Scotland Slowly 2019, Day 7, Part 2

Scotland Slowly 2019, Day 7, Part 2
An Afternoon Near Stornoway

After lunch, we boarded a bus to explore three important historical sites—the Standing Stones at Callenish, a small village of restored Blackhouses, and the Dun Charlabhaigh.

There are lots of standing stones in the British Isles, but the Callenish Standing Stones are the ones that serve as the inspiration for the Standing Stones of Outlander. The site is quite dramatic and, as you might expect, crawling with tourists. I took a few photos and then marched up to that imposing stone in the center and put my hands on it.

Nothing. Nothing happened. I was transported nowhere. I’m still here.

So, we wandered a bit more around the stones. Then, we got back on the bus to travel to the Blackhouses, one of the forms of housing used near the coast (up until the 1970s). We saw a Harris Tweed loom in use and the traditional Scottish house heating system (bricks of peat). We were also treated to a short, but live, performance of a Gaelic sailing song:

After the blackhouses, we traveled to Dun Charlabhaigh, an ancient stone tower likely used for fortification and/or storage:

And, then back to the ship for dinner. Tomorrow: Orkney!