{"id":1291,"date":"2021-06-13T22:02:53","date_gmt":"2021-06-13T22:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cromarville.wordpress.com\/?p=1291"},"modified":"2023-05-12T10:26:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T14:26:00","slug":"did-the-cromars-and-georges-almost-kill-tomnaverie-stone-circle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/williamcromar.com\/cromarbaile\/2021\/06\/13\/did-the-cromars-and-georges-almost-kill-tomnaverie-stone-circle\/","title":{"rendered":"Did the Cromars and Georges almost kill Tomnaverie Stone Circle?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Tomnaverie Stone Circle | Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Castles and circles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ve mentioned the Tomnaverie Stone Circle a couple of time in prior posts<\/a>. I never heard of this amazing site until a few years ago, when I was hosting a study-abroad program<\/a> through the school where I teach digital media. We were taking a day trip away from Dundee (where we collaborate with two universities, Dundee<\/a> and Abertay<\/a>) and visiting a place I was keen to see: Dunnottar Castle<\/a>. If you’ve never been, you must immediately stop everything you are doing and get on a plane now<\/em>. Oh, wait, COVID… well, as soon as the US is granted “green light” status for international travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While at Dunnottar, I got into a conversation with a random Scot\u2014this happens an awful lot <\/a>when you’re in Scotland\u2014comparing the castle to other sites. My unknown friend insisted that, while castles are indeed awesome (as in filling one with awe<\/em>), we hadn’t truly seen Scotland until we had paid a visit to a stone circle. I couldn’t change our itinerary that day, but I asked him for a recommendation and he ticked off a list of about 3 dozen, one of them being Tomnaverie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning a visit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I made a mental note for the next trip. As we started planning it, I researched the sites my nameless guide suggested. It seemed like those to the immediate west of Aberdeen were close enough to add to the itinerary. Cullerlie<\/a> and Midmar<\/a> were a bit closer, but the breathtaking landscape of Tomnaverie, with its sweeping views, seemed like the one, and it wasn’t that much farther away. So we planned the trip. Then COVID delayed the trip. Then delayed it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, while waiting for the all-clear, I started an entirely unrelated COVID hobby: researching my family history. As I got deeper into my research, really odd dots began to connect. Long story short, I discovered that the stone circle we chose to visit\u2014someday!\u2014was so close to my great-grandfather’s childhood home I could connect them with a par-5 fairway (though I wouldn’t make par because I’m terrible at golf… so much for my Scottish heritage).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My family and Tomnaverie<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As I learned more about my family, so too I learned more about Tomnaverie:<\/p>\n\n\n\n