What Can I say? I am a big fan of the old prehistoric standing stones and thought to put up a page concerning them. This isn't easy as there are quite a few pages out there already and mine will certainly not be as good as they are. However I will put up a few pictures of particular sites I am interested in. My two favourite sites are Callanish on the Isle of Lewis and Newgrange on the east coast of Ireland. I'm not going to present any theories or reveal anything new about these sites, just put up a few photos which those who are interested might enjoy.

You can see Irish stones by following this link: Link to my Irish Stones Page.

You can see Ballynoe Stone Circle by following this link: Link to Ballynoe.

You can see the Beaghmore complex by clicking here: Link to Beaghmore.

The unfortunate thing about Callanish is that it has gained a visitors centre and is often quite crowded compared to even a few years ago. It has become a stopping point on many bus tours and so is often populated with people who have only the most passing interest in the site. This has resulted in the site becoming decorated with signs warning visitors about a wide range of crimes they have the potential to commit. One of the more amusing tells the visitor to only walk on the paths and not to get onto the grass around the actual stones. It cites the destruction of important archaeological evidence as the reason for this. In view of the fact that 5 or 6 feet of peat was cut from the site in the past it is hardly likely that the visitor will do much more damage than the peat cutting!

Being restricted to the paths also prevents the visitor from seeing some of the more interesting aspects of the site, such as the chamber at the foot of the large central stone.

Anyhow, enough ranting here are some pictures:-

Callanish.

This shows the approach to the circle at Callanish from the centre line of the double row of stones. You can see that from this angle the tallest stone which is inside the circle seems to sit quite neatly on top of a little hill or rise.

This is a photo of Callanish at sunset, because of the new "don't walk on the grass" signs and restrictions it is now difficult to get such pictures, added to the fact that there are usually 30 people running about the area. You can clearly see the texture of the stone in the foreground and this adds interest to the site. Not only are the stones interesting in the design of their layout but they are also interesting in closeup giving loads of opportunity for the photographer.You can download a larger version of this photo to use as wallpaper: 800Kb Callanish image

Another photo which shows the interesting texture in the Callanish stones. This photo is looking away from the circle towards the south east.

This is another Callanish stone which I thought, from this angle, looks a bit like one of the Easter Island figures.

This is one of my fave Callanish pictures and features the west row in all it's glory. This was taken on a late September evening when the light is just right on the stones for this photo. On the right evening Callanish is just ideal for photos and you would have to work hard to get a bad one, though the plague of visitors of recent years can reduce the fun.

This shot shows the interesting texture and subtle colour scheme of the plastic signs erected at the Callanish site in the name of archaeological terrorism.

Callanish III is about a mile from the main Callanish circle and is a somewhat strange arrangement of stones. It looks somewhat as if there is a circle with four stones placed within.

Another picture of Callanish III taken, this time, on a day in May. If you look closely you can see the snow on the hills in the background.

This is the Garynahine stone circle near the main Callanish site. You can see that the five stones site in a depression in the peat and it looks like this has been "excavated" at some point. Despite this looking quite nice the bottom of the depression is actually very wet and I wouldn't advise wandering about in it.

This is a very bad photo of the stones at Cul a Chleit. This is a small hill out in the bog overlooking the river on the Garynahine Estate and as you can see the views are pretty good. The is some thought that this was perhaps a cairn and that the stones which remain standing were curb stones. This site is a bit of a walk across the bog and requires sensible shoes and some degree of common sense. However it is quiet and nice and so is well worth the walk.

This is the remains of a house at Cul a Chleit and you can see why it has been suggested that the site did have a large cairn. It is possible that the house was built from the prehistoric cairn and this is perhaps one of the most interesting features of the site. It is also possible to see where the land has been improved by the use of run-rig type farming techniques. I think it is important to see how the prehistoric stones fit into the landscape of the time between their erection and the present.

This is the other remaining stone at Cul a Chleit and you can clearly see the remains of the house in the background.

My Irish Stones Page.

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