Three Hostels Near Archaeological Sites – A Hostelling Scotland Guest Post

We asked our friends at Hostelling Scotland (formerly SYHA Hostelling Scotland) to show us how their hostels can be used to explore this country’s amazing archaeology.

“The Scottish landscape is not only wild and wondrous; it also holds clues to our past, our heritage and has a fascinating story to tell. There are some famous sites near our hostels that are a great way to start your archaeological journey. We’ve select three highlights below:   

Stones of Stenness
Kirkwall Youth Hostel is the perfect base for visiting the magnificent Standing Stones of Stenness. The stones lie in the heart of Neolithic Orkney and were built over 5000 years ago as part of a ritual site. Standing at over six metres high they make up part of the richest surviving Neolithic landscape in Western Europe.

Clava Cairns
The Clava Cairns are a group of three Bronze Age Cairns located near Inverness Youth Hostel. A hugely significant and well preserved pre-historic site, Clava Cairns is a fantastic example of the distant history of Highland Scotland, dating back 4000 years.

Machrie Moor Stone Circles 
Located on the west of Arran near Lochranza Youth Hostel (pictured), the stone circles are thought to date back to the Bronze Age, over three and a half thousand years ago. The circles are thought to have been associated with the religious and ceremonial activities of the farmers living around Machrie Moor and may have been used to observe the heavens.”