of the most spectacular prehistoric monuments in the British Isles. The Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge is an enormous ceremonial site dating back to the 3rd millennium BC.

The Ring of Brodgar comprises:

  • A massive stone circle, originally consisting of 60 stones – 36 survive today
  • At least 13 prehistoric burial mounds
  • A large rock-cut ditch surrounding the stone circle

The Scottish geologist Hugh Miller, visiting in 1846, wrote that the stones ‘look like an assemblage of ancient druids, mysteriously stern and invincibly silent and shaggy’.

The Ring of Brodgar is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, a series of important domestic and ritual monuments built 5000 years ago in the Orkney Islands.

Explore more with Orkney Digital Guide

Discover nearly 5,000 years of Orkney’s history and prehistory, including the Ring of Brodgar, with our Orkney Digital Guide. 

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Opening times

Open year-round.

Please follow the one way system on your visit.

Some sections of the inner path may be closed periodically to allow the grass path to rest and regenerate.

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