Outer Hebrides/Na h-Eileanan Siar trail

Museum nan Eilean

This is a good place to start your Hebrides Celtic Trail and is in Stornoway/Steornabhagh in Lewis/Leodhas. The Museum is located in Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis HS1 2NF. It contains objects, archives, paintings, prints and photographs that allow you to explore the archaeology and economic and social history of the islands www.cne-siar.gov.uk

Callanish Stones/Calanish

Thought to date from 2900 to 2600BC, these are a group of thirteen standing stones forming a circle about thirteen metres in diameter. There is an avenue of stones to the north and shorter rows to the east west and south. The location is near the village of Callanish/Callanais on the west coast of Lewis/Leodhas. There is a visitors centre at Calanais www.callanishvisitorcentre.co.uk which promotes an understanding of the stones and has refreshment and other facilities. Callansh 1 refers to the largest of the megalithic sites in the area of which there are several. Some other sites close by are: Callanish II/Cnoc Ceann a Gharaidh - a group of seven stones, five remain standing forming an ellipse around a ruined cairn. Callanish III/Cnoc Filibhir Bheag is an eight stone outer ring, and four stone inner with other fallen stones nearby. Callanish IV/Ceann Hulavig is south southeast from the II and III on hill close to Garynahine and is made up of five uprights around a low stone. Callanish VIII/Tursachan is to the northwest of the other circles and is located on a cliff edge to the south of Great Bernera/Bearnaraigh which is linked by a road bridge to Lewis across Loch Roag. The four stones of which the tallest in about three metres in height are in a semi-circle of about twenty metres looking across the water to Lewis.

Bosta Beach/Bostadh

This is to the north of Great Bernera/Bearnaraigh and are the remains of a late Iron Age Settlement with a reconstruction of one of the dwellings.

Dun Carloway/Dun Charlabhaigh

These are the well preserved remains of a Broch with the thick walls with stairway and chambers in the hollow surrounding a courtyard of about twenty-five feet in diameter. The site is located southwest from Carloway /Carlabhagh off the A858 north from Callanish/Callanais.

Clach an Truishal/Truiseil

This is a large standing stone about twenty feet in height located off the A857 north from Barabhas south of Siadhar on the northwest coast of Lewis.

Borve Castle/Caisteal Bhuirgh

This is the ruin of a large fourteenth century tower house and is located in the southwest of Benbecula and is to the west from Lionacleit and off the B892.

Kildonan Museum/Taigh Tasgaidh Chill Donnain

This museum if owned by the South Uist Historical Trust and the Kildonan Centre is a heritage and cultural facility. The museum gives an historical overview of South Uist/Uibhist a Deas from pre-history to the eighteenth century. South Uist has numerous archaeological sites. The Kildonan Centre also has a craft shop and café and is located on the main A865 north from Daliburgh www.kildonanmuseum.co.uk and is open from April until October.

Kisimul Castle/Caisteal Chiosmuil

This is the former seat of the Clan MacNeil and probably dates back to the fifteenth century. Within the curtain wall of this well preserved castle are the remains of structures including a tower. It stands on a rock in Castlebay/Bagh a Chaisteil on Barra/Eilean Bharraigh.

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