The Praying Hands of Mary

This is the amazing and little known 'Praying Hands of Mary' in deepest Glen Lyon in the Highlands. It is a 16 feet high double stone resting on a natural rock plinth. No one knows it's origin, but it has probably been here for thousands of years. Opinion is divided as to whether it is natural or man made. I go for the latter view - the plinth is definitely dove tailed to fit the Hands, and a friend of mine who is a stonemason looked at it last year and pronounced the same.

A people from Christian retreat in the valley named it the Praying Hands, but the locals call it 'Fionn's Rock' after the legendary Gaelic hero Fingal, or Fionn mac Cumhaill, who it is said split the rock in two by firing an arrow at it from the nearby mountain of Creag Dhubh, in a show of strength.

To get to the stone, which isn't visible from the road and it isn't on any map - we drove from Stirling to Glen Lyon, a distance of about 60 miles, stopping off at the lovely little village of Fortingall, with it's 3 stone circles. Having lunched in the hotel we set off in search of the famous Fortingall Yew - a 3000 year old tree which resides in the churchyard. It is difficult to get a good photo of it - it is surrounded by railings and on this day was in the shade. It is very decrepit but still living and was definitely worth a visit.

We then drove up Glen Lyon with its stunning mountains and waterfalls and parked the car in a layby in front of a cottage. Glen Lyon is just beautiful - for my money more lovely and dramatic than it's famous sister Glen Coe.

The walk to the Hands is dramatic - up a steep dirt track for most of the way, and along the side of a crystal clear waterfall - the water just tasted so refreshing and cold. After a mile or so we left the track and turned right and the site just took my breath away.

With the back drop of the snow capped Scottish mountains sat the Praying Hands of Mary. They are huge, and no wonder the local people hold them in reverence. I have been here a few times but it still amazes me.

I spent some time trying different settings on the camera and different lenses whilst my companions went off up the nearby hills for a quick hike.
As it started to snow and was getting dark we decided to set off back, taking a shortcut through the mountains. Turning a corner on this single track road I pulled up sharpish as the road was blocked by an avalanche! We had to reverse the car, a Zafira using the brake lights to light the way in the dark and driving snow. Eventually we arrived safely at my friends house and had a drink, food and bed - after reflecting on a superb day.