Standing Stones of Callanish

Traveling to see the Standing Stones of Callanish was the whole point of my trip to Scotland. It was more than two weeks into my trip and I still hadn't gotten there. The distractions along the way: Loch Lomond, Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Inverbervie, my new friend John, Inverness, Loch Ness, my new boyfriend, Mark, the heather, the gorse, the fresh air and the scones were all pleasant distractions to say the least, but I was a woman with a sacred calling. It was time to listen to the call of the mist as Mananan, Lord of the Sea’s horses ran through the spume of ocean off the Isle of Lewis.

After our trip around Loch Ness, Mark and I took the bus to Ullapool from Inverness. From Ullapool, we took the ferry to Stornoway. The Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry was a tourist hot spot of its own for us. We had an absolutely fabulous time weaving and wobbling across the deck as we explored the ship from one side to the other. The sea was not too rough on this day, but we still saw one or two people”heaving-ho” over the rail of the ship. Taking an ocean-going ferry like this is a great way to decide whether you are prone to being seasick. Of course, we were having so much fun that neither of us was sick a bit. The trip was gorgeous. It was very windy on the deck, so we didn’t stay too long, but I have been partial to taking the ferry ever since. I found that this is one of the best ways to travel in Europe and the British Isles.

We stayed at Caladh Inn in Stornoway. This hotel was very nice, but rather pricey for a poor couple. I paid the extra money because I had heard all the horror stories about accommodations without proper facilities on the Outer Hebrides. This was in 1996, so I would hope it has improved by now. The hotel had a great club next door, so we went to karaoke that night and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Mark had a great voice and was a “karaoke king.” All the ladies wanted him once he sang, “Love is All Around” by Wet, Wet, Wet (originally done by the Troggs) and I was so proud to be the lady of the romantic singer with the great voice that night.