Help shape & protect future of Calanais Standing Stones

HES invites the public to share their views on proposals to introduce an entry fee and potential changes to access at Calanais Standing Stones. The proposals aim to support and enhance economic, community, and conservation benefits for the local community and the wider Outer Hebrides.

Sian Evans, Regional Visitor and Community Manager for North Region at HES, commented on the consultation:

“The Calanais Standing Stones are synonymous with the Outer Hebrides, embodying thousands of years of history and culture. With increased visitor footfall and the challenges presented by factors such as climate change, we must take action to ensure the stones are adequately protected to stand on this site for at least another 5000 years. Our goal is to ensure our proposals also enhance the site’s value to both the community and visitors. We encourage everyone with an interest, relationship or connection to this iconic site participate in this consultation to help shape its future.”

The public consultation is now open, closed on 31 October 2024.

HES is working closely with Urras nan Tursachan (UnT) in support of their plans to redevelop the visitor centre at the site. Together, the organisations aim to enhance the visitor experience and integrate both elements, access to the site and the enhanced interpretation and information available at the visitor centre, into a single entrance fee. HES will largely reinvest their portion of the fee back into the site to help fund additional sustainable conservation measures that tackle and mitigate current erosion challenges, thereby protecting the integrity of the Calanais Standing Stones. Importantly, the entry charge would not apply to locals, with HES and UnT exploring options to create a system that allows the community to continue enjoying their local heritage site without cost.

A key element of the proposals is to reinvest a portion of the revenue from the entry fee into a Fund for Heritage. This will support heritage projects and bodies across the Outer Hebrides.

The proposals can be viewed, and feedback submitted, through CitizenSpace. This feedback, along with insights gathered from earlier community engagement events, will be reviewed comprehensively and inform recommendations. There will be further targeted engagement sessions with specific groups, including local stakeholders, representatives of Hebridean tourism and business organisations, and those who have a spiritual connection to the stones.

UnT is an independent not-for-profit charity that manages the Visitor Centre at Calanais Standing Stones. UnT use their resources to help local communities, support research into the archaeological heritage of the Outer Hebrides, and champion the value of this heritage to make a positive difference to the lives of the people of the Outer Hebrides. Further information on UnT can be found here. 

HES and UnT have agreed to work together not only for the management, access and promotion of Calanais Standing Stones, but also to care for and promote the archaeological and historical heritage of the Outer Hebrides. By working together, the organisations aim to investigate and develop the operation of the Calanais monument and Calanais Visitor Centre as a single tourism experience, to provide a wider range of benefits.  

We're the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. We are at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future. Across Scotland, we investigate and record architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes and care for more than 300 properties of national importance. HES is also working with sector partners to deliver Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.

Historic Scotland, trove.scot, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle and Stòr are sub-brands of HES.

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