May Craig (island)

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May Craig is a rocky island situated along the North Sea coast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. [1] May Craig lies about one half mile (0.8 km) south of Newtonhill and a mile (1.6 km) northeast of the village of Muchalls. A small islet of the same name lies three miles (five km) to the north-northeast.

North Sea marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean

The North Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean located between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north. It is more than 970 kilometres (600 mi) long and 580 kilometres (360 mi) wide, with an area of 570,000 square kilometres (220,000 sq mi).

Aberdeenshire Council area of Scotland

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.

Scotland Country in Northwest Europe, part of the United Kingdom

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain, with a border with England to the southeast, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast, the Irish Sea to the south, and more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

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Area history

The area to the west of May Craig was first inhabited by Pictish peoples who left prehistoric megalithic monuments along a trackway known as the Causey Mounth, a name coined in medieval times. Examples of these megaliths are Old Bourtreebush stone circle and Aquhorthies stone circle. [2] Historic structures in the general area include Elsick House, Gillybrands and Muchalls Castle. [3]

Megalith Large stone used to build a structure or monument

A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. The word megalithic describes structures made of such large stones without the use of mortar or concrete, representing periods of prehistory characterised by such constructions. For later periods, the word monolith, with an overlapping meaning, is more likely to be used.

Causey Mounth drovers road in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

The Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continued to function as the principal route connecting these two cities until the mid 20th century, when modern highway construction of the A90 road occurred in this area. There are extant paved and usable sections of this road over part of the alignment; however, many parts of the ancient route are no more than footpaths, and in some cases the road has vanished into agricultural fields. Constructed in the Middle Ages, the Causey Mounth was created as an elevated rock causeway to span many of the boggy areas such as the Portlethen Moss. A considerable portion of the alignment of the Causey Mounth is illustrated on the UK Ordnance Survey Map, although a large fraction of the route cannot be navigated by a conventional passenger vehicle.

Stone circle monument of standing stones arranged in a circle

A stone circle is a circular alignment of standing stones. They are commonly found across Northern Europe and Great Britain and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age eras, with most concentrations appearing from 3000 BC. The best known examples include those at the henge monument at Avebury, the Rollright Stones and elements within the ring of standing stones at Stonehenge. Ancient stone circles appear throughout Europe with many appearing in the Pyrenees, on the Causse de Blandas in southern France in the Cevennes, in the Alps, and Bulgaria.

Coordinates: 57°1′29.56″N2°8′50.68″W / 57.0248778°N 2.1474111°W / 57.0248778; -2.1474111

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

See also

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Craigmaroinn reef in the United Kingdom

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Auld Bourtreebush stone circle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Auld Bourtreebush is a prehistoric stone circle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This megalithic construction is situated near the Causey Mounth ancient trackway, which connects the Scottish lowlands to the highlands.

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References

  1. ↑ United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map Landranger 45, Stonehaven and Banchory, 1:50,000 scale, 2004
  2. ↑ C.Michael Hogan, Causey Mounth, Megalithic Portal, ed. by Andy Burnham, 3 Nov. 2007
  3. ↑ Archibald Watt, Highways and Biways around Kincardineshire, Stonehaven Heritage Society (1985)
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