Lewis and Harris, northern end of the Hebrides Island chain, I had visited Barra back during my school days. I had considered spending my entire holiday at that time going further north to the other islands, but in 1996 getting around without a car was hard and the ferry schedule was unfavorable. The whole chain of islands has been a pull to me, something mysterious and brooding about these barriers between the Scottish mainland and... greenland? Just a lot of open water really. I'm related to the MacNeil of Barra clan and the thought of those piratical folks ranging out from their base on Barra and the remoteness coupled with the Callanish Standing Stones made this a must not miss stop. As previously noted, we ferried from Ullapool to Stornoway which was a ridiculously comfortable ferry, sitting in the upper forward salon looking ahead. Our first stop was Callanish, had to be.

Now, I get that not everyone gets as excited as I do in regards to stone circles, author shakes head slowly in rueful disbelief, but... how could you not? The age, the mystery, the colossal effort of a society that was  barely past sheer survival and hunter gatherer putting in the collective effort to build something like these circles, and they were everywhere! Callanish is an even cooler example than the average circle is. First it is a bit easier to access and is configured differently than others, like Brodgar that we visited on Orkney or the recumbent stone circles in Aberdeenshire. The ability to get right THERE was blessing and curse combined. I did have to work hard to keep other tourists out of my shots. Hiding them behind a stone, or waiting for gaps between groups took time. I found I worked my wider angle lenses much more in this setting. The gloomy skies were also a challenge as lifting the shadows and balancing the exposure was quite hard especially when shooting back towards the sun.

 This innermost portion is believed to have had an altar stone on top of those 4 supports you can see, the cruciform avenues running away from this central area. I'm not one to be superstitious but it did feel... odd standing there. Though that could have been the person one stone over praying/communing and muttering under their breath.  

The textures of the rock due to weathering and time and the nature of the rock itself were fascinating. The stones have been there almost long enough that they are supposed to be there now, like the landscape has become one with the changes.    

This setting is more intimate than you would imagine, utilizing my fisheye lens here opens it up, but distorts it. Corner to corner is 180 degrees and were you to be there in person you would see things differently. Really we all would, stepping around the stone on my right would change things. We all have a different way of seeing and where we choose to stand to look changes what we see and HOW we see it significantly.   

As you step away and look back more of the setting is revealed, but the details diminish.

We headed back to town and got dinner and rode forth to enjoy the extended sunsets that are enjoyed in the summertime in more northern latitudes. This lighthouse just north east of Stornoway was beautiful in the evening light.   

Never get too focused on the subject in front of you, sometimes the beauty is in a different spot than you are looking.   

I want to call this a version of milkweed but I am sure it isn't.   

I could sit on that bench and watch a thousand sunsets, the peaceful tranquility found in these isolated islands soothes my soul!  

Preparing to leave the next morning from Tarbert to ferry to Uig on the Isle of Skye, we arrived early, a short jaunt took us to the other side of the island and some beautiful areas and beaches, though I think this was high tide and the beaches were covered. I could easily escape to this area and be tempted to never leave.   

Lengthening my shutter speed to create some flow in the water just starts to show the restlessness of the sea, yet it is peaceful in its very restlessness.   

Bid farewell to the Hebrides. But not all of me left. Part of my heart stayed.