Page 21 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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Tapering Ring o’Brodgar stones surrounded by a floral landscape, ANCIENT AND HISTORICAL SIGHTS
Orkney Island
Ring o’Brodgar, Ancient complex of extraordinary Maltese megalithic temples
of Mnajdra
A Wassu Stone Circle resembling people gathered for a square dance,
on the banks of the Gambia river Orkney Islands Megalithic
Wassu Stone NEED TO KNOW Temples of Malta

Circles, Gambia LOCATION The Ring 3*/( NEED TO KNOW
o’Brodgar stands in the
West Mainland parish 0 #30%("3 +PIO
Stenness, in the Orkney P (SPBUT LOCATION Various
NEED TO KNOW sites are located on the
Islands, which lie off the
northern tip of Scotland *OWFSOFTT island of Malta and (0;0
LOCATION The stone circles neighboring Gozo 7JDUPSJB
are near the island and town ACCESS Free
4&/&("- &EJOCVSHI ACCESS Open .&("-*5)*$
of Janjangbureh (formerly DAYTIME (MBTHPX 9am–5pm daily; admission fee 5&.1-&4
Georgetown), Gambia TEMPERATURES 6/*5&% /PSUI – a multi-site ticket is available 7BMMFUUB
ACCESS Open #BOKVM (" .#*" Jan: 39°F (4°C); Apr: 43°F (6°C); ,*/(%0. 4FB DAYTIME TEMPERATURES ."-5"
daily; admission fee 8"446 Jul: 54°F (12°C); Oct: 47°F (8°C) *3&-"/% 3BCBU
Jan: 54°F (12°C); Apr: 59°F
DAYTIME (15°C); Jul: 77°F (25°C); .FEJUFSSBOFBO
4FB
4&/&("-
TEMPERATURES Oct: 72°F (22°C)
Jan: 73°F (23°C); Apr: 90°F On summer evenings, the tall, thin standing
(32°C); Jul: 82°F (28°C);
(6*/&" #*44"6 stones of Brodgar cast long shadows, like fingers
Oct: 84°F (29°C)
pointing towards some far-off mystery. This Dawn, either during equinox or solstice, is the
hauntingly beautiful place is on a narrow isthmus time to visit the Mnajdra megalithic temples on
At Wassu, ancient stones of similar shape have between two lochs, where the wind blows freely Malta’s southern coast. The site opens early to
been arranged in circles, like people getting and light plays dramatic tricks throughout the catch the sun as it creeps over the massive,
together for a square dance. This site has 11 such day. A perfect circle exactly the same size as decorated slabs of the temples and warms their
circles, and is one of the largest stone-circle Avebury’s two inner rings, this henge is much weathered surfaces. Mnajdra is perhaps the most
complexes among hundreds spread over 200 miles younger, erected around 2000 BC, on the eve of appealing of the half-dozen extraordinary temple
(333 km) on the Gambia River’s north bank. It is the Bronze Age. It is surrounded by a wide ditch complexes on the island and on neighboring
said to be the world’s greatest concentration of cut into the bedrock, and crossed by two narrow Gozo, although each has its plus point, such as
stone circles. Most were made between 1300 BC causeways, one in the southeast and a wider one the animal carvings at Tarxien. Older than
and AD 750 from a local sandstone, laterite, and in the northwest. As well as the Ring o’Brodgar, Stonehenge, these magnificent temples date
the largest can weigh up to 10 tons. They form which was clearly an important ritual center for from 5000 BC and were at their peak between
part of a burial ritual and superstition about their the Neolithic people, other sites here include 3600 and 3200 BC, a time known as the Ggantija,
powers has kept them from being plundered. burial mounds, earthworks, and the Stones o’ or Giant, period – for who else but giants could
A museum in Wassu explains their mysteries. Stenness, an earlier henge less than a mile away. have made them?

Practical Information Practical Information Practical Information
Getting There and Around The town of Janjangbureh on a river island Getting There and Around Brodgar is located 12 miles (20 km) to the Getting There and Around Malta’s main airport is 5 miles (8 km) from the
is the nearest base, and is a 5-hour drive from the capital, Banjul. From west of Kirkwall, which is Orkney’s main town and airport. You can also capital, Valletta. Either rent a car or go on a tour. The shortest crossing to
there, you can take taxis from the ferry terminal on the north bank 6 miles take a ferry from Scrabster on the mainland to Stromness, which is 4 miles Gozo is from Cirkewwa and takes 20 minutes.
(10 km) from Wassu. (7 km) from Brodgar. When to Go High summer can be uncomfortably hot – the best time to
When to Go The weather is good year-round. To avoid rain, visit Nov–Jun. When to Go Mid-Jun–Oct, when it never gets dark, is ideal. visit is in Apr–May.
Website www.gambia.dk/stones/html Websites www.orkney.org; www.orkneyjar.com Website www.heritagemalta.org

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