AT THE HEAD OF THE LOCH
Day1 Saturday 26th June 2022
Another trip to the west, but a bit further west than normal. We were off to Harris and Lewis with Sandra, Chris and Blue for a week.
We had a lovely start - glorious, warm sunshine for our drive from Inverness to Ullapool to catch the 1030 ferry to Stornoway. Ullapool was looking good in the sun, as always.
The ferry was on the other side of the pier and we would soon be off.
Everything went well and we were soon underway, heading along Loch Broom and west to the open sea.
It wasn't too long until we were leaving the mainland in our wake.
After a cup of tea, a Lorne sausage roll and a bit of a cruise, we were waiting for the ferry doors to open and let us back out into the sunshine.
After picking up our groceries from a very busy click and collect Tesco in Stornoway, we drove south to our house called Ceann an Loch at the very head of Loch Erisort near Balallan.
Balallan is said to be the longest village in the Hebrides, being 4 miles from end to end. The Gaelic name is Baile Ailein - Alan's town. One of the reasons for the length of the township is that each croft was given direct access to the sea as well as a land holding.
On the way into the house, I spotted this unusual looking moth. It turns out it is a Magpie moth, commonly found on heather moorland, of which there is quite a lot about.
Here was the view that would greet us each day from one of the living room windows. Loch Erisort, literally a stone's throw from the front deck.
There were other windows, all with great views. Sandra and Chris at the dining table, opening some fizz to celebrate the start of the holiday. Somewhat prosaically, we had that with ham sandwiches, pork pie and cocktail sausages!
The house was really well equipped and furnished. This is our bedroom.
And, this is the en-suite.
The cathedral windows provided a great view of the loch from the living space (and from the kitchen). Blue's bed was in front of the doors, but, being blind, he didn't really appreciate the view.
Sandra and Chris took Blue for a walk and then Sharon and I went out to explore a little bit later on. First, we had to go out of the big gate on the drive. Got to keep the sheep out of the garden.
We walked along the road to a small anchorage, with views across to Balallan.
The area round about must have been used as a bit of a dump, given the small piles of old bottles and the like that we found. Had I had my gloves and trowel, I might have investigated further, like Indiana Bob.
It was still very nice and getting warm out of the wind.
There was a good view back to the house.
Here we are enhancing the view.
Here I am looking suitably seafaring.
Time for a selfie. The sea is draining away to the left.
Walking back to the house, we had a chance to see our neighbours.
We also checked out the tourist information booth opposite the house.
It was really warm in the evening and we sat outside the house at the back for a group photo. The raging wind kept the midges away, but we didn't stay out for long. We had had a curry delivered to our house and had brought it with us for dinner.
After dinner, we played cribbage and marvelled at the colours in the sky, before hitting the hay.
Day2 Sunday 26th June 2022
Being of a certain age, it is not unusual for me to be up during the night for functional reasons. I had a look out of the bedroom window at 10 minutes past 5 and this is what I saw. A lovely day in prospect.
It was still looking good at quarter to eight when Sandra brought us a morning cup of tea.
The weather did take a turn for the worse later in the morning, so Sharon, Sandra and I went for a drive along the South Lochs road as far as we could go.
Lots of seascapes to be seen.
There was a lot of empty space and silence. Little lochans with water lilies everywhere.
There were also some small townships. One of these, Marbhig, which is locally known as the Capital of the Lochs, contained this enigmatic stone. I can find nothing substantive about this. However, there is an oblique reference to the stone in the Facebook account of a local running group. One member recorded that they were standing at the stone with Rob and he had a half bottle in his hand!
There are also huge numbers of ruined and abandoned croft houses. Most of the area was cleared of people in the 19th Century. Only 400 people live in South Lochs now.
There is an old Post Office, which sold plants and hanging baskets. There were flowers painted on the walls, which is presumably easier than trying to grow them in some instances.
It had started to rain, but that didn't diminish the beauty of the water lilies.
We did encounter a couple of delays due to the locals loitering on the road.
Other families were out for a wee swim.
We headed home for a nice cup of tea and a scone with jam and cream for those who like that sort of thing. Julie, the owner had left a few goodies for us and the scone, clotted cream and local jam were part of that.
