I was so excited to see Beltany Stone Circle
It sits in a stunning location in the middle of nowhere!
I had read a bit about it and knew it was a lesser-visited site.
This made it exceptionally appealing as I was looking forward to communing with the stones and the ancient spirits on my own.
In other words — I don’t like to share the energy with others!
Just kidding.
I missed my turn off just south of Letterkenny.
Then missed it again as I came back.
So I kind of got a bit lost out on the rural roads of this area.
But I didn’t mind as it was really beautiful with lots of sheep grazing in the hills.
With the help of Google maps and a website I had stumbled across months ago, I found my way to the village of Raphoe (which I learned is pronounced RA-foe) and there I found plenty of signage to the stone circle.
Tip: Find your way to Raphoe (rather than Beltany Stone Circle) and you’ll have no trouble finding Beltany.
It was a chily, windy day.
The weather was overcast but there was no rain.
It was just quite windy.
Once I parked in the small gravel lot by the Department of Agriculture Food and Fuel Development Potato Center (yes there is such a thing), I took the short walk through a really cool canopy of trees up to the field where Beltany lies.
Walking across the field, I couldn’t help but understand why the ancient people chose this spot for this sacred circle.
The 360 views are fabulous!
I don’t know what it looked like thousands of years ago, but my guess is there were still stunning views.
Today there are about 60 or so stones all around.
But there may have been as many as 80.
Most are not very tall, although there are a few that are a few feet high.
I walked into the middle of the circle.
I did a 360 imagining what the ancient people used this for.
You can’t help but feel their spirits when you are in a mystical place such as this.
My imagination runs wild with what they looked like, what they wore and what they used the stone circle for.
Spiritual rituals?
Astronomical information?
Burials?
No one knows for sure.
I placed my hand on some of the stones…
Willing the ancient people to talk to me.
But no luck on this trip.
Yes I’m a bit obsessed with these places.
I’m simply curious — I just want to know what these stone circles are all about.
I spent a good bit of time here despite the fact that it was really windy and quite cold.
If it had been warmer I probably would have spent more time here.
These ancient sites really pique my interest and my inner explorer.
I realize not everyone feels this way about stone circles…
Or dolmens or passage tombs.
So this site may not interest you at all.
But if you do find these ancient sites at all intriguing, then I would highly recommend a visit to Beltany Stone Circle.
It’s not really that difficult to find.
The walk to the circle is easy and not far.
And it’s in a stunning location.
For you ancient history geeks — put it on your list!
Wow! What a thrilling moment, Lynne! Thanks so much for bring it all to life for us
Thanks Virginia. It’s such a cool place that I had read about. It was high on my “must see” list for Donegal!