The Magic of Standing Stones
You can’t visit Lewis without encountering the odd standing stone, or stone circle; in fact, Lewis claims the tallest stone in the Outer Hebrides in the village Siadar, the Clach an Truiseil. We stopped by on a breezy, damp day (there were a few of those!) and enjoyed the contrast of the ancient with the modern, a 1970s bungalow lying between the stone and the ruins of a blackhouse in the next field.
Clach an Truiseil
Crystal Offering at Clach an Truiseil
I first heard of Calanais (Callanish) Standing Stones when I was very young, on one of our many family holidays in Scotland; they had always held an appeal for me, as any stone circle does, but it was one of the highlights of the holiday to be able to finally visit such a magical site. Our first visit was a sunny afternoon, with a small hoard (is there such a thing?) of other tourists;not quite ideal really. Our second was more special; on a grey,rainy afternoon there was no-one else around, we had the place to ourselves.
Calanais in the rain
Gearraidh na h-Aibhne is part of the Calanais complex, also visited on a wild and wet afternoon; in many ways this was the favourite stone circle for all four of us, although we probably couldn’t tell you why.
Gearraidh na h-Aibhne (Garrynahine) Stone Circle
Gearraidh na h-Aibhne Stone Circle
Calanais from Gearraidh na h-Aibhne
Standing stones were not the only ancient landmarks of course; Dun Charlabhaigh (Dun Carloway) Broch is the ruin of an Iron Age tower, complete with stairs in the walls.
Dun Charlabhaigh (Dun Carloway) Broch
Towards Harris from Dun Charlabhaigh (Dun Carloway) Broch
Blackhouses are the other common ruin on the island, although much more recently abandoned; while some have been converted into sheds, or even included in newly built houses, many are left as piles of stones on the edge of villages.
Lewisian Blackhouse Ruins
And finally, a C19th lighthouse, at the Butt of Lewis (Rubha Robhanais) – that’s as far north as you can go!
Butt of Lewis Lighthouse
