By Doug Criner and Sarah Morrison Criner

Photo 1 - Callanish Standing Stones.  This prehistoric construction is somewhat akin to Stonehenge, although Callanish actually has more stones.  Unlike Stonehenge, which is overrun with tourists and would-be 21st-Century Druids and has limited access to the stones, Callanish is somewhat desolate and completely accessible. It does have a small visitors' center.  Callanish is thought to date from about 3000 B.C.  There are other, similar stone constructions on Lewis.

Photo 1 - Dun Carloway Broch.  A broch is sort of a combination house, barn, and fortress.  There is a very small visitors' center that tells the story of members of the Clan Morrison being smoked out of this broch by their adversaries, the Clan MacAulay which accused the Morrisons of rustling.  The far side of this broch's ruins is open and one may appreciate the scale and construction.

Photo 3 - Black House.  This is the only surviving example of the type of house used by crofters (farmers).  It is constructed of thick, stone walls and a thatched roof.  A peat fire burns continuously inside the house; without the fire, the roof would soon deteriorate.  There is no vent or chimney for the peat fire, but its fumes are said to be harmless.  Supposedly, the last person to live in the house, a lady, lived into her 90s.

Photo 4 - Black House interior with peat fire.

Photo 5 - Donald Morrison (left) and Sarah Morrison Criner inside the Black House.  Mr. Morrison, a guide and curator at the Black House, can provide detailed directions for visiting Dun Eistein.

© Doug and Sarah Criner, 2003