Loupin Stanes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Loupin Stanes |
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| Official name: Loupin' Stanes, stone circle | |
| Reference no. | SM637 |
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The Loupin Stanes is an ancient stone circle found near Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. This special place is a stone circle, which means it's a monument made from large stones arranged in a circle. It's a fascinating example of how people lived and built things many thousands of years ago.
What are the Loupin Stanes?
The Loupin Stanes circle is shaped like an oval. It has twelve large stones standing upright. These stones are placed on a raised area, which is like a small, man-made hill or platform. This platform makes the circle stand out in the landscape.
Special Stones and Their Name
At one side of the circle, towards the west-southwest, there are two very tall stones. These two pillars are quite common in ancient stone circles found in southwest Scotland. They are often called 'entrance circles' because these large stones might have marked an entrance.
The name Loupin Stanes comes from a fun old story. Loupin means 'leaping' or 'jumping' in Scottish. The tradition was that people would try to leap or jump between the tops of these two tall stones. This is how the circle got its unique name!
Nearby Ancient Sites
The Loupin Stanes was not the only stone circle in this area. There were once two other stone circles very close by. Sadly, these other circles are now mostly ruined. They are very hard to see today.
There is also a line of stones that goes south from the Loupin Stanes. This line of stones leads towards another important ancient site called the Girdle Stanes. Experts think this line of stones might be what's left of an ancient path or 'avenue'. This path could have connected the two stone circles long ago.
