Calanais on Foot – The Great Stones and Their Two Neighbours
About 2 miles on foot.
Most people climb to the great stones at Calanais and go no further, but two smaller circles stand on the low rises just to the east, within sight of the main ring.
This walk joins all of them, about two miles by township road, a short path and the lane up to the main stones. It ends back at the visitor centre, where the café serves hot food until 3pm from Monday to Saturday.
- Time
- One to two hours: 2 miles (3.2 km) by township road, a short path and a steep lane. Graded moderate.
- The path
- Roads and a rough path, with a steep lane up to the main stones.
- Where to start
- The Calanais Visitor Centre car park. Free.
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by 1pm to be back in daylight. For lunch, be back at the café before 3pm.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The visitor centre and its café are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm from October to March, and shut on Sundays. From November to January set off by 1pm.
- Dogs
- On a lead: the walk crosses crofts with sheep. Dogs on leads are welcome in the visitor centre but not in the exhibition.
- Children
- A short walk a child of eight or so can manage: take care together on the stretch of main road.
- Toilets
- At the visitor centre, in its opening hours only: none on a Sunday.
- Before you set out
- In the centre's hours the main stones are by ticket. Outside them, and on Sundays, the path to the stones stays open.
The walk
Park in the Calanais Visitor Centre's car park, which is free. The centre, its café and its toilets are open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 4pm between October and March, and shut on Sundays. Visit Outer Hebrides gives the walk as 2 miles, graded moderate, and allows one to two hours. It goes out to the two smaller circles first. Calanais II, Cnoc Ceann a' Ghàrraidh, looks back to the main stones on their ridge and out over East Loch Roag. Calanais III, Cnoc Fhillibhir Bheag, is a short path away. Both stand on open croft land.
The way to them is by the township road and a short stretch of the A858, which is a main road, so take care with traffic. The great stones come last, up a steep lane near the centre: a ring round one tall central stone, with rows running out from it in a rough cross. In the centre's hours, entry to them is by ticket, booked on calanais.org. It covers the exhibition too and is good for a year. Outside those hours, and on Sundays, the path to the stones stays open. The first stones here were raised about 3000 BC, the smaller circles perhaps a little later, and the whole place had been given up by 800 BC. This is crofting ground with sheep, so dogs stay on a lead.
Dogs on leads are welcome in the centre, though not in the exhibition. The ridge is open to every wind, so wrap up. The café serves hot food until 3pm and lighter things after, and takes no bookings. On a Sunday, bring a flask. From November to January, set off by 1pm.
If it rains
It's a short walk, much of it on roads, so a shower needn't stop it, and from Monday to Saturday the exhibition and the café are indoors at the end. The ridge at the main stones has no shelter at all.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Harris Hideaway, 18 miles away. Sleeps 2.
In the visitor centre's hours, Monday to Saturday, entry to the main Calanais stones is by ticket: book it on calanais.org.
For further reading, before you go.