Visit Callanish Prehistoric Stone Circle, Lewis
Third Largest UK Megalithic Monument after Stonehenge and Avebury
May 4, 2009
There a several prehistoric monuments near to each other around the village of Callanish of the Isle of Lewis. By far the largest site is Callanish (Calanais) Stone Circle, a flattened circle of about 12 metres diameter, with four rows of standing stones radiating from it, forming a cross shape. This is no Christian cross - the stone circle and rows were completed about 1500 years before the birth of Christ.
Timeline of Construction of Callanish Stone Circle
The monument visitors see now was not constructed in one go, it was developed at a leisurely pace over the ages. The stone circle and the large monolith were the first stones raised, at approximately 2200BC. Soon after, the rectangular stone cist was added to the centre of the stone circle. Cremated bodies were placed in the cist, together with some broken pottery.
After about 700 years, the three short rows of stones were added in approximately 1550BC. The western row is aligned with the sunset at the vernal equinox, and the Pleiades rose in a line with the opposite stone row when the monument was constructed.
Astronomical Alignments of the Stones
There is another alignment which has been researched by Gerald and Margaret Ponting, archaeologists who lived nearby. The Moon's position in the sky varies both on the familiar approximately 28 day lunar cycle but also varies over a much longer period of about 18 years, and when it is lowest in the sky it would appear to skim a nearby hill when viewed from Callanish stone circle.
From about 800BC the circle seems to have been disused, and peat grew around the stones, raising the ground level by about 1.5m. By 1957 this peat had been removed, revealing the stoones we see today.
Visiting Callanish Stone Circle
Callanish is on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. There is an extensive visitor centre at the site with exhibition, bookshop, cafe and toilet facilities. This is well placed so that it does not intrude upon the view from the stones, and is well worth a visit to get a historical background.
If visiting by car, there are ferry routes from Ullapool on the mainland or Uig on the Isle of Skye.
Taking a car onto Lewis is expensive for the round trip, and it is possible to get a coach trip from Ullapool which includes ferry crossing and a visit to the stone circle. The advantage of travelling independently to Callanish are that megalithic settings lose much of their atmosphere if there is a whole bus full of other people visiting the site at the same time, it is best savoured early in the morning or towards the evening.
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