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043 Stone, Aberlady Bay, Aberlady. |
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Description
This large recumbent stone caught my eye one Sunday evening when
returning from North Berwick. It lies on the foreshore just a
few metres west of Aberlady village and measures 2.35m long x
1.20m wide x 0.75m thick. The stone is well rounded, most likely
by the tides, as it presently lies between high and low tide
marks. One end is pointed and the stone is of a type local to
the area. There is no known prehistoric association with this
stone and whether it stood upright is unlikely ever to be known,
unless time travel is developed. I'm working on that!
Directions
Aberlady is on the east coastal road (A198) out of Edinburgh. The
village can also be reached by following the A6137 from
Haddington, just off the main A1(T).
Parking
There is a small parking are at the entrance to Aberlady Bay
nature Reserve, about 500m to the west. Vehicles may also be
parked in Aberlady but please do not block access to private gates
and driveways.
Folklore
Sorry but no folklore or other traditions have been
found associated with this stone, although it is possible
some local, but as yet unknown, associations or traditions
may exist in the Aberlady area.
Fieldnotes
Although this site does not appear to have any connection
whatsoever with prehistoric times, it does stand out when you
drive along the shore road between North Berwick and Aberlady,
at least when the vegetation is low. The stone is an obvious fallen standing stone shape and the shape does not match that of
the few other large boulders in the area. It could be pointed
out that the stone lies within the tidal range of the bay but
this might not have always been the case, as the coastal scenery
may have been vastly different 2000 or 3000 years ago. One
possibility is that the stone is a fallen boundary stone,
relating to the local town or parish. Perhaps the most likely
theory is that the stone was once a depth marker for the ford
that crossed the Peffer Burn near this spot. Old maps of the
area clearly show the ford.
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