It dried up later in the afternoon and Sharon and I went for a walk further along the road by the sea loch. The loch is Loch Erisort and it is named for a Viking, meaning Erik's Fjord.
Our walk took us opposite a small island called Fraoch Eilean - Heather Island.
There were signs of an old building opposite the island, but there is nothing in the archaeological records for this.
Sharon was puzzled by it all.
There was a stone wall around some of the land and also stretching onto the causeway to the island. The causeway would be underwater at high tide. There is a record of the stone wall. It is listed as being the remains of the Head Dyke. You can see Head Dykes all over the highlands. Essentially they enclosed all of the land that could be cultivated, usually marking out what could be ploughed using a horse or oxen. They will often stretch much higher up the hill than is currently cultivated. This is because tractors cannot cope so well with steep slopes as animals could. Effectively the loss of horse power has reduced the availability of land.
The existence of the dyke means that there was once a thriving community here. Hardly any sign exists now.
Back home we watched the Meadow Pipits in the garden watching us in the house.
A quiet day after all our travelling yesterday.
Day3 Monday 27th June 2022
Monday was a bit of a grey day. Chris and I were up early to head north and west for a day's fishing at Loch Barvas. Barvas has the highest concentration of Gaelic speakers in Scotland, at 64%. Just north of where we parked the car to get our boat for the day is reputed to be a very old church, dedicated to St Mary. It dates to at least 1403, but it cannot be found now. It was visited by archaeologists in the 1920's, but by the 1960'2 the Ordnance Survey could no longer find it - it had been buried by drifting sand!
It was certainly a moody kind of place.
Our boat for the day. Happily it had an engine.
Chris, the proper angler got some flies ready. I watched from a distance.
Around the loch where we parked was an example of machair. This is a Gaelic word describing low lying fertile land near the sea. It is a habitat almost unique to the west of Scotland. The only other place on the globe that you can see it is in the west of Ireland. It is one of the rarest habitats in Europe and is characterised by the profusion of wild flowers at this time of year. The photo hasn't really done it justice, but it was full of buttercups and daisies along with lesser numbers of orchids, bird's foot trefoil and yarrow.
Soon, we were on the water, having navigated the treacherous rocks all around the place where the boat had been beached. Chris did spend a bit of time undoing my tangled lines.
We would motor to the west shore and then drift across the loch, using a drogue to slow down the drift.
The weather was actually kind to us. It was blowy, but it stayed dry for all the time we were on the water. You will notice that there are no photos of fish.
There's a reason for that! We were fishing for salmon and we did not catch any! All day. At not inconsiderable cost! We did catch some small trout, but they were too small to eat, so they lived to fight another day!
While we were thrashing the water, Sharon, Sandra and Blue were out walking in the Aline Community woodland. The 636 hectare woodland was bought from the Forestry Commission in 2007 by the Erisort Trust. It comprises mostly Lodgepole Pine and Sitka Spruce, which have a limited commercial value and the forest is mainly used for recreational purposes.
Blue seemed to enjoy it.
So did Sharon and Sandra.
There was more than just trees and moorland, there was a bit of water about as well, in the form of Loch Seaforth. The loch is one of the few in the country that would meet the definition of a fjord, in that it enters the land from the sea through high cliffs and is formed by a submerged glacial valley.
The weather looked a bit less benign than on Loch Barvas.
Down by the water there were the remains of a deserted farmstead called Grigaspul. This was already in ruins in 1855.
You can see the remains of one of the buildings in the foreground of this shot.
After their walking by the shore, they hit the shops in Stornoway. Apparently that didn't take too long and the credit cards didn't melt!
I do like a bath and this was a good looking bath, I have to say.
Day 4 Tuesday 28th June 2022
Tuesday morning was a bit on the dull side!
We had planned to drive to Tarbert for a look about, so we did, but not before we had a couple of separate outings. Chris and Sandra took Blue for a long walk and Sharon and I went to look at a nearby memorial and then for a short drive.
Our first drive was very short, indeed. We had been watching a raptor on the hill opposite the house. It seemed quite young and was hanging about, apparently waiting for a parent bird to come back and feed it. We drove a short way down the road to get a better look, but it didn't stay, so we only have this blurred image taken from the dining room table.
