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Stone Circle, Borrowstone Rig, Lauder. |
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Description
The stone circle on Borrowston Rig is situated on level and very
boggy ground and is more egg-shaped than circular. The overall
area encompassed is some 48.00m x 41.00m. There are around 30
stones and further stones are probably overgrown and buried.
None of the stones reaches more than 0.60m high and few reach
above the heather, resulting in a circle for the enthusiast
rather than one for anyone looking for majestic, towering
monoliths. One stone can be found 3.10m inside the circle and
may be an inlier, of the type seen at Cairnpapple. Two stones,
37.00m to the north west, may mark an alignment with the star
Capella. The tall standing stone on Dabshead Hill can be see to
the south west.
Directions
From Lauder, follow the A697 for Duns. Turn left at High Cross
then right at Newbigging Walls. Follow the road to Barncastle
Farm. Walk down the track to the valley floor then head directly
uphill and across the moor. A good guide for the circle's location
is the dry stone sheep fold. An easier route might be had by
following the vehicle track that runs west down the valley, then
curves up and round Dabshead Hill then takes you along the length
of Borrowston Rig.
Parking
By roadside at Barncastle Farm or alternatively, request
permission to park in the farm yard.
Fieldnotes
This rather plain and low-lying stone circle does not hints at
it's apparent complexity. It has been theorised that the layout
of the circle, which is more egg-shaped than round, has been
based on a unit of measurement known as the megalithic yard,
equal to 0.829m. The setting measures 46m x 43m with most of the
stones lying on a true circle of 50 megalithic yards but the
western segment has been formed on the arc of a separate circle
of 31 megalithic yards in diameter whose circumference passes
through the centre of the larger circle. The perimeter of the
setting was determined by straight lines joining the outer arcs
of the overlapping circles.
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