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Old Meldrum
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Sheldon NJ823249 |
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Sheldon, sitting like a crown on a ridge may not be a recumbent stone circle as no recumbent
stone exists but the circle is about the right size for one. Five tall stones form the circle plus two
more outlying stones a few metres beyond. To reach this circle there are plenty of buses from
Aberdeen to Old Meldrum, or drive from Aberdeen on the A947. Take the back road west at
Longside Farm a couple of miles south-east of Old Meldrum. Sheldon Farm is a mile further on.
Ask permission at the farm to go to the circle, which is at the top of a field on a slope behind the
farm.
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| From here it's not far to Kirkton of Bourtie where the keen-sighted can look for the near-invisible Pictish stone. A tree lined drive leads down to the kirk into which the stone is built high into the outside of the south wall (at top right). I could only see it with binoculars, making out a finely carved but fragmentary disk and crescent, near the roof and obscured by a pine tree waving about in the wind. | ||
Bourtie NJ801249 |
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| Immediately to the west of the kirk and across the road are the massive remnants of Bourtie stone circle. A huge recumbent stone and flanker and three stones still remain. These stones look beautiful in summer with camomile and poppies growing among them, but of course it's better to see them after the crops have been harvested. Ask at the farm for permission to see the circle. | 
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It is worthwhile, now to climb to the nearby Barra Hill Fort, used from the first millennium BC up to Mediaeval times, not only just to see where you've been, but for marvellous views of the Garioch. The ramparts are impressive and can be easily reached via the pleasant community track from opposite the kirk. |
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