Confirmed · Outer Hebrides · Landscape
Calanais Standing Stones
Where Mother Mildred and Sister Monica Joan visit the stones (2019 special) in Call the Midwife. Open to visitors; allow 45 minutes to 2 hours.
- On screen as
- Where Mother Mildred and Sister Monica Joan visit the stones (2019 special)
- Series and episodes
- Christmas special 2019 · Christmas special 2019
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Time needed
- 45 minutes to 2 hours
- Where
- Calanais, Isle of Lewis
On screen
How Calanais Standing Stones appears
In the 2019 Christmas special, illness at home and a shortage of nurses on the islands send members of the Nonnatus team to the Outer Hebrides. Visit Outer Hebrides names the Calanais Standing Stones as one of the special's locations: Mother Mildred and Sister Monica Joan visit the stones in a quiet moment of reflection. Here the story and the real place match: the scenes are set in the Hebrides and filmed in the Hebrides, a change from the series' usual habit of making Kent stand in for London. The tall grey stones against the island moorland make one of the most memorable images in the special.
The real place
What you can visit
The Calanais Standing Stones are a cross-shaped setting of tall gneiss stones around a central circle, raised about 5,000 years ago and among the most important prehistoric monuments in Britain. They stand on a low ridge above Loch Roag on the west side of Lewis and are free to visit at any reasonable time. A visitor centre beside the site has had its own opening arrangements and building works, so check its current status for toilets, café and exhibition before relying on it. Several smaller stone circles stand within a few miles. Treat the stones with care and keep to paths in wet weather.
The stones are a scheduled monument: do not climb or lean on them, and stay off fragile ground after rain.
Visit Outer Hebrides: Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special locations ↗Reaching the Outer Hebrides means a CalMac ferry (Ullapool to Stornoway for Lewis, Uig on Skye to Tarbert for Harris) or a flight to Stornoway, then a car for the single-track roads. Lewis and Harris are one island, but the drive from Calanais to Rodel takes well over an hour each way. Book ferries early in summer, carry food and fuel, and plan around the weather and the short winter daylight.
Common questions
Planning a responsible visit
Which Call the Midwife episode was filmed at Calanais?
The 2019 Christmas special, in which Mother Mildred and Sister Monica Joan visit the stones, according to Visit Outer Hebrides.
Do you need a ticket to see the stones?
No. The stones are open to visitors without a ticket. Check the separate visitor centre's opening before relying on its facilities.
How long do you need?
Allow 45 minutes for the main site, longer if you want to walk to the smaller circles nearby.
Plan your visit
Build it into the day.
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village and the Dun Carloway broch, both on the same west-coast road.
Booking.com links are paid links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Map
Days out including this place
Continue with a prepared day out
Nearby
Continue through Outer Hebrides
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village
Aunt Mina and Effie's island home (2019 special)
See the location →
Luskentyre Beach
Where the Turners talk about the islands (2019 special)
See the location →
St Clement's Church, Rodel
St Faelan's Church (2019 special)
See the location →
Eilean Glas Lighthouse
An island lighthouse landscape (2019 special)
See the location →