Walking among the ancient standing stones of Machrie Moore we crossed the wet moor, soft and moist under our feet.
The history of this place on Arran is written on those stones brought here by strong hands from the depths of earth crust. Red sandstones standing high above the moor plane, granites sitting round a burial ground of Fingal’s Cauldron Seat. We touched the harsh surface of stones that guard a secret sacred meaning, now covered in irregular shapes of fungi and surrounded by a bird song. The song that tells a story of the past life from over 4000 years ago, of rich fields of barley and wheat, of families and animals who lived here, and who had to move to a different place when the climate changed.
What was the story behind that change of habitat? We don’t know now, but a good guess is climate became cooler and wetter. Ideal for formation of peatland habitat, not for growing crops.
This ancient story of human migration in the changing climate beacons a reflection about human migration stories happening now. Habitats and communities change, only stones remain singing their stories of the past.
