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Twelve Apostles Stone Circle, Dumfries |
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Description
Despite the name, only eleven stones of a probable eighteen
stones still remain at this
location with the highest reaching just under 2.00 metres in
height. The circle has a diameter of about 86 metres making it
the largest stone circle on mainland Scotland and the fifth (or
seventh, depending what you read!) largest in the British Isles.
There
are various natural "cup-marks" created by weathering
on several of the stones, some of which are in rows. A bronze figure, identified as the figure of
St Norbert, was dug up at the stone circle and is now housed in
the Dumfries
Museum. Four of the stones are of local original with the
remainder being quarried from a few miles distant. Quartz seems
to be a feature at this location with pebbles being common
within the circle and numerous veins of quartz running through
some of the stones.
Directions
From the A75 Dumfries By-Pass take the junction leading onto the
A76. Just after passing the village of Newbridge, turn left onto
the B729 then first on the left again. The circle is in the field
to your left. An information board can be seen at the road
junction.
Parking
There is parking along the narrow road to the south of the site
although care should be taken not to impede local traffic. A
style gives access to the stone circle. Note that livestock may
be found in the field where the circle stands.
Folklore
There are one of two items of folklore relating to the
Twelve Apostles Stone Circle, although my information is
somewhat lacking in detail at present. However, I've
included it here anyway. The first concerns the apparent discrepancy
between the 12 stones of the circles name and the 11 actual
stones seen on location. One tale has it that the missing
stone was removed because it was the apostle
"Judas". Another relates to early map making when
an errant ink spot was mistaken for the twelfth stone! Fieldnotes
I did find the location
somewhat lacking in any atmosphere what-so-ever. Perhaps this
was down to the hazy weather at the time of my visit or perhaps
I was expecting more.
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