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Stone Circles, a Modern Builder's Guide to the Megalithic Revival

Stone Circles, a Modern Builder's Guide to the Megalithic Revival

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Balbirnie - Stone Circle in Scotland in Fife

Submitted by Nick on Tuesday, 05 November 2002  Page Views: 22097

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Balbirnie Alternative Name: Druid's Circle; Balfarg
Country: Scotland
NOTE: This site is 1.4 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Fife Type: Stone Circle
Nearest Town: Glenrothes
Map Ref: NO2858702969  Landranger Map Number: 59
Latitude: 56.213918N  Longitude: 3.152982W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
3 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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I have visited· I would like to visit

SumDoood would like to visit

vyvbon visited on 23rd Sep 2023 - their rating: Access: 4

Anne T visited on 1st Nov 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5 Balbirnie Stone Circle: It was a good job we had the SatNav and the GPS, which took us almost to the spot. As this was right next to a modern housing estate, we found layby to park in about 100m metres away in Tofthill and walked back to the stone circle, which has a footpath running to its eastern side. Nicely preserved stone circle with cists with an information board and a recreated rock art panel. We took a few minutes to spot the rock art panel, but realised it had fallen over slightly, so wasn't very visible. I did my best to photograph it in situ.

SandyG visited on 19th Apr 2014 - their rating: Cond: -1 Amb: 2 Access: 5 This site is a reconstruction of a site that originally stood nearby.

BolshieBoris visited on 1st Oct 1996 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 3

hamish have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2 Ambience: 3.33 Access: 4.25

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Nick : From the A92 running north from Glenrothes, turn east onto the un-numbered road for Star and Kennoway. 100m along this road is a sign for the Balbirnie housing development, turn in here and about 150m/200m along, where the road curves right, you will see the circle just below you. Park up in the housing development itself and walk back. The site itself dates from c3000 B.C., and used to be loca... (Vote or comment on this photo)
Stone Circle with cup and ring marked rocks in Fife

From the A92 running north from Glenrothes, turn east onto the un-numbered road for Star and Kennoway. 100m along this road is a sign for the Balbirnie housing development, turn in here and about 150m/200m along, where the road curves right, you will see the circle just below you. Park up in the housing development itself and walk back.

The site itself dates from c3000 B.C., and used to be located 125m to the north west of where it stands at present. It was always known locally as the "Druid's Circle", and had to be relocated when the A92 was widened. It was excavated during 1970-71 by Historic Scotland, and there is a good information board at the site.

Ten stones stood here originally, of which eight are left. Later in its history, some burials took place within the circle, and one of the burial cists has a stone marked with cup and cup-and-ring marks (now replaced with a concrete replica). Several finds were made during excavations, amongst them being cremated bones, a beaker, a flint knife and a jet button. All of these are now in the Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. A fine site, and well worth a visit.

The Northern Antiquarian (TNA) website has details of both cup-and-ring marked stones, Balbirnie Carving (01) at grid reference NO 28587 02966, and Balbirnie Carving (02) at grid reference NO 2850 0304. Further notes on the stone circle can be found at: Canmore ID 29980 and on TNA's entry for Balbirnie Stone Circle, Markinch, Fife.
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Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by postman : An undecorated cist. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Bladup : Two red coloured standing stones of the sadly moved Balbirnie stone circle. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Bladup : The sadly moved Balbirnie stone circle. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by postman : 8.00am and nobody but me is aboot. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by postman : The decorated cist, a replica but a good one.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by postman : I dont much care that it's out of place, it still looks good to me.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by postman : A good arc of large stones

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by postman : Early in the morning, just me and a couple of uninterested dog walkers

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Unknown :

Balbirnie from North
Balbirnie from North submitted by Unknown

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Antonine : Visited 2015

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Anne T : Standing just inside the stone circle, looking westwards, over two of the cists (the third one with the rock art stone is just to my right hand side, out of shot).

