Sing me a song of a lass that is gone…
You’d be forgiven for humming that under your breath when you visit the Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis. Because that eerie cruciform of stone, strung out on a lonely ridge on the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, does indeed feel like a scene straight out of a fantasy, out of time – out of, well, Outlander.
(If you don’t have a clue what we’re talking about here, we’re not going to get into it. But do yourself a favour and look into the Outlander TV and book series here. If you’re interested in Scotland, history, overwrought emotion, there’s no going back. See you in 20 years.)
But time travel or not, you will feel that bit of mystery and magic when you visit the Callanish Standing Stones. We were there for the first time in October and it’s left an indelible mark on both our imaginations.
Simply put, it’s an unmissable thing to see while on the Isle of Lewis.
The Callanish Standing Stones: a mystifying history
The Callanish (or Calanais in Gaelic) stone circle is a Neolithic ritual site made of gneiss rock and is over 5000 years old. That’s even older than Stonehenge by the way.
And it turns out Scotland is a hotbed of Standing Stone activity. There are surviving Circles dotted all over the Western Isles, the Northern Isles and the Highlands. (None where we are on the Isle of Skye, sadly – but why?)
We’ve seen a few on our travels, including both the Ring of Brodgar and Stenness in Orkney, but they’re always completely enthralling. Because here’s the thing: no one really knows why they are here. Who built them? What for? Why in these particular places? A mystery spanning millennia.
Now we don’t mean to go on about Outlander, but the stones functioning as ancient markers for tectonic cracks in time and space only open at Celtic Festivals? Well it sure explains a lot.
How to get to the Standing Stones
Drive from the ferry terminal in either Stornoway or Tarbert on Lewis along the A859 to the turning for the village of Callanish, taking about 25 mins from Stornoway, or 50 mins from Tarbert. Then once in the village take the little road a short distance to the Standing Circle, visible (eerily) on the brow of the hill. Leave your car and head out on foot up the short path (very short, about 30 seconds).
Tips on how to visit the Callanish Standing Stones
The Stones are free & open 24/7, so you can visit whenever you like. You can park nearby at the gate, or at the larger car park by the visitor centre – both are free too. The visitor centre itself (with café) is also open all year, but with limited hours in the winter. You can find the seasonal visitor centre opening times here.
If you want to visit when no-one else is around, head out to the stones early, before the centre opens. Then you can take your time to walk around alone and absorb this extraordinary ancient site undisturbed. Better still: go at sunrise to appreciate the full weird force.
Warning though: if you were sucked into the stones, well, there’d be no-one around to notice would there?
The site itself is not big at all, so you could spend anytime between 10 minutes and 1 hour there if you wanted.
Please remember that while you’re at the circle, it’s important to follow all signs and to not touch the stones directly. Mainly because we all want to preserve them for another few thousand years, but also because you might *accidentally* FALL THROUGH TIME.
So just in case you do end up travelling two hundred years into the past (hello 1820), a good idea might be to bring a few survival things with you on your visit to the Callanish Standing Stones. This could include but is not limited to:
- Penicillin
- Matches
- A good cover story as to why you’ve popped out of the ground in historically-inappropriate clothing
- Large quantities of historical coin
- Good working knowledge of the early 19th century
- A skill or trade of some kind: carpentry perhaps, or farming.
Tell us if you’re planning to visit the Callanish Standing Stones, and if there’s anything else you’d like to know. If you’ve somehow come across us from the past or future – drop us a line too.
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Seriously love the show Outlander!! I’ve been definitely wanting to visit these stones too. Maybe after COVID, we will see. Also, your photos at the stones are gorgeous!
We’re huge fans ourselves! And we thought we could hear a strange buzzing when at the Callanish Stones…
You have to visit, they’re truly one of the best places we’ve visited!
I want to visit at the best time to see the Aurora Borealis and I read that there is a reindeer preserve nearby! That would mark off 3 items on my bucket list.
Hi Gail, visit in the depths of winter for the best chance of northern lights. Be prepared for higher chance of rough seas on your ferry crossing to the western isles. But it’s worth it to see the stones, especially if coupled with the Aurora! Regarding reindeer, you may be thinking of the Cairngorm heard near Aviemore. A great experience, highly recommend. https://www.cairngormreindeer.co.uk/ We’ve been numberous times, and really enjoy it at Christmas (for obvious reasons!). Happy planning 🙂
Reindeer Preserve. That would be Mrs Morrison’s speciality jam. She lives on the adjoining croft.
Brilliant!!
I visited the callanish stones, I can’t get them out my head, I’m very curious on what there capable of doing, interesting history