A Day Among Giants: The Mystical Callanish Stones

You know, sometimes you plan a trip to a place you've seen in a book or on an album cover, and you just hope it lives up to the image in your head. For me, that place has always been the Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis. Even though I did manage to get to see them some 40 years ago, being a fan of Ultravox's "Lament" album for years – and that iconic imagery – finally getting back to see them was a bit of a pilgrimage.

Ebony and I managed to carve out some time recently to make the journey, and while the weather on Lewis can be…...shall we say, characterful, it really just added to the atmosphere. It was one of those cold, blustery days, but the skies were an absolutely magnificent canvas of white, fluffy clouds, constantly shifting to let the sun break through in dramatic rays. It gave the whole landscape this incredible, almost theatrical lighting.

We spent a good while just wandering around the main stone circle, Callanish I. These aren't just any old rocks; these are ancient, imposing sentinels that have stood guard for millennia. It’s thought they were erected around 2900-2600 BC, making them even older than Stonehenge, if you can believe that. Just imagine the effort involved, moving these massive pieces of gneiss, some standing as tall as 16 feet, into position. The sheer scale of it all is, to say the least, humbling.

One of the real highlights of our visit happened around 2pm. As the sun cut through the clouds, we noticed something quite remarkable: the shadows cast by the stones on one of the avenues leading away from the central circle aligned perfectly with the stones themselves. It was a fleeting, almost magical moment, a testament to the astronomical precision the builders possessed. It really makes you wonder about the knowledge and understanding these ancient people had of the cosmos.

There's definitely a palpable energy about the place, a certain mystical quality that's hard to put into words. You can feel the weight of history, the countless generations who have stood on that very spot, perhaps for rituals, ceremonies, or simply to observe the heavens. The central stone circle, with its chambered cairn, suggests it was a place of burial and ritual, connecting the living with their ancestors and the cosmos.

The landscape around Callanish is just as captivating. Rolling moorland, dotted with lochs and a distant glint of the Atlantic, it's a wild and untamed beauty that feels incredibly ancient. The Hebrides, in general, have this wonderful, almost primeval feel to them.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit Callanish II, which is where Ultravox actually filmed the video for "One Small Day." But you know what? That just gives us another reason to go back. Ebony and I have already promised ourselves a return trip next year. There's so much more to explore on Lewis, and honestly, spending more time soaking in the atmosphere of these incredible stones is something I'm very much looking forward to.

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend a visit. It's more than just a collection of old stones; it's a journey back in time, a connection to something profoundly ancient and enduring. Just be prepared for the wind – and keep an eye out for those shadows!!!