The people of South Lochs or Pairc had long been petitioning the owner of the estate Lady Matheson, to allow them to reoccupy villages from which their ancestors had been cleared to make way for sheep farms. Lady Matheson had ignored their pleas and, in 1886, had the 42000 acre sheep farm on the estate turned over to deer forest. This doesn't mean the land was planted with trees, rather it became one large hunting estate to let for those with the money to shoot.
The crofters sought to draw attention to the injustice of the eviction of their forefathers and the continued poverty that they suffered as a result of having no decent land to cultivate.
They publicly announced their intention to march into the deer forest and to kill and eat the deer that they found. They confronted the lessee , a Miss Platt, and her gamekeeper, who did not stop them and set about hunting deer. They made camp and cooked the deer they killed.
The authorities were outraged that common folk would do such a thing. The local Sherriff read the Riot Act and a detachment of soldiers as well as a boatful of marines were sent to Lewis to quell the "uprising". The crofters felt they had made their point and dispersed. However, 6 of the men were arrested and sent for trial in Edinburgh - accused of rioting, mobbing and trespass. they were all, ultimately, acquitted and set free.
The significance of their action lies in the effect this had on other crofting communities. This and other so called land grabs or raids eventually lead to recognition of crofting rights and to reform of land owning practices in the Highlands and Islands. Crofters gained some degree of security of tender and could no longer be forced from their homes and crofts at the whim of the landowner. This tower stands as testimony to their struggle.
Sharon at the top of the tower in testimony to her struggle up the steps!
The view from the bottom was of the top of the loch where we were staying. The house is on the far left of the photo.
There are three entrances to the tower and they represent the three communities involved in the raid - Kinloch, North Lochs and Pairc.
There are 8 marked stones, representing each of the 6 raiders who were tried at court along with a stone for the site of the reading of the Riot Act and the site of the raiders' barbecue.
Directly opposite the monument is the road to Eishken, Eisgein in Gaelic. This was actually the estate that Miss Platt let at the time of the deer raiders. The estate was once let as a sheep farm with sporting rights to Patrick Sellar, who is truly infamous throughout the Highlands, his tenure as factor for the Duke of Sutherland being known as the year of the burning. He cleared many hundreds of people from their crofts in Sutherland and was tried, but acquitted of culpable homicide at Inverness. He is alleged to have said of an old bedridden woman that she had lived too long and should burn with her son's cottage! she was rescued, but died some days later.
Anyway, he sub-let Eishken to Alfred Bonham-Carter, who used to visit the estate for shooting for two months in the year. His lease expired and a Mr Platt of Staffordshire took up the lease as deer forest and built a new stone lodge at the end of the road. The Platt family finally bought the estate in 1925.
The road into the estate is very quiet. So much so, that we hadn't gone very far when we came across this little Jack Snipe on the tar. It hobbled to the side, probably to distract us from young. It flew off with another shortly afterwards.
From the very small to the very large. Just around the corner from the snipe, we came a cross this magnificent White Tailed Eagle, or Sea Eagle. These are the biggest birds of prey in the Europe, with a wing span of up to 2.4 metres. They are known as flying barn doors and they are difficult to miss, although there are thought to be only 150 breeding pairs in the UK. They are among the biggest birds in the world.
They are alleged to take lambs from time to time. Clearly these ones had not heard about this as they loitered in the road causing a bit of a Hebridean traffic jam.
Further on from the eagle, we came across this large ruined house, which I can find no record for, despite the size of the building.
The site is overlooked by this modern sculpture. This commemorates the founding of a castle here in 1620 by Kenneth the chief of the clan MacKenzie. His descendants later founded the Seaforth Highlanders (named after the loch in the background). They became one of the most decorated units on the British Army. The name was lost once the regiment was amalgamated with others in the late 20th century.
Further up the glen, we spied this red deer doe munching happily on the grass by the roadside. She was not much concerned by our presence.
The Sea Eagle joined us again for a short flypast.
Before it disappeared over the hills.
The ornithological interest was continued by these Golden Plovers. These are not a bird we have seen before, but we won't forget them in the future. They seemed very curious about us and ran along the road like a cartoon bird.
Eishken Lodge and associated buildings, built by Mr Platt in about 1866.
This is probably the gamekeeper's house.
