I thought I'd put this site on Yelp as it is about to be relocated and I wanted it to be recorded before the Council remove the stones prior to redeveloping the area for housing. After much public outcry and several petitions, they have agreed to relocate the stones to a nearby location in the area instead of destroying it completely; however it is unlikely that the new site will enjoy such fine horizon views as this one currently has.
Built in 1979 by astronomer Duncan Lunan, the circle was a community project funded by Glasgow Council Parks Department as part of an 'astronomy in the parks' project that never fully materialised. It was designed to keep the local unemployed youth occupied, and was probably the first astronomically-aligned stone circle to be built in Britain since the stone age. There are alignments to the summer and winter solstice sunrises and sunsets, the major and minor standstill moonrises and moonsets, and two other stones mark the rising of the star Rigel in 2,000BC and 1979AD - the latter intended to confuse future archaeologists! The stones came from a quarry near Kilsyth, and most were flown in by helicopter with the aid of the Royal Navy.
Before it was completed however, the Conservatives got into power under Margaret Thatcher, and the stone circle found itself with the dubious honour of having been debated in parliament, when Maggie cut the funding, declaring that "there will be no more foolish schemes like the Glasgow Parks Astronomy Project". The circle has never been completed and there are still gaps in the East and West where other stones were intended to be placed to mark the equinox sunrise and sunset. Proper access paths were never installed either, making getting to the circle a bit of an adventure as you have to slog through long, often muddy, grass from the nearest path, or hack your way up a steep hill through trees from the motorway side. If it wasn't for the access problems and general lack of facilities I would happily give this place 5 stars.
Despite these drawbacks, the circle became very popular both with local residents and the larger pagan community of Glasgow, and it has been the scene of many a ceremony over the years, as well as less salubrious rituals involving copious quantities of cheap alcohol, as the litter and graffiti on the stones testify.
Fast forward to 2016, and the spring equinox found a large group of folk at what will almost certainly be the last event at the circle, a ceramic workshop using paper and clay kilns, as the removal of the stones is scheduled to begin in early April. Clearing of vegetation has already started, with an access track leading up to the stones from the Pinkston Road side, and the hillside on the M8 side has been completely denuded of trees. The stones will be removed soon and buried for storage somewhere nearby while the new development goes ahead. It will be at least a year, probably more, before they are again erected in their new location. We are fortunate that the original builder Duncan Lunan is still around, and this time he won't have to rely just on paper and a slide rule to calculate the astronomical alignments. read more