Celia Haddon - Cat Expert

Understanding animals through their behaviour

OUTER HEBRIDES

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Calanais also known as Callanish.

ISLE OF LEWIS

I visited the Outer Hebrides in 2013. I wouldn’t have seen all I did but for Dave of Dave’s archeological tours, which I highly recommend. The best books to buy there or take with you is Ancient Lewis and Harris by Christopher Burgess and Ancient Uists by Anna Badcock. I have numbered the sites according to their numbering. It really is worth seeing all the stone circles, not just going to the main one. This whole area was ceremonial for Neolithic people. My photos are sometimes thumbnails: click on them and you will see them bigger and better. The entries are more or less alphabetical. With limited time I concentrated on the Neolithic sites, rather than anything later.

 

 

 

Achmore Stone Circle. NB 3174 2926

Achmore S.Not a pretty site. Peat cutting has exposed the stones that are now fallen and lying in water. This stone circle was discovered in 1981 and could do with more archeological investigation and a bit of restoration. This site is off the A 858 and is marked on the Leisure and Tourist Map.

 

 

 

 

 

Calanais  NB 213 330 (see top photo)

Calanais, also called Callanish, is a 13 stone circle with a central monolith, with single rows to the south, east and west and an avenue from the north. The photo at the top of the page does not do it justice. To get the full impression you need a photo taken from the air.  The nineteenth engraving on the right is taken from  Gerald Ponting’s small book, Callanish.

No 17 in Ancient Lewis and Harris

There is probably a small stone circle  below two cairns that lead to a ridge overlooking Callanish. Thumbnail photos below. Those who want to know more must read Dave Godwin’s dissertation, The Neolithic & Early Bronze Age in Lewis and Harris.

circle nr Calanais

Remains of a small stone circle

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Two cairns on the ridge overlooking Calanais.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calanais II. Cnoc Ceann a’Garraidh NB 222 326

Dave's 6002

There are five standing stones, all that remain from an oval stone ring, with two fallen stones. Just as there were smaller stone circles, now disappeared,  built near Avebury, Calanais 11 is not far from Calanais 1

The peat was dug away from this in 1848 and charcoal remains suggested there may have been a wood monument which preceded this one.

No 18 in Ancient Lewis and Harris.

 

 

 

 

 

Calanais III. Cnoc Fillibher Bheag. NB 225 327

Calanais 3Eight stones left standing and five fallen in an outer ring with four stones in a group within. This is within a few kilometers of Calanais 1.

No 18 in Ancient Lewis and Harris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calanais IV. Ceann Thulabhaig NB 225 327

Calanais 4An oval ring with five standing stones. There is a stile off the B8011.

No 19 in Ancient Lewis and Harris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calanais VIII. Cleitir. NB 164 342 

Calanais 8Just near the Bernera Bridge. There are four stones all facing across the water in what might be  semi-circle rather than a circle.  The surface was cobbled originally. This is a startingly beautiful site about which there is little information. For a little more, read: http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM5548

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chambered tomb near Dun Eistean, medieval fort (NB 538 650)

Chambered cairn near DuneastonOn the road to the medieval fort, you will see these two standing stones in a field. Probably the remains of a chambered tomb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clach an Trushall  NB 375 536

Clach an Trushall, the Stone of Compassion, is the tallest standing stone on Lewis, near some houses in Baile an Trushall. Probably part of a more extensive monument as there is an orthostat embedded in a nearby wall. Two fallen stones lie nearby. There are the remains of a stone circle recorded to the south east.

No 8 in Ancient Lewis and Harris.

Lewis Clach an Trusseil standing stone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dolmen tomb near Bostadh (NB 138 402)

On the headland above the Bostadh iron age village. Bostadh is lovely beach with a reconstructed iron age hut and rabbits playing in the churchyard. A good place for a picnic.  If you walk inland up the little river and look right you will see the dolmen tomb high on the skyline. Follow a wall upwards to reach it. This is a rare kind of tomb for Lewis. The capstone points towards the sea.

