I’ve had a few days break on the Isle of Skye. Despite the fact that I’ve lived in Scotland all my life this is the first time I’ve ever visited Skye. I took my camera and I’ve taken some of the loveliest photos I’ve ever taken up here. It’s an island which is bigger than it first appears. It’s takes quite a while to drive anywhere because a lot of the roads are single track with passing places, winding up and down and around the mountains, through the glens and across the bracken moors. It makes every little trip here an adventure.
One of the trips was to a lighthouse. You have to park your car in the car park at the top of the cliff then walk down a long, long trail to the lighthouse (and, yes, walking back up and up and up the same trail back to the car is VERY demanding! Especially if you spend your life avoiding serious exercise!). Right at the bottom of the trail is the lighthouse which is surrounded by a black, oily bog. Once you slurp your way across the bog (waterproof shoes essential!) you come to the very point of the peninsula. The lighthouse is behind you, across the sparkling sea you see the outlines of the further islands and before you, suddenly, you become aware of this field of stone structures. Yes, the whole area is rocky and you have to clamber over huge rocks to get to the field but there before you, as you get closer, you see hundreds upon hundreds of stone sculptures.
See
I took a lot of photos cos its just stunning, amazing, incredible. Go see the collection here.
This is simply an immense outpouring of the human creative spirit (well, unless you believe it was the fairies wot did it!) How did this start? Well, I can tell you it’s infectiously compulsive. One of those structures is the one I added to the collection. Any idea which one I made?
Heroes Not Zombies 
I’m going to guess you made either the Stonehenge, or the ring of stones that was photographed twice? What a fantastic place to come upon! I liked the image of all the shells, the birds feast there often. Neat!
Bob, these photos took my breath away….how amazingly beautiful,and creative…there’s a whole leaning in early years to get outside with young children, and use nature as much as possible to encourage experiential learning, and ‘transient art’ using natural things is one creative way of doing this. .I hope these sculptures are not too transient however (looks like they’ve been built over a long period of time, do you have any idea how this started Bob?)
How inspiring,absolutely fabulous photography!
are yours 8 & 9 on the slideshow?
Ah yes kat and bet you both got me! Damn! That was a silly mistake to put up two photos of my one!!
Bet if the photo takes your breath away a real visit will do that multiple times – from the awesome appearance of this field as you approach, from the almost spooky experience of wandering around in the midst of it and lastly – literally – the climb back up to the car park is a killer! Way beyond my normal level of physical exertion!
I spent a happy afternoon yesterday at An Tuireann (http://www.antuireann.org.uk/) and asked the receptionist if she knew about these stones. She had seen them and often wondered how it came about but never got round to asking anyone so she said “Let’s find out now!” She phoned a friend (tried and trusted Who Wants to be a Millionaire technique) and was told that a film company (don’t know which one) made a movie there (don’t know which one) seven years ago and built the first of these stone pillars as a set for an ancient graveyard. They left them in place and over the last seven years people have just kept adding their own! If you can find out which movie it was I’d be interested!
I’ve lost email contact with you. Anyhow a movie made in 1996 called ‘Breaking the Waves’ Lars von Trier featured Neist Point I think: they made a graveyard for the film. A love story with health issues! All good wishes, M.
Good to hear from you Mark.
Betty in our dispensary here says she’s heard there are two or three folk interested in buying An Tuireann so I hope something happens and it re-opens and you find a place there again. Thanks for the tip about Breaking the Waves.