Brandsbutt Symbol Stone
28 minute walk from Inverurie station · Dundee, Aberdeen and North East · Free entry
The Brandsbutt Stone is a Class I Pictish symbol stone located in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. This scheduled monument is a large block of whinstone that was previously broken up to build a dry stone wall, but it has since been reassembled for public view.
Dating to around AD 600, the stone is significant for its rare combination of incised symbols and Ogham script. You can see a crescent and v-rod alongside a serpent and z-rod. The inscription, which reads IRATADDOARENS, is considered baffling, though it may refer to the Pictish saint Ethernan.
Visitors can appreciate the craftsmanship of the ancient carvings and the impressive scale of the reassembled block. Standing over one metre high, the stone offers a unique opportunity to see one of the few examples of Ogham writing preserved on Pictish stones in Scotland.
Visitor information
- Place type
- Ancient stones
- Good for
- Archaeology & ancient history, Historic monuments
- Characteristics
- Open-air, Scheduled Monument
- Admission
- Free
- Region
- Dundee, Aberdeen and North East
Stations within walking distance
- Inverurie station — 28 min walk, 2.3 km
Other places near Inverurie
- Ury Riverside Park — 3 min walk from the station
- Garioch Heritage Centre — 10 min walk from the station
- Inverurie Loco Works F.C. — 14 min walk from the station
- Garioch Rugby Club — 15 min walk from the station
- Inverurie Golf Club — 27 min walk from the station
- Broomend Of Crichie Stone Circle / Henge — 32 min walk from the station