NW Lewis: Ballantrushal Standing Stone

Said to be the tallest standing stone in Scotland, the Clach an Truiseil or Ballantrushal standing stone is a behemoth at roughly 6 metres or 20 feet tall.

Unfortunately, as you can see in the picture, our sister-in law leaned a bit too hard last time she visited and knocked it a bit sideways… sorry about that! 😉

According to Galson Estate Trust,

Ballantrushal (Gaelic: Baile an Truiseil) is a village in the south of the estate, just beyond Shader River and is thought to mean “The farm at the Truiseal stone”, which refers to a standing stone in the village known as “Clach an Truiseil”.

This is thought to be the tallest standing stone in Scotland at almost 6m (20ft) high. It is likely to have been a sea marker in prehistoric times and is part of a large prehistoric landscape which includes Steinacleit in nearby Lower Shader. Its name means “Stone of Sorrow” which is thought to relate to local traditions that it is the grave of a viking prince or that it marks the site of a battle between the Morrisons of Ness and the MacAulays of Uig.

Parking & Accessibility

There is a small parking area (signposted) and a short, relatively flat walk over grass to the stone. (No toilets.)

Images