AS the Avengers try to stop Thanos from capturing the infinity stones in the latest Marvel blockbuster, Scotland’s own precious stones are capturing the imagination of visitors.
VisitScotland has revealed sites of some of the country’s most well-known stone attractions are proving as popular with visitors as the fictional cosmic gems are with the Titan warlord, with visitor figures showing increases of up to 45 per cent in the past five years.
Scotland is home to 1233 sites occupying standing stones, among the most ancient in Europe, and 352 sites featuring a Pictish symbol stone.
One of the world’s most recognisable collection of standing stone sites, the 5000-year-old Calanais Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis, pictured, saw a 20 per cent rise in visits to its visitor centre between 2013 and 2017.
UNESCO World Heritage Site the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, which features The Stones of Stenness, considered the earliest henge monument in the British Isle, and The Ring of Brodgar, saw 25,501 visits to its visitor centre last year – a seven per cent rise from 2013.
Edinburgh Castle, which is home to the Stone of Destiny, has seen a rise in visits of 45 per cent, from 1,420,027 to 2,063,709, across the same period.
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