Order

       Callanish Skywatch

The Callanish Stones, also called the Calanais, are made of Lewisian gneiss. They overlook Loch Roag on the west side of Lewis Isle, Scotland. They were constructed some 4,000 years ago, or about 1800 BC.

Four limbs of the stone circle run out in a line following the four points of the compass.

The site is raised on a whaleback ridge, forming a cross (remembering that it was constructed nearly 2,000 years before the birth of Christ), with the remains of a Neolithic chambered cairn (burial site) and a single monolith in the centre. Ten smaller sites are scattered over the nearby area, one being Cnoc Ceann (Callanish II), and Cnoc Fhillibhir Bheag (Callanish III).

  Callanish Skywatch draws the viewer into its private and mysterious realm as it extends its fingers towards the heavens, reflecting the astronomical connection often associated with the standing stones of Scotland