The weird standing stones of Callanish (Callanish Standing Stones (Isle of Lewis))

Member Name: micksheff

Product:	Callanish Standing Stones (Isle of Lewis)
Date:	25/07/09 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free to visit, fascinating

Disadvantages: Very remote

From an archaeological and historical point of view the standing stones at Callanish are of equal importance to Stonehenge. Yet whilst the latter recently received over 36,000 visitors in a single day for the summer solstice (21st June 2009) Callanish receives only a few thousand visitors every year. This is due entirely to Callanish's location on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, which is just about as remote as you can get within the British Isles.

I have always known about the existence of the standing stones at Callanish but only took a real interest in them earlier this year when I was planning my visit. I have seen Stonehenge hundreds of times, my brother used to live in the next village, and even now it never fails to turn my head, but they have become far too commercial for my liking in recent years. The sheer remoteness of the Callanish stones has always made them that little bit more magical to me.

The Isle of Lewis is packed full of attractions but so very few of them are even marked on maps let alone sign posted. The Callanish Stones are however an exception to this rule and appear on road signs right across the island and even at the ferry terminal at Tarbert on Harris. You do need to bear in mind though that most road signs on the island are only displayed in Gaelic and it's a bit confusing since the Gael's have two different names for this place; Chlachan Chalanais or Tursachan Chalanais depending on which side of the island you are on.

Archaeologists usually refer to the stones that most visitors come to see as Callanish 1. There is a large visitor centre and car park and this is where the tourist signs will take you. There are however two other similar but smaller stone circles nearby which are known as Callanish 11 and Callanish 111 but more about those another time.

Callanish 1 comprises of thirteen large stones arranged in a huge circle and leading off from this there is a corridor of smaller upright stones arranged at a north, south, east and west orientation. If you imagine the arrangement of these stones from above then it roughly resembles the shape of a Celtic Cross with a circle around the point where the horizontal and vertical lines meet. The diameter of the outer circle measures around 13 metres and the average height of the stones is 4 metres with the tallest central stone measuring just over 5 metres. It is possible to see these stones on top of the hill from quite afar but it is only when you get up close that you can really appreciate them and ponder over their meaning.

There is no admission fee to visit the stones and the visitor centre is open daily (except Sunday) from 10am until 6pm. You can still walk around the stones on a Sunday but the centre will be closed and to be honest it really is worth checking out if you want to learn about the stones. I was eager to find out how old they were who put them there and why?

Sadly even the visitor centre couldn't answer all of my questions and I think I came away with more questions than when I arrived but I did discover that the stones were constructed between 2900BC and 2600BC and they are all of local Lewisian Gneiss.

There are some wonderful myths and folklore attached to the Callinish stones and one of my favourites is that when Saint Kieran arrived from Ireland in the 1st century BC to convert the locals to Christianity those that refused were turned to stone. However let's not get too carried away and take a look at the facts. What we do know is that whilst Stonehenge relates to the sun Callanish appears to relate to the moon. That is to say that the setting of the moon on midsummer's day aligns perfectly between the top of the tallest stone and the peak of the islands highest mountain Clisham in the distance. In fact when viewed from the south the midsummer moon appears to sit right on top of the tallest stone. This has led some historians to believe that these stones were a type of calendar system but most favour a religious use. Archaeologists have discovered that this tallest stone marks the entrance to a burial tomb where prehistoric human remains have been found but there is no evidence of sacrifice. This burial chamber is also a late addition to the site and was probably added around 2000BC, just 300 years after this date is when the site was probably last used. Furthermore it is now thought that whilst these stones were erected between 2900 and 2600BC they occupy a much older site, possibly going back at least a further 1000 years.

As there are no written records from 4500 years ago when the people that built these stones were still around we will probably never really know their true origin. In many ways this helps to keep the Callanish Stones alive and interesting. I think we can rule out St Kieran turning the locals to stone or alien intervention but there might just be some weight being the stones referring to some extinct super race of people because this is an amazing achievement even by modern standards. Each stone weighs several tonnes and were probably transported from the south west of the island or even Harris (50 to 100 miles away) where this type of Lewisian Gneiss rock is most prominent.

I found the Callanish Stones fascinating and I was impressed that it is possible to walk freely around them. You can touch the stones if you like or just have your photo taken in front of them. Unlike Stonehenge there are fences to keep out the hordes of tourists. If you are ever on the Isle of Lewis you really can't leave without seeing the standing stones at Callanish.

Calanais Visitor Centre
Isle of Lewis
Callanish
Isle of Lewis
HS2 9DY

Summary: The Scottish equivalent of Stonehenge