Achavanich Standing Stones, Caithness, Scotland

Achavanich standing stones are around 4,000 years old with views over Loch Stemster. It is unusual in that it is a horseshow shape and the stones are at an angle. A burial mound is nearby and is marked on OS maps as a Chambered Cairn. Achavanich is easy to find, and visit, when travelling north on the A9 road to Thurso, turn off at Achavanich, just past Loch Rantag, and drive a short distance past the car park area for Loch Stemster, where you will find a small car park area, a layby, next to the stones. It is free to visit and open all year round. Near the standing stones, at Achavanich, the remains of a woman were found that was eventually carbon dated to 2400 BC. Read more about the Achavanich Beaker Burial project and "Ava" along with pictures on the Highland Historic Environment record. This is also the start point for the 6-mile round trip into the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Munsary Peatlands Nature Reserve, an important natural area that is part of the Caithness Flow Country.