It was not possible to get into the Lodge or the grounds. You can hire it for exclusive use for up to £20000 a week. The lodge does sit by the sea shore and Mr Platt had bought a steam launch, the Puffin, to transport guests to those parts of the estate that could only be reached from the sea. That isn't part of the £20k deal, though.
On the way back we spotted a fairly faint rainbow.
It was back to the house then and the four of us headed down to Tarbert for the rest of the day.
Our first stop was a gallery, where Sharon and I couldn't decide between paintings. On the other hand Sandra and Chris could, and managed to get a bargain as well. The painting they wanted wasn't framed, but it could be, apparently by ordering online. On checking, that actually wasn't possible as the print was no longer available. In the end they phoned the artist, who said she would frame it and post it out to them at no extra cost!
After the gallery, it was the Essence of Harris shop, but we were beaten to that by a tour, so we headed for the Isle of Harris gin distillery instead!
A tour had just arrived there, so we went to the café for a cup of tea and a cake. Another scone for Sharon and me. Very good it was too!
We had a good look around the distillery shop and had a wee taste, although as Sharon and Sandra drink it by the bucketful, a taster was probably superfluous. They bought some more bucketsful just in case of any emergency!
Here they are looking happy with themselves! But...did they forget the gin? No! They had left it behind as there was too much to carry at one go!
Once we had finished looking and buying in Tarbert, we headed back to the house, where we had a bit of a picky platter from the fridge - cheese, smoked salmon, olives, dips and the like. All overlooking our own wee bit hill and glen.
Much of the cheese, chutney and port had come from my children, who had given it to me for Father's Day. Very good it was, too.
Day5 Wednesday 29th June 2022
Today, we were going to be meeting up for dinner at Uig Sands Restaurant, so we decided to have a free day apart. Sandra, Chris and Blue went walking and fishing along the Eishken road, while we went to Great Bernera.
As with Barvas, Chris caught some smallish trout. Nothing big enough to take home and feed the hungry masses with. Still, he did enjoy himself and that is the main thing about holidays.
👀Just in case you couldn't 👀 the fish, here is another chance.
Despite being blind, Blue though he might have a better chance of catching a big one!
Eventually, Blue and Sandra decided it would be a better idea to leave Chris on his own and they went for a bit of a walk.
Meanwhile, we were heading north and west to Great Bernera.
The natives were a little bit intimidating and we hadn't even got onto the island at this point!
Our goal was the beach at Bostadh, right at the north end. Bernera might be called great, but it is not terribly big, extending only to 8 square miles.
Once we escaped a traffic jam just after we got across the bridge onto the island, almost the first thing we saw when we got to the beach was this strange looking bell thing.
It was, indeed, a bell. It is the Time and Tide Bell and it was designed by Marcus Vergette, a sculptor and musician. As the tide and waves rise, they make the clapper in the bell ring. The sound changes depending on the force of the waves and the height of the tide. There are actually 12 of these installed around the British coast and the Bostadh one was the second to be put in place. As well as producing music, the bells are a reminder of global warming. Rising sea levels mean that the bells will eventually ring more often.
The beach itself is not huge, but it is very pretty.
There are nice rocks offshore, which add to the effect.
It wasn't busy either, so it did look a bit Caribbean!
It wasn't quite that warm, though.
It was very nice to walk along, with no sound except the sea and the birds and the occasional squeal of young children jumping in the waves.
As we moved a way from the beach into the dunes a tourist boat arrived for a look.
A Wheatear watching us watching it. These birds winter in Africa. Indeed some travel from Canada and Greenland to Africa, making them amongst some of the world's longest distance migrant birds. They are quite bonny as well.
The other reason for coming here was to visit this replica Iron Age or Pictish house.
It was long thought that there was settlement here as various artefacts kept on turning up on the beach. However, in 1992 a huge storm uncovered a small village of the remains of these houses. They date from 400 to 800 AD, so may well be Pictish in origin. They pre-date the Viking invasion of this part of Scotland.
This house is a reconstruction based on the evidence of those houses that were uncovered by the storm and then archaeologically investigated.
It is thought that the roof of the house was made of turf, so that the building could hardly be seen from the sea.
