Although I didn’t pass through these standing stones, as Claire did in Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series, I was definitely transported to another time at this ancient burial site.

After turning off the main road we drove down a very narrow lane for about a mile to a small parking area and there were the stones in front of us.

We passed through the gate and over the mound to an excellent information board that gave some history to this special place.

There was another person at the stones when we arrived who told us he first saw these stones 35 years ago and now photographs them almost every minute of every day as he monitors the effect of sunlight and shadows on them. He was certainly under the spell of these ancient relics and obsessed with their relationship to the natural occurrences of solstices, equinoxes, sunrises and sunsets.

We continued up the narrow path on foot for about 100 metres to see Cairn Holy 2. This was quite different with a much bigger mound and ‘roof’ stones over the burial chamber.

The info board at this site suggests this was the tomb of a local hero, Galdus.

The views from this higher mound were amazing – across rolling fields dotted with sheep and hay bales to Wigtown Bay.

There are several sites of these ‘standing stones’ throughout the country, the most famous of course being Stonehenge. Each one has their own story to tell and we can only guess their true origin and importance.

Whatever their purpose they certainly weave their spell on us all these centuries later.