Harris
Uists & Benbecula
The Callanish Stones
The Callanish Stones are actually part of a widespread ancient landscape encompassing around 20 satellite sites. Each site is located on relatively high ground and aligned to an extraordinary lunar phenomenon which would have terrified the ancients.
Instead of being linked to the sun like Stonehenge, the Callanish landscape is now uniquely believed to be a massive astronomical observatory and was used to calculate the movement of the moon.
Central to the idea is a range of hills in the distance (at Eishken) which depicts a woman sleeping on her back. She has various names such as Cailleach na Ṃintich (the old woman of the moors) in Gaelic or the more romantic Sleeping Beauty in English. Others consider it to be the Earth Mother.
Every 18.6 years the moon rises over her breasts and shines through the centre of the new circle. The moon is then at its very lowest point in the sky and also appears to stand still by repeating the same cycle for months.