Places to visit

Callanish Stones - Clachan Chalanais

Callanish Standing Stones

Thought to date from 4000BC to 2600BC, these are a group of thirteen standing stones forming a circle about thirteen metres in diameter. There is an avenue of stones to the north and shorter rows to the east west and south. The location is near the village of Callanish/Calanais on the west coast of Lewis/Leodhas. There is a visitors centre at Calanais www.callanishvisitorcentre.co.uk which promotes an understanding of the stones and has refreshment and other facilities. Callansh 1 refers to the largest of the megalithic sites in the area of which there are several.

Museum & Tasglann nan Eilean (Stornoway)

Museum & Tasglann nan Eilean

Museum & Tasglann nan Eilean covers the islands of the Outer Hebrides (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Siar) from Barra (Eilean Bharraigh) in the South to Lewis (Eilean Leòdhais) in the North. It operates from two centres, Museum nan Eilean at Lews Castle, Stornoway (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Leòdhais, Steòrnabhagh) and Sgoil Lionacleit on the island of Benbecula (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn nam Fadhla or Beinn na Faoghla).

Strathnaver Museum

Strathnaver Museum image courtesy of Strathnaver Museum

The Strathnaver Museum is located to the east of Bettyhill, Sutherland, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Am Blaran Odhar,  Cataibh, Alba) and to the south of the A836 road. The museum looks at the history of the area and the inheritance left by Norse and Gaelic ancestors. The museum is open from April until October Monday's to Saturday.

Castle Varrich - Caisteal Bharraich

Castle Varrich image courtesy of The Northern Times.

Castle Varrich (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Bharraich) is  located near to the coastal village of Tongue (Scottish Gaelic: Tunga) and overlooks the sea loch of the Kyle of Tongue (Scottish Gaelic: Caol Thunga) in the north Scottish Highlands. It's construction date is not known although it is possible that the site is over 1000 years old and built over an old Norse fort or perhaps a broch. Castle Varrich is said to have been the ancient seat of the chief of the Clan Mackay.

Ardvreck Castle

Ardvreck Castle

This is a ruined late fifteenth century castle that is said to be haunted and is located on a promontory on the southeast of Loch Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Asaint, Cataibh, Alba). Loch Assynt is east from Lochinver/Loch an Inbhir and the castle is off the A837 toward the village of Inchnadamph/Innis nan Damh.

Grey Cairns of Camster

Grey Cairns of Camster photo courtesy of Creative Commons

The Grey Cairns of Camster are two large Neolithic chambered cairns located about 8 miles south of the village of Watten (Scottish Gaelic: Bhatan) and 5 miles north of the coastal village Lybster (Scottish Gaelic: Liabost) in Caithness, in the Highland region of Scotland. They are about two hundred metres apart. The Camster Round Cairn is about eighteen metres in diameter and three and half metres in height. A low passage leads to a central chamber. Camster Long Cairn is about sixty-nine and a half metres long. There are two chambers in this impressive cairn, both at the northern end. 

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is located about 3 miles north of Wick (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Ùige) on the east coast of Caithness, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Gallaibh, Alba). The monument consists of the ruins of two castles Castle Girnigoe and Castle Sinclair, with a defensive ditch on their western and southern sides. Girnigoe Castle is dated to the late 15th century and was in the possession of William Sinclair (1459 – 9 September 1513) Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, who died fighting the English at the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513. There is some evidence that the castle was built on the site of an existing promontary fort. Sinclair Castle was built in either 1606 or 1607.

Thurso Castle

Thurso Castle image © Copyright Bill Henderson and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence. Bill Henderson / Thurso Castle / CC BY-SA 2.0

This a mid-seventeenth century tower house located on the site of a previous twelfth century earthwork fortress founded by the Norse Earls. The site is in Thurso East, off Castletown Road. The remains of the house are now roofless.

 

Forse Castle

Remains of Forse Castle image © Copyright Peter Gamble and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.

Forse Castle is a ruined castle dating to the early thirteenth century. It stands on a rocky peninsula high above the sea and is located close to the village of Forse which is off the A99 road and about 2 miles south  of Lybster, Caithness, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Liabost, Gallaibh, Alba).  The castle was thought to have been built by Sir Reginald de Cheyne. It later passed to the Sutherlands of Forse family, part of the Clan Sutherland. It had been abandoned in the 1700's.

Mainland, Orkney

Standing Stones of Stenness

Kirkwall/Baile na-h-Eaglais

Kirkwall/Baile na-h-Eaglais is the capital of Orkney, located in the centre of Mainland and the port has ferry services to Aberdeen and Lerwick as well as the other main north islands in the archipelago. In the town is the Orkney Museum, Tankerness House, Broadstreet, Kirkwall. It is housed in a sixteenth century town house. The museum has an important collection and gives the history of Orkney from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Pict times through to the Viking period until the present day. The museum is open throughout the year from Mon-Sat 10:30-17:00. Also in Kirkwall is St Magnus Cathedral which was built for the Norse Earls of Orkney. Construction of the Cathedral, which was part of the Norwegian church, began in 1137 and it has been added to over subsequent centuries. Next to the Cathedral are the ruins of the Bishop's Palace and Earl's Palace. The Bishop's Palace was built at the same time as the Cathedral and was home to the first Bishop William the Old (William Sennex). The Earl's Palace was constructed from 1607 by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney. It's ruins lie close to the cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall.

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