Wonders of the world in 3D

Callanish Stones in 3D

Isle of Lewis

Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

The Callanish Stones (Calanais) are a cross-shaped stone setting on the Isle of Lewis: a ring of 13 stones around a tall central monolith, with rows running out to the north, south, east and west. The stones are Lewisian gneiss, among the oldest rock in Europe. In this 3D walk you can walk the avenue to the ring and stand beside the monolith and its small chambered tomb.

Where: Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
When built: Raised around 2900 BC
Size: A ring of 13 stones with rows running out in a cross shape; the central monolith is 4.8 m tall

Official site

Walk Callanish Stones in 3D

A real-time 3D model, built from open elevation data and published measurements. Loads 1.9 MB when you start.

Callanish Stones rendered in real-time 3D

Walk it yourself. Works on this phone.

Terrain and sky from open data · stones from published measurements · tags as in the app

Hear the guide

The narrator from the app reads each tour stop. Transcripts below.

The central monolith
Known0:12

A 4.8 m slab of Lewisian gneiss, among the oldest rock in Europe, stands at the heart of the ring beside a small chambered tomb.
The moon
Theorised0:13

Every 18.6 years the moon skims low along the southern hills as seen from here. Whether the rows were laid out for that "major standstill" is argued, not settled.

How to visit in real life

The stones stand in open ground about 25 km west of Stornoway and can be visited at any time, free. A visitor centre beside the site has an exhibition about them.

Opening times and tickets change: check the official site. Official site

Open Callanish Stones in Farstep

The full site on your phone: a narrated guided tour, passport stamps, offline, and smoother graphics than a browser can give.

Narrated guided tour, stop by stop, in nine languages
Passport stamps for every hotspot and finished tour
Works offline once installed
Stonehenge free; other sites are one-time packs. No ads, no subscription.

Open in Farstep

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On iPhone the button opens the App Store.

Questions

Are the Callanish Stones older than Stonehenge?

The main ring was raised around 2900 BC, earlier than Stonehenge's sarsen circle (about 2500 BC).

Are the Callanish Stones aligned with the moon?

Every 18.6 years the moon skims low along the southern hills as seen from the site. Whether the rows were laid out for that 'major standstill' is argued, not settled.