The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

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Callanish (Standing Stones) — Fieldnotes

When I first read about the Callanish stones in The Modern Antiquarian I was fascinated but, living on the south coast, I didnÍt ever think I would see them first hand. Then a friend e-mailed me and said "Callanish, do you wanna go?" And that was that. Thanks to the internet we got loads of info and literally in one day we had made all the necessary arrangements.

We flew from Gatwick to Inverness, drove to Ullapool in a hire car, caught the ferry, drove from Stornaway and finally arrived at the Doune Braes Hotel.

We had arranged to meet Margaret Curtis the next morning, but couldn't resist having a sneaky peek first. Nothing can describe the feeling, driving up the road, with the stones on the horizon. Then to get out and walk around was simply amazing. The best was yet to come.

To travel all that way and not meet Margaret would be foolish. She is the icing on the cake. To see the stones is one thing. Some of the things that she showed us literally, blew our minds. The alignments, the stories, the history. Those lumps of rock stuck in the ground suddenly became alive through the extent of her knowledge and her enthusiasm. We spent three hours with her and came away feeling like we'd read three books.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the stones. Staining them indelibly on our psyche. The next day we had to get the afternoon ferry back. We went back to the stones in the morning for a last look, then went to say goodbye to Margaret and Ron. As I left I got a feeling, a feeling that although I was leaving, spiritually I was still there. A feeling that told me that I would have to one day go back. For what it cost to get there I could have gone abroad for a week. I would have come home with a suntan that would be long gone by now. But I went to Callanish and came back with a feeling that will stay with me forever.
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