Inside was quite dark, with light only coming in through the chimney hole and a few other openings in the roof. The walls actually come up to ground level and only the roof structure is above that height. You have to go down steps to get in.
The guide was a local woman who had been doing the job for 20 years. She was really knowledgeable and quite funny in that understated west highland way. Having been in the house every day for 20 years she was able to put the archaeologists right on a number of things. For example, they didn't think there was a chimney hole. She said living inside would have been impossible without it as the smoke just sat in layers about head height. She also solved queries about the orientation of the fire - not ritual, but practical in terms of draught and keeping it lit! She was a real joy to listen to.
The archaeologists thought his room at the back was for women to work in. Our guide assured them that was not the case. It was too dark and cold, much more likely it was for food storage. The floor level was lower than the main room and the door and a tall threshold further in were designed to prevent cold air seeping back into the main room. This arrangement of two rooms gave the houses their name of jelly babies as they look a bit like a squashed figure of eight in plan form.
After we had found this all out, we left the house and started back up the dunes. Looking back, you could easily have been transported back 1600 years!
Walking back past the nearby graveyard, we spotted this unknown bird, which turns out to be a juvenile Wheatear.
Next stop was the community café at Breacleit for tea and some lovely lemon drizzle cake.
We were then going back to the bridge across the Atlantic to get onto Lewis and then home. Had we but known we could have made a slight detour to the birthplace of the world's tallest giant. Angus Macaskill was born on Bernera in 1825 and was the tallest and strongest man ever to have lived according to the Guinness book of records. He was a small baby and, indeed was thought unlikely to grow to adulthood. He had 10 brothers and sisters and they were all cleared from the family croft and emigrated to Cape Breton. Angus soon grew to be 7 foot 9 inches tall and to weigh over 30 stone. He was prodigiously strong and made a living touring with the world's smallest man, who could easily stand in the palm of his hand. He is said to have been able to lift a fully grown horse!
Anyway, we didn't know this and ended up at the bridge across the Atlantic, which we didn't stop at on the way over.
The bridge was one of the first pre-stressed concrete structures built in Europe. It was built in 1953 in response to the demands of the islanders who threatened to blow up a rock outcrop and form their own causeway. Depopulation was endemic here and all over the west at this time. In fact, it is thought that if the bridge was not built there would be nobody living on the island now. The concrete bridge was found to be incapable of carrying increasingly heavy vehicles and was replaced in 2021. You can, of course, have a picnic on the old bridge sitting over the Atlantic Ocean.
The mosses and lichens grow on the side away from the sea.
The old - about 1800 BC - and the new.
One of the stones looks a bit like an old woman hunched against the wind.
They may be old, but they are still pretty firm and can even take my weight.
Back across the Atlantic we went and headed for home to get ready for a nice meal (we hoped) at the Uig Sands restaurant.
This is supposed to be the best place to eat on the island. Given it was almost an hour's drive away, it had a lot to live up to.
Well, it did not disappoint at all. The restaurant was a sleek, modern, timber building set in the most astonishing landscape overlooking Uig sands.
Here are the sands. I was talking about the Bernera giant a little while ago. Well there is a giant associated with Uig sands as well, although this one is mythical. At this point, I should thank Bruce for mentioning the two giants to me. However, that would suggest that this is not all my own original work and we can't have that, can we?
Here we all are ready to go and eat.
Romantic, eh?
A rose between two thorns! Maybe?
You really couldn't stop taking photos.
We were given a seat by the window, which was very nice.
The specials board looked very promising.
Chris and I had a smoked salmon with a crab and apple salad, avocado and pistachios starter. Delightful and fresh.
Sharon had slow cooked lamb croquettes, home made haggis, pea salad and pickled shallots. I had a wee taste and and can confirm Sharon's view that this was so good.
Sandra had the potato and seaweed cake, samphire and poached egg with a hazelnut dressing. It apparently tasted as good as it looked and sounded.
Sharon's main was cod in a pine nut and herb crust, langoustine and crab risotto, celeriac and buttered greens. Another triumph.
Sandra and Chris both had the loin of venison, Dauphinoise potatoes, roast carrot, carrot puree and a port reduction. I was tempted, I have to say.
However, I could not resist the thought of tempura lobster, roasted garlic mayo, salad and chips. It was every bit as good as I had hoped.
