Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Despite the fact that the
island of Lewis and Harris was voted the best island in both The UK and Europe
by TripAdvisor users last year, I had never really heard of it either.
That was until I had lunch with a family friend one day in Edinburgh. A Scottish native who has been living in Australia for twenty
years, my friend was on her way up to Lewis to relax in her family home for a
couple of months.
As she told me more about the scenery and the sights of
Lewis, I decided that I simply had to visit.
At 5am on a chilly November morning I left Edinburgh and
drove to Ullapool – the departure point for the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to
Lewis.
Now, when I say ‘drove’ I really mean that I tried
desperately to keep my eyes open in the passenger seat while my traveling
companion drove to Ullapool. I’m just not really a morning person… I was awake
for most of the journey, including for this lovely view up above the fog that
had settled over Inverness.
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| Photo by Gus |
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| Ullapool - photo by Gus |
Also, if you’ve ever been slightly confused by people
referring to the Outer Hebrides or the Western Isles – they’re the same place.
Now that we’re all on the same page, we can continue…
Mairi, our absolutely wonderful host for the next four days, picked us up
from the port of Stornoway and whisked us over to the other side of the island
to her village, Carloway.
There are a couple of route options to get between the two
towns, but the quickest is the Pentland Road which cuts straight across
the island through the Pentland Moor. The road is single track and what I would
describe as slightly treacherous! You would not catch me on that road
in anything but fine weather.
Lewis has an abundance of peat, which has historically been
an important source of fuel for the islanders. These days, few people rely it.
But some homes do still use peat, as it’s basically free fuel.
Peat has to be cut from the ground into bricks and then
stacked in piles so it can dry out to be burned properly. I have heard many stories over the years from people in Ireland and Scotland whose
childhood holidays were spent out in the moors cutting peat – by all accounts
it is not at all fun!
Mairi told us as we drove past some peat banks along the
Pentland Road that there had recently been a story in the Stornoway Gazette
about a man who had had his peat stolen. This was clearly considered to be
quite a heinous crime. So a note to any of you considering a move to the
Western Isles – don’t touch another man’s peat!
We spent most of our time on the west coast of Lewis. It was
so, so beautiful. There were plenty of sights and walks to keep us occupied,
but at the same time it was lovely that, because of the time of year, there was
nothing going on. There were hardly any people around. I felt completely
removed from reality there.
Our first sightseeing stop was at the place I most wanted to
see – the Callanish Standing Stones. Move over Stonehenge, these stones are AMAZING.
While not as large or famous as the stones in southern
England, the Callanish (or Callanais) Stones have an entirely different and, if
I may say so, entirely superior atmosphere. There is an indescribable energy to them.
Unlike at Stonehenge, which is now roped off to the public,
you can walk amongst and touch the Callanish Stones. Very little is known about
them, but they date back approximately 5000 years.
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| Examining one of the smaller stones - photo by Mairi |
There are nearly 50 stones there of varying shapes and
sizes. The largest stone, at the very centre, is about five metres tall. When
you consider that in order to still be standing after so long, the stones are
probably a third as tall again beneath the ground, the construction of this
stone circle is rather mind-boggling.
Where did they get the stones? How did they move them to one site?
What were they for? I’ll never know for sure - unless, like Claire Beauchamp, I
get transported back in time by some ancient standing stone magic. I placed my
hands on a stone and waited for the wind to change…nothing happened. Outlander
lied to me.
I’m okay with the stones remaining a mystery though – it
adds to the overall aura!
After a dinner and dance that involved far too much alcohol
(a theme that would continue throughout our Hebridean escape), we spent our second
day exploring the west coast a little more thoroughly.
We stopped by the impressive Dun Carloway Broch (dun meaning
‘fort’). The broch is about 2000 years old and is one of the best preserved of
its kind. Half of it stands at 9m, almost its original height, while the other
half has crumbled away over time.
It is, remarkably, still very stable, so you are allowed to
go inside and have a poke around. I imagine that children must have a pretty
great time crawling and climbing around the broch…I certainly did!
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| Photo by Mairi |
Gus and I also did a section
of the Lewis West Side coastal walk. We happily wandered from our starting
point at the Gearrannan blackhouse village through boggy moors, over a burn or two and past some gorgeous
beaches to a lovely little beach named Dail Beag, where Mairi was
waiting for us.
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| Photo by Gus |
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| Photo by Gus |
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| Dail Mor |
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| Dail Beag |
That night we went to the local pub - the Doune Braes. This brings me to a
rather important lesson I learnt on Lewis: don’t try to keep up with the
locals.
The custom at the pub seemed to be that when you went to the
bar to buy a round you didn’t just buy drinks for your friends – you got a
round for the entire pub. At one point, I had a pint of Ginger Grouse in hand and three
lined up in front of me. I have no idea who bought them. When I insisted that I
simply couldn’t consume any more liquid I was told that the solution was to
move to straight whisky…
My poor mother, who received a late night international phone
call from us after our visit to the Doune Braes, will probably back up this advice - I say again: do not attempt to keep up with the locals!
On our final day we drove south, over the mountains, to
Harris.
When I was traveling around the UK a couple of years ago, I
made a habit of complaining about the rocky beaches. Coming from a country
where every beach is covered in golden sand, I couldn’t get on board with
having to wear shoes and not be able to comfortably lie down. It’s just not
right.
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| Exhibit A: Brighton beach |
I distinctly remember Mairi commenting on one of my photos
saying ‘you need to get up to the Western Isles m’dear…’ I shouldn’t have
waited so long to take her advice!
Who would know that you would find such lovely beaches in
Scotland of all places? It turns out that Lewis and Harris are famous for their
white sandy beaches – and I can certainly see why.
We went to Harris because I wanted to visit Luskentyre
Sands, which I had read about in a book at Mairi’s house. It sounded lovely in
the description and I was not disappointed - miles and miles of white sand and
blue water is what I found at Luskentyre.
The beach seems so endless when you’re walking along it, at
times you can see nothing but sand ahead of you and sand behind you.
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| Photo by Mairi |
It was, as you can probably guess from my clothing, not the
warmest of days, but I am very keen to go back in the warmer months for a dip!
Having said that, I was told by the locals that the water is the same
temperature all year – freezing. So perhaps I should have just jumped in
anyway!
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| Photo by Gus |
Though it was lovely to visit in November, I can’t wait to
go back and experience Lewis and Harris in the summer. It is another world out
there, and undeniably more than a bit odd. But it is beautiful in a very unique
way and from what I have heard it really comes alive in summertime.
There are so many things left on my must do list for Lewis
and Harris, including taking a boat to the island of St Kilda and attempting to
befriend a puffin and finally seeing the otter which Mairi promised me lived in the water near her house but eluded me for my entire stay...
So, if you’re on the hunt for somewhere a little bit unusual
to visit, I hope I have convinced you that Lewis should be near the
top of your list. Oh and be sure to try the famous Stornoway Black Pudding when you're there! It's compulsory!
Thank you, as always, for reading...
...But quickly before you go - some more of Gus' lovely photos of Lewis and Harris just for good measure!
