The Western Isles
Or more specifically, Lewis and Harris, which, okay, I’ll admit, I’d not realised were one and the same island until now!
We were at anchor this morning, off the coast at Stornoway, in the north east of Lewis.
That meant a tender ride over to the shore and some additional fun today.
The crew are always very helpful and boarding a tender from Splendor doesn’t involve climbing the outside steps and some of the other parlarver necessary on board the older ships. Nevertheless, care is needed when stepping over the gap between ship and boat and the strong support of a lovely seaman on each arm is never declined!
We came into the ferry terminal in Stornoway, which was quiet right now,
Our guide Janis told us a little of life here on Lewis as we drove south through a lush green landscape of peat covered hills and mountains. To begin with, there were trees, but these had been planted by one of the former owners of the island and as soon as we were out into the natural landscape, there were none.
We passed a place where people were cutting peat, or more accurately, where peat had been cut and left to dry. Janis explained that peat is used much less than in the past, but people still cut and dry peat blocks for fuel.
This is an area of lochs and small commuities, one of which had only recently been connected by road to the rest of the island. As we drove, Janis told stories of life here which I found fascinating.
As we turned a corner and crossed a small bridge, there was a sign “Welcome to Harris”. Janis pointed out a rather larger bridge way over on the horizon: the bridge to the island of Scalpay.
From this part of the road, looking east, we could see the open sea beyond; the stretch of water between here and the mainland, known as The Minch,
We were approaching our first stop by now and as we turned into what appeared to be a campsite, I assumed it was merely a comfort break, for we’d been driving well over an hour by now and usually, people begin to request such things. Indeed, this was part of the reason we’d stopped, but there was the added bonus of a beach to visit, we learned. “Turn left for the loo, right for the beach” we were told.
I couldn’t help but notice the delightful phrase on one of the signs here: “Outwith these times…”
We turned right once we’d walked through the campsite and sure enough, there was a beach. By now, the sky has brighted somewhat and the feeling of fresh air on my face felt good.
Once over the small tidal ridge though, we understood why we had come here! My word, who would have thought the Outer Hebrides could be like this? I looked down at my feet, sensibly dressed in socks and sturdy shoes today - no paddle possible. But Horgabost Beach, you are spectacular!
As we drove here, we’d passed an adjacent bay at Seilebost where Janis promised another stop if there was space, because sometimes, the colours were remarkable there too.
Not only was there a space for our coach, but she was correct about the colours too. Seilebost beach was even more spectacular, though its roadside location made it a little less peaceful.
We leapt out to take our photos, taking one after another and not knowing when to stop, for the view was spectacular.
I particularly loved the sand spit there with a remarkable pattern formed with differen sands by the waves. What a lovely place!
From here, we drove to our last stop, one of several places in Scotland known as Tarbert. Tarbert (Harris) was named because of its location, where boats could be carried across a narrow strip of land (ref. Trivia question from the other day “Portage”) this was where we’d have an hour to ourselves.
My main priority was not the gin distillery (!) but to visit the Harris Tweed shop next door.
There were two stores; one selling yardage, the other selling finished items. Firstly, we went to the yardage shop.
So hard to choose! The fabric is beautiful and mindful of the quality controls and specific requirements set for a product to be labelled as “Harris Tweed” we were impressed by the range of designs and colours on offer. With a couple of small purchases made, we went over to the other store for a look.
Well, we were not really shopping here at all, but we might have left carrying a rather larger bag…
From here, it was a straight drive home. We’d had a lovely day here and as we returned along the same road as we’d come, there might have been the soft sound of snoozing!
Finally, one more observation. Leaving the Essence of the Hebrides shop, I noticed a charging point and a power source of a different kind from those we saw in Norway. “Top up from the Tap” was the invitation!