It was too nice to go home, so we had pudding.
Again, Chris and Sandra had the same thing - rhubarb and vanilla parfait, stem ginger cream and oat crumble. It needed a bit more ginger, they said.
I had the chocolate cremeux with orange gel and chocolate brownie crumb and buttermilk ice cream. Fabulous.
Sharon had coconut and lime doughnuts, caramelised pineapple, popcorn, coconut sorbet and passion fruit puree. She really liked that.
Chris and I finished with a nice dram, in my case a 21 year old Glendronach.
What a splendid meal in an amazing venue with fabulous views. Perfect.
The sun was beginning to sink as we left, very happy indeed.
Sandra had been very gracious in driving us all home and she was rewarded with a bit of a sunset back at the house.
The perfect end to a really fine day.
Day6 Thursday 30th June 2022
We had a leisurely start to today. The plan was to drive south, so Blue got a good walk in the morning and we had a late-ish start south. First stop was the gin distillery at Tarbert. Sandra had another bottle to buy! On our first visit I had spoken a few words of Gaelic to the girl who had served us. She was great fun. She was disappointed that I had not come back into the shop the second time, so Sandra took her out to speak to me in the car park. That proved to be a little bit embarrassing for me to be honest as I could not follow her Gaelic, which was too fast for me to understand. Everyone enjoyed my discomfiture, but M M was very good to me and we all had a bit of fun.
Our first objective was to see the beach at Luskentyre, which is a real gem of the Hebrides. It is enormous and backed with a fabulous blue sea if the sun is shining, which it wasn't really.
You could see the beach from a long way off.
The size of the beach became apparent as we got up close.
The tide was well out, emphasising the extent of the sands.
The hills around the beach just underline the beauty of it all.
You also get a good view from further down the road, where the sea took on a bit more blue.
We even managed a selfie with the beach behind us.
By now it was getting towards lunch time. As luck would have it, we came upon Talla na Mara, which is a collection of modern accommodation units, shop units, gallery space and restaurant. Just what we needed, and we got a table by the window, which allowed us to watch a couple of otters playing in the waves while we ate.
Chris had fish and chips.
I had an open club sandwich, as did Sandra
Sharon had a halloumi burger.
We had a look at some artworks and bought some chocolate, before carrying on down south.
We didn't get too far before we managed another stop at a wee place called Northton for a look at a small community enterprise selling baking and other foods. We didn't buy anything.
There was a nice view over another beach from the car park.
Just outside Leverburgh, we happened across this little roadside mustard stall. Always game to try some more food, we pulled in.
There was a tiny kiosk, with lots of mustard and an honesty box.
There was also a covered counter and the lady of the house, who was German, ran out to serve us tasters of the mustard on little slices of bread. It was really very good and we bought a range of different mustards. There was a wide range - A sweet mustard, a wholegrain, a liquorice one, curry, chilli, garlic and pepper. They really were all good - even the liquorice one which didn't initially sound too promising.
There were no photos taken in Leverburgh, as it is a far from picturesque little village. It is not the original name of the place which is An t' Ob, which essentially means a bay or cove. The name Leverburgh comes from Viscount Leverhulme. He had been on a trip to the islands as a young man and later, when he got the chance, he bought the whole of the Island of Lewis for £167000 in 1918. He had made a fortune in soaps with his brother - Lever Brothers, which then became Unilever. He was convinced he could revitalise the fishing industry, but this all went pear shaped when demobilised servicemen started to occupy land in the islands. They had been promised homes for heroes and when they weren't forthcoming, they began to occupy sporting estates and sheep farms that had once been the homes of their forebears.
Leverhulme then bought South Harris for a mere £36000 and this included An t' Ob, which he thought would make a fine fishing port. He could sell the fish through his network of fishmongers shops called MacFisheries. He persuaded the locals to rename the village Leverburgh, but the enterprise failed. Leverhulme died in 1924. The family and the board of Lever Brothers had no interest in his project and the village and production facilities were sold for £5000 and the rest of the estate went for £300!
