The island’s Stan Stane is found just north of the pier at Nouster. You can’t miss it when looking across this flat island, with the stone standing tall at around 13 feet.

What makes it so special in an Orkney context is the hole found in its upper half. There’s also a sense of mystery surrounding the solitary stone; was it an outlier for a wider stone circle to the north of the island, or did the hole play a part in some form of Neolithic calendar?

One Orkney folktale suggests a giant woman found the stone on a local beach and poked her finger through it before planting it in the field where it stands to this day.

Wherever it came from, and whatever it represented, it’s well worth a visit to tick another Orcadian standing stone off your list.

You can cross the field to see the stone at any time, but please be mindful of any livestock in the surrounding field and take care if animals are present.