Gramsdale Standing Stones, Benbecula

Gramsdale Standing Stones, Benbecula

At the very northern tip of Benbecula, immediately before you come to the causeway heading north to North Uist, stands a small stone circle in a farm field to the east of the road. To access the stone circle take the left fork of the farm driveway for a hundred yards or so until you get an opportunity to hop the fence - take care and respect the farm fencing!

The field is boggy in places and good footwear is a must - but this is the Western Isles so you already have good waterproof footwear, right?

The Gramsdale circle is composed of at least ten small stones, many fallen, and one larger stone about five feet high.

The total diameter of the circle is about 100 feet, and there is an outlying stone slab to the east of the circle. The location is a bit odd, as many circles are located on a sloping hill, but the Gramsdale circle is on almost totally flat ground.

The most impressive find at Gramsdale was a carved Pictish stone, one of only three such Pictish stones to be unearthed in the Hebrides. The Gramsdale Stone was ornately carved, suggesting that it belonged to an individual or family of high social standing. The stone is now at an Edinburgh museum.