We carried on south to Rodel. The attraction at Rodel is the late 15th, early 16th century church of St. Clement. This is hugely important as a burial site for the chiefs of the clan McLeod. It was an important church until 1560 and the Reformation. However, by the 19th century it was being used as cow byre! It has been repaired a few times and is now under the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
From Rodel the only way is north. You can go back the way we came, or use the single track road through some stark, rocky landscapes that really have to be seen to be believed. It is completely different from the soft beaches we had seen earlier on the day. The closing in clouds added to the more desolate feel to things.
It really is rock and loch.
There are some small hamlets and some have residents with a bit of a sense of humour.
Before too long we were home and later we were treated to another fine sunset.
The end of another long, but satisfying day.
Day7 Friday 1st July 2022
Friday was a do what you want day.
I wanted to stay and sort through all my photos, which is what I did. However, I didn't take any photos of that. A blessing, I think you'll agree.
Chris went fishing in a small lochan at the back of the houses at Balallan. He says he caught some small trout, but he didn't get any big enough to eat. We have no physical evidence or photos of that. I'm sure it is true, though.
Sharon and Sandra took Blue for a long walk at Aird a' Mhulaidh. They took pictures, so we will concentrate on them.
They had a bit of a hike uphill through land that was first planted in 2000 as part of the Millenium Forest programme. Their reward for that was this view.
There is an observatory building, which was constructed in 2020. It has 270 degree views over the landscape. Sandra was acting as gatekeeper.
The woodland here comprises birch, rowan, alder, willow, holly and juniper. These native trees provide cover and food for a wide variety of animals. The open ground gives space for red grouse, mountain hare and myriad small birds. These, in turn, provide dinner for eagles, which live all around here on some of the best eagle country in Europe.
Sharon at the top of the hill, about 600 feet up.
Just in cased you were worried, Sandra got ot the top as well.
The siting of this shed has a poignant tale behind it.
In April 2016, the crab boat Louisa sank when her hold filled with water. The life raft failed to inflate and three of the four crew drowned. One of these was Paul Alliston, the skipper. He had planned to build this shed in his garden. His family gifted the shed to the Trust, which erected it in this peaceful and tranquil spot.
A nice thing to remember the walk by. Sharon and Sandra came back to the house and we all had a bite of lunch. After that we all went for a drive down the road to Eishken for the last time on this trip.
Near the end of the road, we spotted this hind enjoying the grass. She was a little skittish, but not in a hurry to get away.
There was another one further back towards the main road.
Heading back we reach the head of Loch Seaforth.
There appears to be a wall across the inlet of the River Seaforth into the loch. A bit of research confirms this was a fish trap or a lobster store. Either of these possibilities seem to have been related to a number of other structures on the far bank of the loch, which are thought to have been part of a wider fish processing operation. The date is unknown, so it could be very old.
There were plenty of yellow flag or iris at the edge of the road. This can often form huge colonies, which are important habitats for the very rare corncrake. It is one of only two irises that are native to Britain.
Another plant that, similar to the iris, likes the damp, is Bog Asphodel. The latin name translates as bone-breaker. This is from the belief that cattle which grazed on it developed brittle bones. In fact, it was the calcium poor soils and vegetation that were the cause of that.
Cottongrass also likes the damp and this sedge is a very common sight across peat bogs and damp areas throughout the Highlands. The white seed heads were used to treat wounds during the first world war.
Sharon looking down the loch.
Checking for eagles!
Just along the road are the remains of a house. It turns out that this was a schoolhouse. It was attached to an older blackhouse. It is not clear if the blackhouse had also been used as a schoolhouse, or whether it was the accommodation for the teacher. It looks like this was a Gaelic school and it had been provided by the Gaelic Society of Edinburgh. These schools had no set hours and were provided to sustain and extend Gaelic speaking, so were open to adults as well as children. This school is thought to have been built in 1831 with 35 pupils.
In fact, there is evidence of a number of houses along the same contour line of the school all along the road side, so there was at one time a reasonable population here.
I guess this was once the teacher's bed!
The school clearly had a bit of heating on in the winter.
This is the remains of the blackhouse attached to the school. The gable is actually inserted into the structure, hence it looks a bit newer. This had the effect of cutting the blackhouse shorter and it marks the join with the schoolhouse.
After that school lesson, we headed home. Remarkably, we saw an eagle being mobbed by gulls as we got out of the car in the drive!
Sandra and Chris went out to get pizza for our last dinner of the holiday. Whilst they were away there was half a rainbow to be seen from the living room.
