21 September 2025

The standing stones at Callanish on the Island of Lewis predate Stonehenge and the construction of the pyramids in Egypt. They are very old. The central stone circle comprises thirteen stones and were constructed around 2900 BC.

The settlement of stones was built  in stages. The cruciform pattern of stones emanating from the circle was added around 2450BC and a cairn placed in the stone circle. No one really knows  why  they were built. There are plenty of unsubstantiated guesses.

Around 1000BC, the stones began to be covered by layers of black peat and almost completely disappeared. In the nineteenth century, the tips of a few stones were seen peeping through the peat bog. In 1857, they were excavated. 2m of peat were removed to reveal the ancient stones!

The mystery lies in how these huge stones were transported to the site and for what purpose they were used. They connect us to a past stretching over five millennia. As such they have an attraction for those who would seek permanence, longevity and mystery.

These stones were the inspiration for the fictional stone circle at Craigh na Dun in the popular series ‘Outlander’. It became a portal for time travel. The stones have the power to transport people back to the past when touched during specific Celtic festivals like Beltane and Samhain.

The stones provide a theatre for Pagan religion with no  historical evidence to substantiate it. As it happens, the ‘Outlander’ stones were made of polystyrene and painted to look like huge boulders. They were located on a farm near Kinloch Rannoch. They are entirely fictional like the illusory time-travel and pseudo-religion but many are fooled!