Cothiemuir Wood Recumbent Circle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
This somewhat degraded circle lies in the middle of a conifer plantation in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is worth visiting mainly because of the beautiful recumbent stone and its two flanking stones, each of which is shaped suggestively. The large recumbent is like a siting device to the southernmost setting of the Moon. It is oriented to 200 degrees southwest, is made of basalt, measures 4.2 meters in length, and weighs 20 tons. The flanking stones are made of red and gray granite. The rectangular-shaped stone is sited due south (180 degrees), while the point-shaped stone is oriented to 215 degrees southwest. In addition to the recumbent, there are 12 stones total in the circle, most of which are somewhat small. A burial kist topped with a granite slab is at the center of the monument. The circle sits at 630 feet of elevation.