Callanish Standing Stones

A Neolithic Standing Stone Complex Erected Around 2900 2600 BC, Centred On A Circle With A 13 Stone Ring And A Long Avenue, Laid Out In The Shape Of A Cross. Historic Environment Scotland Looks After It. The Stones Are Open At All Times; The Visitor Centre Is Seasonal. · Callanish, Scotland

Callanish, or Calanais in Gaelic, is a Neolithic stone setting on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, raised around 2900-2600 BC and so older than Stonehenge's big stones. A ring of 13 stones surrounds a tall central monolith, with an avenue running north and rows of stones reaching out to the other three points of a rough cross. The stones are thin, grey Lewisian gneiss, and you can walk right among them and touch them. It is free and open at all times. It is also a long way from anywhere: you need the Ullapool to Stornoway ferry, about two and a half hours, or a flight to Stornoway, then roughly 20 km of road. Nothing is signposted heavily and the setting is bare moor and loch, which is much of the point. It suits people who like old places quiet and are happy to travel for them, ideally with a night or two on Lewis. Expect wind, rain and, in summer, midges. The visitor centre and cafe are seasonal, so confirm before relying on them.

Cross-shaped stone setting on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, about 20 km west of Stornoway, with a visitor centre and cafe beside the road, close to smaller circles at Callanish II and III, Callanish, Scotland, United Kingdom

The stones themselves are open at all times, with no gate, no ticket and no staff, so dawn and late evening visits are possible and the best for light and for having the place to yourself. The visitor centre and cafe beside the road keep seasonal hours, generally open daily from spring to early autumn and shut or on short hours in winter; confirm current times before you plan a meal there. The Western Isles keep a strong Sunday tradition: most shops, many cafes and the ferries and buses are closed or very limited on Sundays, though the stones stay open. Tracks around the site are unlit.

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