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Anne T : The recreated rock art stone in one of the cists towards the eastern side of the circle. The stone now leans in towards the centre of the cist slightly, and in comparison to the Canmore image is upside down, so it took us some time to identify it. I photographed the stone as best I could, but the rock art isn't terribly clear.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Anne T : One of the taller stones, nestled under the trees, to the north western side of the circle.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Anne T : The second large stone in the Balbirnie Stone Circle.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Anne T : One of the two large stones in the Balbirnie Stone Circle.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Anne T : Walking down towards the Balbirnie Stone Circle from Tofthill, where we'd parked the car. The road slopes down and turns a right hand bend, giving me a slight height advantage to look down over the circle.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Anne T : The Balbirnie Stone Circle, taken from just under the tree cover to its eastern side (just over the footpath and slightly up the hill).

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Postman : Not as tidy as the last time I was here, but still a great site.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Postman : These stones were once free of vegetation.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Postman : A storm had been through here a few days ago, I tidied up as much as I could but, the grass is short for sure but all around is getting overgrown.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Postman : And you might find yourself in another part of the world. And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" (1 comment)

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Postman : From above on the roadside, if it wasn't getting a bit overgrown I'd have been able to get all the stones in.

Balbirnie
Balbirnie submitted by Postman : The carved cist stone

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 201m NNW 327° Balfarg Riding School mortuary enclosure and henge* Henge (NO28480314)
 417m WNW 291° Balfarg Henge* Henge (NO2819803123)
 5.3km NW 307° East Lomond Hill Hillfort (NO24400620)
 5.5km NW 322° Westfield Farm Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO25260735)
 5.7km WSW 254° Strathhendry* Stone Circle (NO23050145)
 6.5km SSE 148° Earlseat* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NT3197797452)
 7.8km NW 305° Kilgour Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO223076)
 7.9km SW 218° Dogton* Class III Pictish Cross Slab (NT2360996863)
 7.9km S 172° Bogleys* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NT296951)
 8.3km SE 135° West Doo Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (NT3433097007)
 8.3km SE 136° Court Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (NT34279694)
 8.3km SE 133° Sloping Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (NT34619727)
 8.3km SE 134° Well Cave Cave or Rock Shelter (NT345971)
 8.3km SE 135° Jonathan’s Cave* Cave or Rock Shelter (NT344970)
 8.9km E 89° Balgrummo* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NO375029)
 9.1km E 86° Aithernie (Scoonie) Cairn (NO37690339)
 9.3km NW 322° Auchtermuchty Cursus Cursus (NO22951043)
 10.0km NW 315° Strathmiglo* Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO2166810219)
 10.2km W 262° Scotlandwell* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NO1847801656)
 10.2km N 2° Newton of Collessie Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO292132)
 10.2km N 3° Collessie* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NO293132)
 10.3km NE 35° Walton Symbol Stone Class I Pictish Symbol Stone (NO34651135)
 10.5km W 264° Kilmagadwood Early Bronze Age cemetery Barrow Cemetery (NO1805702119)
 11.9km E 90° Lundin Links* Stone Circle (NO40480272)
 12.0km SW 234° Hare Law (Fife)* Cairn (NT187961)
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"Balbirnie" | Login/Create an Account | 5 News and Comments
  
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Re: Balbirnie by Anonymous on Thursday, 15 September 2016
Anyone reading this posting should be informed there is no safe parking in the residential area. Very narrow roadways with blind bends. There is however a car park in the other end of Balbirnie Park though it does mean a lovely walk through the park to the Stones.

Do not park on the grass as anyone will be aware is an infringement of road traffic guidance, you will be mounting the kerb and damaging the footpath and grassed area.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Balbirnie by golux on Monday, 04 August 2014
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This site was not built as a stone circle, it was a cairn about 15m in diameter and the standing stones are the remaining kerbstones. See the RCAHMS page for more detail.
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Re: Balbirnie by Anonymous on Thursday, 12 June 2014
I think the powers at the time should have left well alone,I used to live at balfarg farm and the stones were behind the managers house. speaking to a women that lives in the old creamery she admitted to me that she sole one for a garden feture.sham on you ,i am glad that noboby has found the ice-house in the woods close to the stones. edward kostka.
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Re: Balbirnie by coldrum on Friday, 16 April 2010
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Re: Balbirnie by Anonymous on Thursday, 05 July 2007
my parents worked on this excavation.
the part about all artefacts are now in a museum is not strictly true. for years we had the cremated remains in a small box in my bedroom. these remains have since been
re interred at the original site.
may he / she rest in peace.

paul.
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