The Ring of Brogar is a perfect circle of standing stones on a flat spit of heather between the Loch of Stenness and the Loch of Harray, about a hundred and four metres across, ringed by a rock-cut ditch. Sixty stones are thought to have stood here originally, and twenty-seven remain, some of them toppled or broken, with the tallest about four and a half metres high. It was built perhaps four and a half thousand years ago, probably a little later than Stenness, and nobody knows precisely what it was for. The suggestions range from astronomy to gathering, and standing in the middle you can believe any of them.
The setting is the glory. The ring sits on an open peninsula called the Ness of Brodgar, with water on both sides and low hills in the distance, and you see it from the road long before you arrive. Lichens in grey, orange and pale green cover the stones, and many have been split by lightning, which has struck the circle repeatedly. Around it, burial mounds from the Bronze Age rise out of the heather, and the Ness of Brodgar has a scatter of mounds and a site excavated in recent years that revealed a large Neolithic building. Wind rattles the grass and the clouds move fast.
A path loops around the ring and is open at all hours and free, though the ground gets boggy after rain, so bring boots. Arrive early or very late in summer to avoid coach parties, and consider sunset in June, when the light stretches out over the lochs. Riding in is on the B9055, a narrow, level road with very little traffic and an enormous view, though gusts can be strong and the road is narrow, so take care with sheep and cyclists.
The nearest fuel is in Stromness, around five kilometres to the south-west, and Kirkwall has everything and sits about fifteen miles east. A small car park at the site has a toilet, but no shop. Pack a flask, since the wind can chill you quickly, and a camera, since the light is unpredictable and dramatic. If the weather is clear, the Hoy hills to the south-west make a lovely backdrop, and on a bright evening you can see the whole ring reflected in the loch.