Ronnie Neilson (Member no: 1644)

Tigh nam Cailleach

The tradition here says that the Cailleach and her family were once given shelter in the glen in winter. She left these stones at the house she’d occupied as a thanks, and as long as they were cared for, the glen would always be looked after.

At the far end of Glen Lyon in Central Scotland there's a path onwards to a small glen, hidden from the casual walker. Glen Cailleach contains a small shrine, supposedly a remnant of a pre-Christian tradition still observed to this day. 

The shrine is known locally as Tigh nam Bodach (House of the Old Man) or to others as Tigh na Cailleach (House of the Old Woman). It is a small stone dwelling sheltering a family of anthropomorphic stones. The largest one is The Cailleach, accompanied by her Bodach and brood of children. The family are ritually taken out of their house on Beltain, and put back in on Samhuinn. 

The tradition here says that the Cailleach and her family were once given shelter in the glen in winter. She left these stones at the house she’d occupied as a thanks, and as long as they were cared for, the glen would always be looked after.

Our friend Tom has taken over the custom of looking after the stones and their house. He is usually accompanied by some locals and other well-wishers. 

In these Beltain photos the stones are being taken out of the house and are being washed and fed before being left out on the valley for the summer.

I had a quick search to see if there was any other older mentions of this site and I found an entry on Canmore recognising it as a shrine which is great. I've copied one of their entries here as well.