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North Uist 2

Leacach an Tighe Chloiche - The Stones of the House on the Ridge.

North Uist is only 16 by 10 miles, (25.6 x 16 km), but boasts a wealth of megalithic sites perhaps unmatched in concentration anywhere in Britain. Over forty percent of it's ancient and eroded landscape is under the permanent waters of hundreds of lochans- small peaty lochs. It has a range of steep sided hills running east/ west and one isolated conical mass standing to the south of this range called Unival. The Stone House on the Ridge occupies a small terrace on the spine of a south descending ridge on Unival. From this commanding position there is a panorama of more than 230 degrees with all of the south and west of North Uist in view, and, in good visibility, the islands of St. Kilda and Boreray at 48 miles (77kms) out in the North Atlantic. The Stones of the House themselves are easily visible against the sky from much of the lower ground on this side of the island. It is a carefully selected spot and the megalith builders did not neglect it's potential.

Alexander Thom describes the House on the Ridge as the key site on North Uist. This site is also one of the most important discoveries in Britain for illuminating the large scale endeavours of the Megalithic astronomers. At many locations in Britain it is clear, from the astronomical surveys, that great care had been taken, and much extra effort expended, to incorporate more than one required alignment at a backsight. A spectacular example of this is S1, Llananno, and a minor, though deceptively subtle case being Lechwedd Penrhiwen.

Leacach an Tighe Chloiche, a multi function site. (Megalithic Sites in Britain. p.131)

It is not uncommon to find a foresight also functioning as a backsight and vice-versa. The House on the Ridge, due to it's ideal position, manages to fill both these roles. It is a foresight for one solstitial alignment and a backsight for a lunar standstill alignment. Due to this unique situation Thom regarded the House on the Ridge as the primary site on North Uist which, when established, fixed the positions of several, if not most of the other sites on the island in a net of interlinked astronomical alignments.

Plan of Leacach an Tighe Chloiche with two of the supported alignments. (Megalithic Sites in Britain. p.132)

With the plan of this site Thom shows calculated diagrams for two of the supported alignments. The lower, (c), is the House on the Ridge silhouetted on the disc of the setting Sun at a summer solstice in 1800 B.C. This image can only be seen from the stone circle Sornach Coir Fhinn 3 miles, (4.8 km), to the south east; See html page North Uist.

Ben Tuath on Wiay Island. 11.5 mls (19.2 km) Moon rising at southern extreme, -(e+i), with limits of Cyclic Perturbation, +&-p, for the lower limb.

The upper diagram, (b), is a lunar alignment to Ben Tuath which appears to be indicated by the flat sides of the tallest standing stone of the site. Following is a photograph of Ben Tuath as seen from this large stone with the Moon rising at a Major Southern Standstill, 1800 B.C.

-(e+i+p)                    -(e+i-p)

With the tracks of the rising Moon montaged behind a photograph taken 15th June 1998 this simulated imageshows how the notches to either side of Ben Tuath indicate the lower limb at either extreme of Cyclic Perturbation, a minor wobble in the orbit of the Moon which must be quantified and timed when lunar standstill observations are made.

-(e+i) Southern Major Lunar Standstill.

+p   -p                 Limits of Cyclic Perturbation

Over 9 ft, (3 m) in height this lunar standstill indicator is the largest and tallest stone on the site as is typical for lunar alignments. It is impressive not only for it's size and positioning on the edge of a ledge with an open sweep of land and seascape before it, but also for it's elegance and evocative anthropomorphic profile. It appears to be an unworked glacial erratic chosen for it's resemblance to a human head. It is very similar in weight and dimensions to three of the stones known as the Whispering Knights, Oxfordshire. Both these stone groupings are thought to be the inner supports for the roof of a chambered cairn and may have been covered from external sight shortly after erection. Perhaps they were positioned so that they might be seen by artificial light brought with visitors to the chambers.

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