Name: Witch's Stone Memorial
Rating: 2

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United Kingdom

Scotland

Moray

Forres

Witch's Stone Memorial

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Places to see

Natural Monuments

United Kingdom

Scotland

Moray

Forres

Witch's Stone Memorial

Recommended by 5 road cyclists

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Location: Forres, Moray, Scotland, United Kingdom

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Best Road Cycling Rides to Witch's Stone Memorial

4.3

(3)

riders

1. Cafe 1496 – Sueno's Stone loop from Forres

59.6km

02:41

180m

Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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Intermediate

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2. Sueno's Stone – Cafe 1496 loop from Forres

52.7km

02:43

360m

Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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3. Cafe 1496 – Sueno's Stone loop from Forres

50.3km

02:33

170m

Intermediate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride.

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Intermediate

Tips

Michèle Linton-Sinclair

October 11, 2023

Above the stone, which is cracked in three and held together with iron staples, is a small plaque, which reads: “From Cluny Hill witches were rolled in stout barrels through which spikes were driven. Where the barrels stopped they were burned with their mangled contents. This stone marks the site of one such burning.”

The stone is situated near the entrance to Forres Police Station.

Scotland’s most infamous witch trials

Should the individual survive this barbaric ordeal, however, their endurance would be used as firm evidence they were indeed in tow with the devil and they’d be burned anyway.

According to local legend, the Cluny Hill stone was split into three to be used as building material for a nearby house. The person responsible for this supposedly became sick with the fever soon after they moved into their new dwelling. Naturally, it was assumed that the stone was cursed. The house was demolished and the stone returned to its original place.

It’s said the Cluny Hill witch was burned for being one of the three found guilty of bewitching King Duncan in 1040 AD. Some historians, however, believe the stone dates from much later, namely the period after the Reformation, when witch hunts were on the increase.

Post-Reformation, witch burnings were not uncommon in Scotland, with our little nation being one of the most enthusiastic in Europe in this regard thanks to the passing of the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563 which deemed the practice of witchcraft and consultation with witches as punishable by death.

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Elevation 30 m

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Thursday 25 September

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Max wind speed: 11.0 km/h

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Location: Forres, Moray, Scotland, United Kingdom

Witch's Stone Memorial

1. Cafe 1496 – Sueno's Stone loop from Forres

2. Sueno's Stone – Cafe 1496 loop from Forres

3. Cafe 1496 – Sueno's Stone loop from Forres

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