"Orkney's tallest standing stone, a weathered red sentinel on a remote island shaped by millennia of wind"
The Setter Stone
Eday, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
On the island of Eday, one of Orkney's less-visited northern isles, a single standing stone rises approximately four and a half metres from the moorland. The Stone of Setter is the tallest individual standing stone in Orkney, a monolith of local red sandstone so weathered by millennia of Atlantic exposure that its silhouette has become ragged and organic, sometimes described as resembling a giant's hand. It stands on a saddle of high ground between Mill Loch and the sea, commanding views across Calf Sound, in a landscape rich with Neolithic burial cairns.
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Quick Facts
Location
Eday, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
59.2190, -2.7645
Last Updated
Feb 6, 2026
The Stone of Setter belongs to the megalithic tradition of Orkney and Atlantic Europe, erected by Neolithic or early Bronze Age farming communities between roughly 3000 and 2000 BCE. It stands within a rich prehistoric landscape on Eday that includes three chambered burial cairns and Bronze Age features, suggesting it was part of a broader sacred geography.
Origin Story
No origin narrative survives from the builders. The stone's erection belongs to the widespread Neolithic tradition of raising standing stones across Orkney, a practice shared with the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness, and dozens of other monuments across the archipelago. The communities who raised the Setter Stone were farmers who had inhabited Eday for generations, transforming the island with permanent monuments. Their specific beliefs and motivations are irrecoverable.
Key Figures
Historic Environment Scotland
Spiritual Lineage
No continuous tradition of practice connects present-day visitors to the Neolithic builders. The stone passed through millennia of human habitation on Eday without any recorded traditions of use or veneration. Its modern significance is primarily archaeological and contemplative.
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