Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Garenin (Gearrannan)
5a Garenin • May-Sept Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm • £2.50 •
T
01851 643416,
W
gearrannan.com
A mile-long road leads north off the A858 to the beautifully remote coastal
settlement
of
GARENIN
(Gearrannan). Here, in contrast to Arnol, a whole cluster of
nine thatched crofters' houses - the last of which was abandoned in 1974 - have
been restored and put to a variety of uses. As an ensemble, they give a great
impression of what a
Baile Tughaidh
, or blackhouse village, must have been like. he
first house is occupied by the ticket o
ce and café. he second house has been
restored to its condition at the time of abandonment, so there's electric light, but no
running water, lino flooring, but a peat fire and box beds - and a weaving machine
in the byre. he third house has interpretive panels and a touch-screen computer
telling the history of the village and the folk who lived there. Several others have
been converted into
self-catering
accommodation.
14
Dun Carloway (Dùn Charlabhaigh)
Signposted off the A858 • Open 24hr •
T
01851 710395,
W
historic-scotland.gov.uk
Just beyond Carloway village,
Dun Carloway
(Dùn Charlabhaigh) perches on top of a
conspicuous rocky outcrop overlooking the sea. One of Scotland's best preserved
brochs
,
or fortified towers, its dry-stone circular walls reach a height of more than 30ft on one
side. he broch consists of two concentric walls, the inner one perpendicular, the outer
one slanting inwards, the two originally fastened together by roughly hewn flagstones,
which also served as lookout galleries reached via a narrow stairwell. he only entrance
to the roofless inner yard is through a low doorway set beside a crude and cramped
guard cell. As at Callanish, there have been all sorts of theories about the purpose of the
brochs, which date from between 100 BC and 100 AD; the most likely explanation is
that they were built to provide protection from Roman slave-traders.
Callanish (Calanais) standing stones
Stones
Open 24hr • Free •
Callanish Visitor Centre
April, May, Sept & Oct Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; June-Aug Mon-Sat 10am-8pm;
Oct-March Tues-Sat 10am-4pm • £2.50 •
T
01851 621422,
W
callanishvisitorcentre.co.uk
Overlooking the sheltered, islet-studded waters of Loch Ròg, are the islands' most
dramatic prehistoric ruins, the
Callanish standing stones
. hese monoliths - nearly fifty
slabs of gnarled and finely grained gneiss up to 15ft high - were transported here
between 3000 and 1500 BC, but their exact function remains a mystery. No one
knows why the ground plan resembles a colossal Celtic cross, why there's a central
burial chamber or why many of the stones are aligned with the positions of the sun and
the stars. Whatever the reason, there's certainly no denying the powerful primeval
presence, not to mention sheer beauty, of the stones.
A blackhouse adjacent to the main stone circle serves as a tearoom
offering limited
snacks. On the other side of the stones is the
Callanish Visitor Centre
,
which has a
slightly longer (though no more imaginative) menu as well as a small museum on the
site, but with so much information on the panels beside the stones there's little reason
to visit it. If you want to commune with standing stones in solitude, head for the
smaller circles in more natural surroundings a mile or two southeast of Callanish,
around Garynahine (Gearraidh na h-Aibhne).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
WESTSIDE
By bus
There are regular buses between Stornoway and
Callanish (Mon-Sat 4-6 daily; 40min); Carloway
(Mon-Sat 5-6 daily; 45min); Garenin (Mon-Sat 3-4 daily;
1hr); and Great Bernera (Mon-Sat 4 daily; 1hr).
ACCOMMODATION
Eilean Fraoich campsite
Shawbost (Siabost)
T
01851
710504,
W
eileanfraoich.co.uk.
Located behind the old
village church, the campsite is a pristine, flat, grassy field in
complete contrast with the surrounding undulating
landscape.
Kitche
n and laundry facilities available. Closed
Nov-March.
£10
/pitch
