Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
endeavour was prompted by the desire to predict the seasonal cycle upon which these
early farmers were entirely dependent, and indeed many of the stones are aligned
with the positions of the sun and the stars. Whatever the reason for their existence,
there's certainly no denying the powerful primeval presence, not to mention sheer
beauty, of the stones.
You can visit the stones at any time, but if you need shelter or some simple sustenance,
head to the nearby Callanish Visitor Centre , which has a small museum that explores the
theories about the stones. 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
6
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
land scap e. Kitchen and laundry facilities available. April-
Oct. £15 /pitch
Leumadair 7A Callanish (Calanais) T 01851 612706,
W leumadair.co.uk. A purpose-built modern guesthouse
owned by a very friendly Lewis couple who have a pet
hawk. Free wi-fi is available and dinner can be provided
on request. £80
Bernera (Bearnaraigh)
Dividing Loch Roag (Loch Ròg) in two is the island of Great Bernera, usually referred
to simply as Bernera . Joined to the mainland since 1953 via a narrow bridge that spans
a small sea channel, Bernera is a rocky island, dotted with lochans, fringed by a few
small lobster-fishing settlements and, until recently, owned by Robin Ian Evelyn Milne
Stuart le Comte de la Lanne Mirrlees, the Queen's former herald, who also claimed
the title Prince of Incoronata (an area of former Yugoslavia gifted to the count by
King Peter II).
Bernera has an important place in Lewis history due to the Bernera Riot of 1874, when
local crofters successfully defied the eviction orders delivered to them by the landlord,
Sir James Matheson. In truth, there wasn't much of a riot, but three Bernera men were
arrested and charged with assault. The crofters marched on the laird's house, Lews Castle
in Stornoway, and demanded an audience with Matheson, who claimed to have no
knowledge of what his factor, Donald Munro, was doing. In the subsequent trial,
Munro was exposed as a ruthless tyrant, and the crofters were acquitted. A stone-built
cairn now stands as a memorial to the riot, at the crossroads beyond the central
settlement of BREACLETE (Brecleit), which sits beside one of the island's many lochs.
Bernera Museum
Breaclete Community Centre • May-Sept Mon-Fri noon-4pm • Free • T 01851 612285
Housed in the local community centre, the Bernera Museum has a small exhibition on
lobster fishing, a St Kilda mailboat and a mysterious five-thousand-year-old Neolithic
stone tennis-ball, and, of course, a genealogy section.
Iron Age House
Bosta (Bostadh) • For times contact the Stornoway tourist o ce • T 01851 703088
Much more interesting than the Bernera Museum is the replica Iron Age House that's
been built above a precious little bay of golden sand beyond Bosta (Bostadh) cemetery,
three miles north of Breaclete - follow the signs “to the shore”. In 1992, gale-force
winds revealed an entire late Iron Age or Pictish settlement hidden under the sand; due
 
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