I happened upon this stone circle when I’d come to find nearby Culsh Earth House. Thought to have been built around 5,000 years ago, this is one of several stone circles unique to the north-east of Scotland as it has a recumbent stone. Framed by the recumbent stone the stones flanking either side, the focus of this circle seems to have been Lochnagar, the prominent mountain 20 miles(32km) south-west of here. The Neolithic people who built this circle would have used it to mark the movement of the Moon throughout the year. They undoubtedly linked the landscape and the stars with their spiritual life and would have revered this site as a place of worship. Set upon this wee hill at the centre of these flatlands known as ‘the Howe’, it’s likely that other communities and their stone circles would also have been visible from here.
The centre of this particular circle, surrounded by kerb stones, is known to have been used for cremation pyres. A mound of charcoal, burnt soil and bone was excavated from the centre here in the 1990’s.
As I wandered into the grove beyond Dunino church, sunlight danced through the leaves of the trees surrounding Dunino Den, obscuring my vision. With a sudden fluttering of birds around me, I felt that there was indeed a supernatural atmosphere about this place. It’s said to be haunted by fairies, steeped in Celtic legend and a site of pagan worship that continues to attract pilgrims today. The fabled ‘Altar Stone’ sits up high, overlooking a burn running through the narrow gully below. A small, circular well worn into the rock here is rumoured to have once been used by Druids in their rituals of human sacrifice. Near the well, is a carved footprint, suggesting this was once a place of great significance. Carved footprints were used in Neolithic times, during inauguration rituals where our ancient chieftains would place a foot in such grooves and swear oaths to protect their people and lands. This would suggest that kings from our pre-history might once have been crowned here.
Steps lead down into the Den, to a Wheelhead Cross, ancient symbols and a mysterious face all carved in to the rock. Here, modern day worshippers now leave offerings, believing this place to be a portal to the otherworld. Ribbons flutter from the trees, messages for loved ones, since departed, are stuffed into cracks in the rock and coins left in crevices. Beware! It’s said that removing anything from this place will bring bad luck.
Legend tells of a visitor who came to Dunino Church and having followed the path through the woods to the altar stone, he saw an enchanting hamlet on the other side of the gully. The cottages were thatched and swathed in rambling roses. An old man in knee breeches and a woman in a long gown, stood at the entrance to one of the houses while a blacksmith leant on his hammer outside his workshop. A year later, the visitor returned, this time with a companion to whom he had recounted his story. They arrived at the Den to find the cottages gone and nothing but trees on the other side. It is said that a collection of cottages and a smithy once existed on the land there, but they had been demolished long, long ago….
“Come Faeries, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!” – W B Yeats
Located on the outskirts of Glenrothes in Fife, Balfarg Henge is now incongruously surrounded by a modern housing estate. Encircled by hills, this was once a revered landscape and main centre of ritual, sacred to generations of prehistoric people. While there are only two of its original stones remaining and sadly, a rather underwhelming place to visit these days than other Neolithic monuments in Scotland, (such as Calanais in Lewis or Ring of Brogdar in Orkney) 4,000 years ago Balfarg Henge would have been equally as evocative. The ceremonial, circular enclosure, measuring 60 metres across (known as a ‘henge’), was formed by a bank with an internal ditch and encompassed temples for the living and graves for the dead. Evidence of ritual feasting, sacrifice, smashed pottery and human burial were found here and at the centre of the henge, lying level with the grass, is a massive stone slab which covers a stone cist, containing the remains of a teenage boy from that period.
The nearby Balbirnie Stone Circle was excavated then moved when the current main road was widened. It originally had been only 300 metres from Balfarg Henge, in a much more prominent position with the circle facing the midsummer sun rising over Clatto Hill. It had a hearth at its centre, perhaps for lighting up night-time ceremonies. Communities would have gathered here to celebrate seasonal festivals and to honour their ancestors. Balbirnie became a place of burial where the cremated bones of women and children were placed in stone cists, along with precious objects.
Neolithic peoples cleared woodland and introduced agriculture to Fife around 6,000 years ago. They were also hunter-gatherers, moving from place to place throughout the year as seasons changed. The efforts made by these people to build shared sacred sites like Balfarg and Balbirnie affirms that their society was sophisticated and organised.
Scottish Adventures - in a van 