Harris Historic Sites: There are many indications of the island's rich and ancient past. Clach MhicLeoid above the beautiful beach of Traigh an Iar at na Buirgh and Clach Steinigrie on the machair of Sgarasta have been sentinels of the West Coast for many centuries, possibly dating back to the era of the Callanish Stones in neighbouring Lewis. These were probably primarily calendar stones, with the length and position of the shadow telling the seasons, but they were also the sites of religious rites, as well as landmarks from the sea.
Many traces of Iron Age sites lie beside the white beaches of Harris and you can still find their middens, or refuse heaps, of empty shellfish, and occasionally pottery.