This morning we woke up in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. We had a later stop and headed out of town to the Callanish Standing Stones. Before reaching Callanish, we stopped at the Arnol Blackhouses to get a bit of the feel of island way of life here in Harris and Lewis. Our next stop was the Carloway Broch on the way to Callanish. The Broch at Carloway formed with two concentric walls, is the best preserved broch in The Western Isles. Dating from the Iron Age, it has actually seen occupants over the centuries and up until the 1500s. Brochs were built as defensive residences for either important tribal leaders and their families, or for a really important member of the community at that time. Brochs were drystone circular buildings, formed by two concentric walls. There were no openings in the wall, except a low door at the entrance to a passage to the inner court. We then made our way to what I consider one of the most important stone circles in the British Isles, the Callanish Standing Stones. The main monument is a cross-shaped setting of stones, centred on a circle of tall stones. At its heart stands a solitary monolith 13 feet high. Lines of smaller stones radiate from the circle to east, west and south. From the north runs an avenue 250 feet long, formed by two lines of stones that narrow as they approach the circle. Within the circle is a chambered tomb. I believe this set of stones gives us a wonderful outlook on a people who were very ceremonial. Ceremony in the way of births. marriages, deaths and community activities. In the afternoon we took the ferry from Stornoway across the Ullapool on the mainland. We then drove to the wee town of Contin inbetween Ullapool and Inverness. We are staying at the Coul House Hotel where we just had a lovely dinner and are noe settling into this wonderful country house hotel!
Posted on: Sat, 10 May 2014 21:21:09 +0000
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