Torhouse

The Standing Stones of Torhouse stand in a flat field three miles west of Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway. Nineteen granite boulders form a circle twenty-two metres wide on a slight rise. The tallest stones, over a metre high, face southeast. Three upright slabs stand in a line near the centre, pointing northeast to southwest. Two more stones stand forty metres to the south-east, and a row of three stones lies one hundred and thirty metres to the east. The circle probably dates from the Neolithic period or the Bronze Age. It has never been excavated but is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. Local tradition says the three central stones cover the tomb of Galdus, a mythical Scottish king. Another tale tells of a stone by the roadside with a deep hollow where passers-by leave pebbles or gifts for safe passage. Visitors find a quiet grassy platform ringed by weathered granite. The tallest stones catch the morning light. A low bank of earth surrounds the circle, adding to its sense of age. Beyond the field, hedgerows stretch towards Wigtown. The roadside stone with its hollow lies just south of the circle, a small relic of old custom.