Red sandstone blocks ring a low cairn on a ledge above Machrie Bay. Auchagallon Stone Circle, also known as Auchengallon cairn, is best understood as a kerbed cairn, meaning a prehistoric mound edged with stones, rather than as a simple free-standing stone circle.
Most of the surviving stones are red sandstone, with two pale granite blocks adding a visible contrast around the ring. Antiquarian digging in the 19th century found a central burial cist (a stone-lined burial box), a small stone-built grave box, inside the cairn, but no other recorded remains.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Auchagallon is described in the source pack as the remains of a Neolithic or Bronze Age burial cairn surrounded by a ring of stones.
The monument stands near Machrie on the Isle of Arran, on a west-facing slope overlooking Machrie Bay.
The ring includes 15 stones, mainly red sandstone with two pale grey granite blocks.
The stones surround a large central cairn, a prehistoric mound of stones.
Antiquarian excavation in the 19th century found a central cist, meaning a small stone-lined burial box.
The pack notes that, although the place is now called a stone circle, it was probably built as a kerbed cairn.
What to look for
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Stone ring
Fifteen stones form the surviving ring around the cairn.
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Contrasting stone
Most blocks are red sandstone, while two are pale grey granite.
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Central cairn
The mound inside the ring marks the burial focus of the monument.
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Machrie Bay setting
The site occupies a slight ledge on a west-facing slope above the bay.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 55.5598°N · 5.3428°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Moderate walking
Opening & admission
The pack links to a Historic Environment Scotland visitor guide; check current official access information before travelling.
- The monument stands near Machrie on a west-facing slope above Machrie Bay.
- The pack describes the site as a probable kerbed cairn rather than only a stone circle.
Nearby places
Questions people ask
- What is Auchagallon Stone Circle?
- It is probably a kerbed cairn, meaning a prehistoric burial mound edged with stones, near Machrie on Arran.
- How many stones survive at Auchagallon?
- The source pack describes a circle of 15 stones around the cairn.
- What was found during digging at Auchagallon?
- A 19th-century antiquarian excavation found a central cist, a small stone-lined burial box.
- Is Auchagallon really a stone circle?
- The pack says it is now called a stone circle, but was probably built as a kerbed cairn.
Sources
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