Isle of Lewis

July 10, 2026

We toured the Isle of Louis where we visited the Calanais Standing Stones, the Iron Age broch of Dun Carloway, and the Gearrannon Blackhouse Village.

On the way, we passed by Loch Meavaig with a carpet of wildflowers.

The Calanais Standing Stones are a prehistoric stone circle that predates the standing stones of Stonehenge. Erected 5,000 years ago, the stones are made of gneiss from the Isle of Lewis and arranged in unique cross pattern. Archaeologists theorize they may have been used as a lunar calendar. It is believed that these standing stones may have provided the inspiration for the fictional standing stones in the Outlander.

The museum was interesting and had some cultural remains found at the site.

Our next stop, Dun Carloway Broch was built a little over 2,000 years ago in the Iron Age. It served as a protected home for chieftains. About 400 years ago, it was the site of a clan feud. The Morrisans hid here after stealing cattle from the MacAuleys, but burning heather tossed in the broch smoked them out. It was still early in the year for heather, but the purple blooms were just starting to bloom. There were no cattle, but sheep grazed on the hillside by the broch.

Our final stop was the Gearrannon Blackhouse VIllage. Although people have lived in the area since prehistoric times, the current blackhouse village layout with the thatched rooms is preserved from the 1800s. Although now rented out as vacation cottages, the villagers who once lived here fished and handwove Harris Tweed. The houses were heated by dried peat.

On the way back to the ship, we passed by the Whalebone Arch made from the jawbone of a blue whale.