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Ancient monument

Callanish Stones

Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides

A cross-shaped stone setting at the edge of the Atlantic, tied to the moon.

The Callanish Stones form a circle with avenues running out like the arms of a cross. Local tradition said they were giants turned to stone for refusing to become Christian.

Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.

When
c. 2900 BC
Where
58.1975, -6.7453
Group
Circles & monuments

Visiting

Free access all year, with a visitor centre beside the site.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

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