Loanhead of Daviot Stone Circle, Aberdeenshire

Loanhead of Daviot, Aberdeenshire: A Recumbent Circle and its Cemetery

Overview

Near the village of Daviot, a few miles north-west of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, Loanhead of Daviot is one of the best-known and most informative of the north-east’s recumbent stone circles. What sets it apart is its neighbour: right beside the circle lies an excavated Bronze Age cremation cemetery, so the site gives an unusually complete picture of how these monuments were used for the dead. Set among trees and freely open, it is a rewarding, atmospheric stop for anyone exploring Aberdeenshire’s remarkable concentration of ancient circles.

What you’re looking at

  • A recumbent stone circle about 20.5 metres across — eight upright stones plus two flankers bracketing a large, frost-split recumbent stone in the southern arc.
  • A low ring cairn enclosed within the circle at its centre.
  • A stone just east of the eastern flanker carries a vertical line of cup marks.
  • Immediately adjacent, the enclosed cremation cemetery — a separate ring where the dead were buried.

The full history

The circle was raised around 2500 BC, with the adjacent cremation cemetery in use later, into the later Bronze Age. It was excavated in 1934–35 by H. E. Kilbride-Jones, one of the classic digs of a recumbent circle. His work in the neighbouring cemetery recovered the cremated remains of at least 31 people — including several young children — buried around a central pit, giving a rare, human glimpse of the community that used the monument. Like its cousins, Loanhead belongs to the uniquely north-eastern recumbent tradition, its great horizontal stone framing the low southern moon. It is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.

Seeing it

Loanhead of Daviot is signposted near Daviot village, about five miles from Inverurie, with a car park close by and a short walk to the stones. Access is free and open at all reasonable times. It pairs perfectly with Easter Aquhorthies a short drive away, letting you compare two fine recumbent circles — one famous for surviving intact, the other for its excavated cemetery — in a single afternoon.

Nearby & linked

Sources

  • Historic Environment Scotland — Loanhead of Daviot (site record).
  • H. E. Kilbride-Jones, excavation 1934–35; Canmore / RCAHMS record.