Hebridean Journal April 2014: Part 4 - Harris and Lewis

For our final full day we headed north and took the ferry from Berensay to Leverhulme on Harris/Lewis.  Ideal sailing conditions with a very calm sea and crystal clear weather - again.  A few photographs to give you a flavour of the day.  And that was it for the Outer Hebrides. Where do we go in 2015?

Why do seals always seem to come in pairs around here? They are of the Atlantic Grey variety.



The Hanging Tyres of Leverhulme. Not one of the wonders of the world but nonetheless some interesting verticals.

The Standing Stones of Callanish on Lewis. The main monument is amazing – a cross-shaped setting of stones, centred on a circle of tall stones. At its heart stands a solitary monolith 15 foot high. Lines of smaller stones radiate from the circle to east, west and south. From the north runs an avenue several hundred yards long, formed by two lines of stones that narrow as they approach the circle. And if that's not enough, there's a chambered tomb in the middle. But there's more: there are many other ritual sites lie within a couple of miles. These are mainly more modest rings of standing stones, or single monoliths. Collectively, they form a very impressive site.

The best evidence shows that the main circle was erected 4,500–5,000 years ago, the central chambered tomb a few generations after that, followed by the radiating avenues.  Why did our Stone-Age ancestors build Callanish? The current theory is that it served as a kind of astronomical observatory but, truth be told, no-one really knows. What is clear is that this area had a great significance to those who built the circles.

As well as the overall grandeur of the stones, each one merits closer inspection. Rather than being uniform, their surfaces are a mass of whorls, striations and crystalline inclusions. Apparently this is due to them being of Lewisian Gneiss. Gneiss one! You've guessed - I'm not a geologist. Oh dear, I just can't resist it - gneiss to see you, to see you gneiss.

Is this the only cave in the Hebrides that does not claim to be a hiding place of Bonnie Prince Charlie? I think the local tourist office is missing a trick.

Just down the road from the Callanish Stones was the Broch of Carloway. On Shetland last year we visited the best preserved broch on Mousa (see here) and this one was almost a cut-away version of that one. If they were side-by-side, one would complement the other very well. It's thought this broch is about half the age of the Standing Stones and it is well documented that it was occupied, as a dwelling, until around 1870.

A question we asked ourselves many times as we drove around the Islands.
For those unfamiliar with the history of the Western Isles, can you explain why there are so many derelict houses in the islands? There are several reasons, the principal of which would definitely be depopulation of the Outer Hebrides throughout the whole of the 20th century, primarily on account of the lack of economic opportunities. Young people would leave the isles for the mainland, either for work or further education. Many simply did not return. Fathers and mothers would pass on, leaving their crofts to a younger generation who had no desire to live the lives of relative hardship borne by their parents. There is also the topographical truth that many of these houses predate the existence of the road systems in the islands. The homes were originally built near the water’s edge since the main mode of transport would have been by boat. As the roads were built, many of the properties found themselves some distance away, making them unsuitable for the younger generations to stay in after being left the house by their parents. It was often easier, and sometimes more cost effective, to create a new build by the road on the same croft rather than update an older house and create new road access.

Another question we asked was "why is there so much rusty junk littering the place?". We didn't get an answer but think it's due to a combination of it not being easy to get rid of  and retention just in case some parts can be recycled. Whatever the reason, it doesn't look good in an area heavily dependent on tourism.

Although formally known as the Isle of Harris and the Isle of Lewis, neither are actually islands. They are contiguous land masses, separated in part by a rather insignificant stream. Come on, admit it, you didn't know that either.

Looking down the road in South Harris to the sea in the distance.

The terrain in Harris is rocky and mountainous whereas that in Lewis is more rolling and agricultural.

If you want beaches, make a beeline for Harris. Miles and miles of white sands - and usually completely deserted.

 

And we sail off into the setting sun on our last day in the Outer Hebrides. We will be back.