A tall weathered sandstone monolith rises above Calf Sound on Eday. The Stone of Setter is a Neolithic or Early Bronze Age standing stone, a single upright prehistoric stone, on the north-central part of the island.
Its importance comes from scale, setting, and survival in its original placement. The pack describes a deeply weathered irregular monolith on a circular platform, close to several chambered cairns, and scheduled as a protected monument since 1936.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
The Stone of Setter dates to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, around the second millennium BC. It stands on Eday overlooking Calf Sound. The stone is deeply weathered, irregularly shaped, and in its original placement.
The monument sits near Vinquoy, Huntersquoy, and Braeside chambered cairns. Outside the Stones of Stenness, the pack identifies it as the tallest monolith in Orkney. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1936.
Connections
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Vinquoy chambered cairn
One of several nearby burial monuments on Eday.
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Huntersquoy chambered cairn
Another nearby chambered cairn noted in the pack.
What to look for
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Weathered monolith
The sandstone stone is irregular, deeply weathered, and still in its original placement.
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Roadside visibility
The pack says the private-property monument can be seen from the road.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 59.2190°N · 2.7645°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Easy going
Opening & admission
The source pack does not provide reliable current admission details; verify before travelling.
- The pack says the stone is on private property but can be seen from the road.
Nearby places
Tomb or burial place · Prehistoric
Quoyness Chambered Cairn
Orkney Islands
Quoyness is a Neolithic chambered cairn on the Elsness peninsula of Sanday, Orkney, of the Maeshowe type and probably built around 3000 BC. Origina…
- Near Sanday
- 20 min walk from car park
- Easy path
Questions people ask
- What is the Stone of Setter?
- It is a prehistoric standing stone on Eday in Orkney.
- How old is it?
- The pack dates it to the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age, probably around the second millennium BC.
- Can it be seen from public land?
- The pack says it is on private property but can be seen from the road.
- What other sites are nearby?
- The Vinquoy, Huntersquoy, and Braeside chambered cairns are nearby.
Sources
- Wikipedia article
- Source pack: Stone of Setter
Explore more: Tomb or burial places · Prehistoric · Orkney Islands
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