Hebrides Today

News from the Western Isles

Keeping an eye on you at Callanish

Posted by Editor On February - 23 - 2009
 

THEIR gnarled faces stare out of the ancient stones, keeping an eye on the thousands of tourists who walk amongst them each year.

 

The Callanish Stones in Lewis are the island’s most popular tourist attraction and inspire many to get out their digital cameras and capture their visit to this ancient site – that rivals the more famous Stonehenge in age and mystery.

 

However many of these photographs reveal more than just the stone megaliths, some would say ‘faces’ stare out of the Lewisian gneiss.  And is clear to see from some photographs the shape of faces – noses, mouths and eyes.

 

Canadian visitor, Mrs Alice Macarthur who recently spotted the stone visages said: “I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the pictures, I thought it might just have been a trick of the light, but when I asked about them I was told that people often saw what looked like faces and even the full outline of a body!”

 

And with stone circles from Port of Ness down through Lewis and Harris as well as in  Benbecula and South Uist perhaps there many more ‘faces’ waiting to be discovered.