Bostadh is no 20 in Ancient Lewis and Harris. The dolmen is not mentioned: only the iron age village and reconstructed iron age house.

 

Dursainean chambered cairn NB 523 330

Dursainean Chamb cairnThis seems to have been a square cairn, maybe with a forecourt on the south east. There’s a circular walk which takes in a small triangular stone.

 

No 28 in Ancient Lewis and Harris

 

 

 

 

 

Steinacleit  NB 396 541

Lewis Steincleit chambred cairn?Steinacleit chambered cairn, or stone circle, or possibly oval farm? Probably a prehistoric settlement with an enclosure for farm animals. It has not been proper excavated and so possible dates are  1800–1500 BC or 3000–1500 BC. The Shetland page has more on prehistoric settlements.

No 9 in Ancient Lewis and Harris.

 

 

 

 

ISLE OF HARRIS

 

 

Clach Mhic Leoid standing stone. NG 041 973

Halrris Clach Mhic LeoidGloriously sited standing stone looking over the sea. There may have been other standing stones near it.  There’s a parking place on the A859 at Traigh Iar. The hollows and humps in front of it are the remains of a wheelhouse (see Uist later!).

 

No 42 in Ancient Lewis and Harris

 

 

 

 

Clach Steineagaidh stone circle. NG 021 939

A standing stone on the headland between Bagh Stèinigidh and Tràigh Mhòr. Originally one of over a dozen standing stones set in a large circle in a henge-like ditch. These are now fallen or absent altogether and the ditch is filled in.

No 44 in Ancient Lewis and Harris.

 

 

 

Cole na Feinne. NG 047 966

Harris Coie na FeinneNeolithic chambered cairn that has been incorporated into a private garden. Luckily you can see this from the road. The huge fallen stone in the middle is the capstone. It is possible that the standing stones have been moved to make way for the road which is the A859!

No 41 in Ancient Lewis and Harris

 

 

 

 

NORTH UIST

 

Barpa Charabhat NF 836 603.

A cairn, much longer than most of the cairns in the Outer Hebrides, with a horned forecourt entrance. Some of the upright stones of the chamber walls are visible. No 28 in Ancient Uists

 

Barpa Langais NF 838 657

N Uist Barpa LangaisAn amazingly well preserved chambered cairn with a huge mount of stones just below the crest of the hill (traditional siting for Cotswold long barrows). There was a forecourt leading to the entrance and an internal burial chamber with 6 stone slabs supporting a corbelled roof. Signed posted from the A865.

No 22 in Ancient Uists

 

 

Beinn a’Charra NF 786 690

IMG_8324.JPGA huge standing stone off the committee road, a road build to provide work during the famine of the 1840s. This stone often has the same name as one in South Uist.

Ruins of another cairn close by perhaps.IMG_8319.JPG

No 41 in in Ancient Uists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North Grimsay wheelhouse NF 862 575

IMG_8314.JPGIn an area where trees were non existent, these were all-stone houses build round a central hearth with pillars made of dry stone walling instead of wood, always scare in Shetland.  This one, relatively well preserved was excavated by an amateur so we don’t know quite as much about it as we would like. There’s an even better preserved one in Jarlshof on the Shetland page. Read The Lost Wheelhouses of Uist by Susan Hothersall and Robert Tye for more detail.

No 29 in in Ancient Uists

 

 

Pobull Fhinn NF 842 650

N Uist Pobull Fhinn circleA stone circle called Fingal’s People, after a Gaelic hero Fionn Mc Cumhaill. There remain about 40 stones still erect with portal stones making two entrances. There is walk between this and Barpa Langais cairn. Two of the portal IMG_8302.JPGstones can be seen on the right.

No 23 in in Ancient Uists

 

 

 

 

 

South Uist

 

Clach Bharnach Bhraodag  NF 771 321

IMG_8351.JPGConfusingly sometimes known as Beinn a’Charra (see above) in North Uist. The name I have used means “The Limpet stone of Freya,” the Norse goddess.

 

No 41 in Ancient Uists

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