Venue Accessibility Guide

Inclusivity and accessibility are central to the Calanais Visitor Centre and our team. Please note assistance dogs are welcome throughout the site.  

You can read our Accessibility Guide in advance of your visit for more information. Visitors with disabilities may bring an accompanying carer free of charge when paying for a full price ticket. Proof of eligibility will be required. 

This accessibility guide does not contain personal opinions as to our suitability for those with access needs but aims to accurately describe the facilities and services available at the Calanais Visitor Centre to help all visitors, including those with disabilities, plan their visit.

If you have any queries about visiting or require assistance, please contact the Calanais Visitor Centre Team at hello@calanais.org or 07783 120114.

Address: Calanais Visitor Centre, Calanais, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9DY

What 3 Words: alas.beats.chap

By Car

From Tarbert: Follow the A859 heading north towards Stornoway forapprox 29miles. You will come to a sign to turn left onto the A858 towards Calanais (the sign will say “Calanais Standing Stones”). Take the left and continue the A858 for approx 10miles until you see a sign to turn left into the village of Calanais. Continue this short local single-track road for a short distance and you will see the Calanais Standing Stones ahead on your right.

Parking Information

Free onsite parking is available at the Visitor Centre, with a variety of spaces including 6 EV charging spaces, 4 accessible spaces, 33 general spaces, and 10 bicycle racks.
The car park is open-air and is on a slope in places. The surface is tarmac.
EV charging is available. Charge your vehicle for £0.55 per KWh. Start a session by scanning the QR code on the charge point or use the Monta Charge app.

By Public Transport

Please Note: Bus services do not run on Sunday in the Outer Hebrides. Please check Comhairle nan Eilean Siar bus timetable for more information on your travel or phone Stornoway Bus Station (+44 1851
704327).

From Stornoway bus station take the W2 bus to the Calanais Visitor Centre car park. Once off the bus walk approximately 50 metres up to the Visitor Centre. The car park is on an incline and is tarmacked.

From Tarbert: From Tarbert (Isle of Harris) Bus Station, take the W10/10A bus from Tarbert to Stornoway. You will need to change at Stornoway Bus Station to the W2 bus, which will take you to the Calanais Visitor Centre car park. Once off the bus walk approximately 50 metres up to the Visitor Centre. The car park is on an incline and is tarmacked.

Main Entrance

The main entrance to the Visitor Centre is accessed via the main car park or via the disabled parking area. From the disabled parking area there is a slope leading to the entrance and from the main car park there are 12 steps followed by a slope. The steps have handrails on each side. The slope has a handrail to the left-hand side.

Admissions Area and Shop

One inside the Visitor Centre, you will be welcomed by our admissions team.
This area is step free. There is no seating available in the admissions or shop area, but there is seating available in the café, which is located next to the admissions area.
There is a low admissions desk available here. This lower desk is 75cm high.
Free admission tickets are available for carers.
Ear defenders are available to borrow from our admissions team.
Water bowls for assistance dogs are located outside the admissions area.

Cafe

The café is located within the Visitor Centre and is adjacent to the admissions area. There is a wide, bright corridor which leads from the admissions area to the café.
The café serves hot and cold drinks, cakes, sandwiches, soups and light bites. There are no additional doors to enter the café area and it is step free.
The café has a counter service, trays are available. There is a self service area, however a member of staff is always available to help if needed.
Drinks and hot food can be ordered from the counter.
Food is served on crockery, and metal cutlery is available in a separate cutlery and condiment unit.
Takeaway packaging is available for food and drink.
Tables have a clear underneath height of 74cm.
The café till area has a height of 81cm.

Exhibition

Once you have visited our admissions team you will be directed to the exhibition and the standing stones. The exhibition is accessed via a slope with a handrail to the left-hand side.
There is step free access to the exhibition, and the exhibition itself is also step free.
There is a bench outside the exhibition entrance.
Step fee access to the Standing Stones is only possible by visiting the exhibition.

Once inside the exhibition the initial space has introductory panels with audio visual screens, before opening into a wider space.
All audiovisual screens have subtitles.
The exhibition space is fully accessible.
The exhibition includes an immersive theatre experience. The film in this area has subtitles. There are spaces for wheelchair users at the front and at the side of the wooden seating.
There are places to sit within the exhibition.

Exit to the Standing Stones

The stones are accessed via the exhibition exit; this is located next to the theatre.

Access to the Standing Stones

Step free access to the standing stones is only available through the exhibition (see above).
If you do not visit the exhibition, access to the Standing Stones includes 6 steps, there is a handrail on each side of the stairway.

There is a steep, step free path to the Standing Stones. The path is tarmacked, with areas of gravel and this path is uneven in parts. There is a bench halfway up the path.
If visitors are unable to traverse this path, the Visitor Centre team can help you with access to the Standing Stones via an alternative entrance. Please speak to a member of the admissions team who will be happy to help you.
The ground around the Standing Stones is covered in grass, peat and heather and can be uneven. The ground is undulating and on a slope.
The ground can be wet and boggy.

On return to the Visitor Centre, a step free exit is only possible by returning via the exhibition building.

Toilets

There are three public toilets available onsite. They are located in the following areas:
– Outside the main entrance
– Inside the Visitor Centre next to the cafe
– Inside the Visitor Centre, opposite the exhibition entrance
All three toilet areas have unisex accessible toilets.

Baby changing facilities are located within the toilets next to the cafe.

Emergency Procedures

There are no additional instructions for those with access requirements. If the fire alarm sounds, a member of staff will ask you to leave the site and for you to make your way to the Fire Assembly Point.

Contact Information and Feedback

For any further information, or to provide feedback on your visit, please contact hello@calanais.org

Assistance and Guide Dogs

We welcome all assistance dogs and guide dogs.

Future Improvements

We are working on making a number of accessibility improvements:
– We are hoping to implement a ‘Quiet Hour’ within our exhibition space.
– We are hoping to make improvements to the path from the Visitor Centre to the Standing Stones.
– We are adding additional signage to our site.