While we were watching the rainbow, Sandra and Chris, were buying pizza in torrential rain!
The pizza came from Crust. This was a pizza shop in the form of a shipping container in the absolute middle of nowhere. Not promising, but the reviews were exceptional.
Here is drookit Sandra up getting the pizza we had ordered online over breakfast.
The reviews must have been right as the pizzas were sold out!
Day8 Saturday 2nd July 2022
Our last morning on the island and it was a wet one.
A bedraggled little baby pipit appeared on the desk to say goodbye. I did, at Sharon's behest, go out to try and move it under a chair, or somehow protect it from whatever might want to eat it. However, it flew away!
Next stop was Stornoway. We had a big breakfast in the grounds of Lews Castle, then we went for a walk about.
Lews Castle is a huge Victorian pile, built for Sir James Matheson between 1844 and 1851. He had made a huge fortune from the Chinese Opium Trade. In fact, he had made so much money that he had bought the whole island of Lewis a few years previously.
In 1918, it was bought by Lord Leverhulme and he gifted it to the people of Stornoway parish in 1923. It was used during the Second World War by the Navy who operated flying boats from Cuddy Point nearby. It became accommodation for students in the 1950's. It then lay derelict for decades after, but has been refurbished as a cultural centre and museum along with private holiday apartments.
Looking away from the castle, you get a view across Stornoway harbour.
This is one of two wee boats being rowed across the harbour to Cuddy Point.
The boats were being tied up at the slip when we got there. The two oarsmen told us a bit about them, They are known as sgoth niseach - Ness skiffs.
These are line fishing boats built at Ness in the north of Lewis. They are broadly similar to other small fishing boats built around the coast of Britain and some parts of continental Europe. They operate a dipping lug sailing rig. In a sgoth the yard arm is longer than the mast and the whole sailing rig can fit inside the boat as the mast is lowered when the fishing lines are out. The boats are launched from the beach and they have been designed with a flatter keel at the stern to surf back up the beach when being landed. They were also loaded with stones for ballast and the stones were thrown overboard as the catch started to fill the boat. They are handsome boats I have to say.
We still had plenty of time before lunch and then the ferry, so we went up to visit the Iolaire monument. This commemorates the loss of over 200 men after the end of the First World War in the most tragic of circumstances.
There is a new memorial and a little interpretive trail.
The Iolaire - meaning the Eagle - was an Admiralty yacht chartered to take hundreds of sailors back to the islands after the end of the war. There is some doubt over how many people were on board at the time. The boat is thought to have been overcrowded and not everyone was accounted for. On the 1st January 1919, the boat foundered as it approached Stornoway harbour. It was only yards for the shore, so those on board will have seen the lights of the town. Of the supposed 280 on board only 79 survived. The loss of so many young men almost wiped out a whole generation from the small population of the islands. It was the worst maritime disaster in UK waters and an arguably bigger disaster for the islands. By the time of the Armistice 1100 men from Harris and Lewis had died in the war - the biggest proportionate losses in the country. This loss made that so much worse.
The tall spike in the photo marks the spot where the ship sank.
Of those that survived a good number did so due to the efforts of John Finlay Macleod of Ness who dragged a heaving line ashore, allowing other survivors to pull themselves to safety.
This picture shows John Finlay, I think on the left, at the memorial site sometime after the granite memorial was erected in 1960. Before that a cairn had been built using stones from the home villages of those who had perished.
A new memorial was commissioned in 2017 and unveiled on 1st January 2019 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the disaster.
It comprises a Bronze wreath and a coiled bronze rope to signify the heaving line used to save so many of the survivors.
The names and home areas of each of the dead was recorded in a third bronze plaque set in island stone and Caithness slab.
All 3 memorials can be seen in this photo.
A poignant place indeed.
The crossing went almost without incident. Luckily we were forewarned that the Coastguard was going to carry out an exercise and bring a helicopter alongside the ferry.
It was a pretty spectacular way to end a pretty spectacular holiday.
Not too much longer after all of that we were home to old clothes and porridge!
Another masterpiece Bob, you've clearly done a lot of research which Chris and I have both enjoyed. A great summary of a fantastic holiday. Many thanks xx
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