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Loch Buie, Scotland
2015
Sheep are probably the most ubiquitous feature of the Scottish landscape, appearing here adjacent to another common sight–an ancient stone circle. We saw quite a number of stone circles in western Scotland. They are certainly not on the scale of Stonehenge or anything close, but quietly impressive in their own right. They are not typically marked by signage or otherwise made a big deal of, likely because of their diminutive size and the lack of any significant historical information about them.
Ireland also has it’s pre-historic stone monuments including the ubiquitous stone walls designed to hold the sheep in. Our guide talked about the official classification and registry there. These are small countries and I believe the number in Ireland was at least 50,000+. Apparently having an old rock in your backyard is less of an object of pride but rather a bother and nuisance for development and real estate objectives for many there.
The similarity of the often incredibly rocky landscapes of Ireland and Scotland as well as the fact that much of Ireland was settled (invaded) by Picts and company responsible for the standing stones as well as by my so-called Scots-Irish farmer ancestors has a lot to do with the similarity of the man-made landscape in both countries–both the ubiquitous monuments as well as the even more prevalent stone walls and buildings.