There is something incredibly powerful about standing stones.

The enduring physicality offers a mysterious yet immediate connection with our ancient past. I grew up in Aberdeenshire and my wife is Cornish, so we both lived in areas with high concentrations of stone circles, barrows and other megalithic structures.

I took the above photos last weekend during a visit to Cornwall. The first three are of Men-an-Tol, a small granite formation that features the famous holed or "Crick stone". Stories abound about the curative properties of passing through the stone - everything from pregnancy to childhood rickets.

The second set are of Lanyon Quoit, a dolmen or megalithic tomb found just a few yards from the main road. If you happen to visit this site then I can heartily recommend walking a few hundred yards further down the road and taking in a Cornish cream tea at the Lanyon tea rooms. Yum!