Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Mid Clyth Hill O' Many Stanes

Hill O' Many Stanes

A collection of short standing stones covers this hillside.

Mid Clyth, Scotland

katielou106 profile photo
Added By
katielou106
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Hill O’ Many Stanes   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_o%27_Ma...
Notes from professor Thom in 1871.   Not a photo.
22 lines of stones   Aksel / Atlas Obscura User
22 lines of stones   Aksel / Atlas Obscura User
Hill O’ Many Stanes.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
Views from the Hill O’Many Stanes.   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Hill O' Many Stanes is thought to be around 3,000-4,000 years old and harkens back to the Bronze Age.

The site can be found on a south-facing hillside just off the A99, which contains a collection of about 200 standing stones, none more than a meter high. These stones are set out in 22 rows running roughly north and south, the rows are not parallel but create a fan-shaped pattern. 

The stones were set in clay on turf-lined holes and packed in tightly with other stones. It's believed that successive generations added to the stones, perhaps as a way to remember ancestors. Others believe the stones are a Pictish graveyard. Some theories have even suggested that they actually formed some type of ancient calendar. Perhaps their true purpose will never be known.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Know Before You Go

The Hill O' Many Stanes is up a single track road off the side of the A99 North of Lybster.

Community Contributors

katielou106 profile photo

Added By

katielou106

rbenn250 profile photo jonathancarey profile photo Aksel profile photo

Edited By

rbenn250, jonathancarey, Aksel

  • rbenn250 profile photo rbenn250
  • jonathancarey profile photo jonathancarey
  • Aksel profile photo Aksel

Published

October 25, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1982/april/multiple_stone_rows.htm
  • https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/hill-omany-stanes/history/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_o%27_Many_Stanes

Related Tags

Stone History & Culture Design Bronze Age
Hill O' Many Stanes
A99
Mid Clyth, Scotland, KW3 6BA
United Kingdom
58.328557, -3.205036
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Whaligoe Steps

Whaligoe, Scotland

miles away

Ebenezer Place

Wick, Scotland

miles away

Abandoned Badbea

Highland, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Scotland

Scotland

United Kingdom

Places 799
Stories 49

Nearby Places

Whaligoe Steps

Whaligoe, Scotland

miles away

Ebenezer Place

Wick, Scotland

miles away

Abandoned Badbea

Highland, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Scotland

Scotland

United Kingdom

Places 799
Stories 49

Related Places

  • Krakow Torch Sockets

    Krakow, Poland

    Krakow Torch Sockets

    Remnants from a time before electricity.

  • Loupin' Stanes entrance stones

    Langholm, Scotland

    Loupin' Stanes and Girdle Stanes

    A pair of stone circles positioned on the bank of the River Esk.

  • The Holestone overlooking surrounding countryside.

    Doagh, Northern Ireland

    The Holestone

    This mysterious Bronze Age standing stone has become a place where couples profess their love.

  • El Arco de la Ville (The Town Arch)

    Santa Cruz de la Zarza, Spain

    El Arco de la Ville (The Town Arch)

    One of the last remnants of an ancient town wall

  • Nankoweap Granary

    North Rim, Arizona

    Nankoweap Granaries

    Hike up to this ancestral grain storage site, but don't touch.

  • Oxford Huguenot Fort

    Oxford, Massachusetts

    Oxford Huguenot Fort

    Solitary stone structures and a tale of tragedy are all that remains of a historic settlement built by French Protestant refugees.

  • Sarcophagus of Chrodoara

    Amay, Belgium

    Sarcophagus of Chrodoara

    Since its accidental discovery in 1977, this sarcophagus has been described as "the greatest masterpiece of Merovingian sculpture north of the Alps."

  • Nuraghe and Church of Santa Sabina

    Silanus, Italy

    Nuraghe and Church of Santa Sabina

    A lone nuraghe and a little old church with mysterious origins.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.