Fresh from a bucket-list trip to Brodgar, this poem, by internationally respected poet, John Mingay, evokes the connections between Brodgar, Brodgar Ness and Stenness, as well as between ancient communities and the mysteries of the skies above.
Trench P at the Ness of Brodgar excavation site showing the huge Neolithic structures raised between 3100BC and 2900BC. Image credit: Hugo Anderson-Whymark
“The only epoch in which standing stones are meaningfully aligned with the bright stars is c.2000 BC, with a spread of at most 200 years both before and after.”
Occasionally strong, mild southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 10 °C.
“We watched a television programme which we had recorded from the 5 Select channel on December the First – ‘Underwater Stonehenge”
“Wind blows through the Ring of Brodgar”
Proposals have been put forward on the development of Orkney’s World Heritage Site – known as The Heart of Neolithic Orkney which comprises the Maeshowe tomb, The Standing Stones of Stenness, The Ring of Brodgar and the village settlement of Skara Brae.
“Carrying on along the path by Harray Loch, and admiring the banks of Stocks in bloom….”
“Just for the joy of being there
And drinking in the summer air,”
18th April is World Heritage Day
