Continuing on from Arran, we also visited the Isle of Skye, and the largest island in the Outer Hebrides the Isle of Lewis and the Isle of Harris (both are actually the same island. Confusing.) What I really enjoyed about these islands was their remoteness, and the ruggedness of the landscape. The hills are more mountain scale rising up from the sea, and green pastures are scattered with rocks and heather. I found it amazing that despite the remoteness, ruggedness of the landscape, and the biting wind, every inch of the landscape has been inhabited for thousands and thousands of years.
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| Dunvegan Castle. This castle belongs to Clan MacLeod, and the current Laird still lives here. The gardens are fantastic, mostly planted in the last 200 years, there's a formal walled and circular gardens, woodland area and lawns banking down to the sea. |
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| Dun Baeg Broch. There are loads of brochs scattered around the UK, this one is near Stuan on the west coast of Skye. Brochs are iron age fortified dwellings that were multi-storey, cylindrical structures. Their internal design is debated, but there was probably timber floors at each storey, livestock kept downstairs and people living communally on upper floors. |
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| Hillside opposite Uig. This hillside quite clearly shows the crofting system of land division. I'm not too sure of the history of crofting, but I think the form of tenure was put in place after or during the clearances, as a way of controlling the livelihoods of small land owners or tenants - people were given the choice of moving to a croft (usually large enough to be self sufficient but not to make any kind of profit off) or leaving. The vertical stripping of the crofts means that each crofter had a fair share of good and bad land, and access to the sea and seaweed. |
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| The Fairy Glen. Its the isle in miniature, with baby hills, stunted trees and little brooks. It's a lovely place where sheep look like giants, and hill walking is a breeze. |
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| Remains of a stone wall in the Fairy Glen |
We took the ferry from Uig to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris.
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| Luskentyre on the west coast, the sand is bright white and the water is so clear. |
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| Inland mountains of north Harris |
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| The Dun Carloway broch on Lewis, it's one of the more complete ones. |
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| Stone stairs in the walls of the broch |
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| Old blackhouse footings on linear crofts |
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| The blackhouse village at Gearrannan. These were the traditional style of house on the islands, some still being used in the 1960's. The construction is solid, and well insulated with earth between the walls, and layers of turf and thatch on the roof. |
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| Callanish standing stones, which I think are the biggest in the UK outside of Stonehenge??? |
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| Lewis chessmen (the queen) flanking the entry to the woodland centre at Stornoway |
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| And the king |
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| Willow sculpture in the grounds of Stornoway Castle |
Next post will be back to the mainland.
