June 26, 2013 Tour of Stornoway, the Callanish Standing Stones and Lewis Island

After a night in our B&B we began the tour of Lewis Island. Lewis is an island of barren landscape. About 1500 years ago there was a volcanic eruption in Iceland and Lewis Island, being the next thing in the track of the wind carrying the volcanic ash was covered in ash and the ash cloud blocked out the sun for so long that all the trees and bushes were killed. What was left behind was peat bogs and tundra.

Memorial to the Lewis Island fishermen lost at sea.

Typical basic housing on the island.

Below are many of the natural lakes that are formed by the rolling terrain.

We arrive at the Callanish Standing Stones. These stones predate Stonehenge and their use is just as much a mystery. They also predate the Druids, so there appears to be no religious context. They appear to have been some sort of meeting or gathering place, but little else is known.

 

 

Some of the stones appear to form a cross like compass points. I checked the compass on my watch and the stones were eerily close to accurate on the north/south alignment. Who knows? They are located on the far west coast of Lewis Island with nothing between stones and Iceland but the Atlantic Ocean. They are not as shaped as the stones at Stonehenge. Totally fascinating!!!!

Hard to see in the photos below, but there are also standing stones on other hilltops in the distance, but not as many as the ones at Callanish. Did they mark a territory, a trail, a meeting point? Who knows.

Baby Pigs – So cute. Elaine had to photograph the baby pigs on the pig farm near Callanish.

Doune Broch Castle. Another mysterious castle ruin. Who built it and why here on the far shore of Lewis Island. Since it was built before the volcanic eruption that turned Lewis Island into peat bogs and tundra, maybe the place had a completely different look at the time.

 

 

Below, our tour group climbing on the ruins of Doune Broch Castle.

Black faced mohair goats predominate in this area.

Gearrannan Blackhouse Village. This is a typical crofter village where the famous Harris Tweed of Scotland is woven. The weavers who live in these villages have special rights under the law against dispossession. The villages are almost like a commune of weavers where everything is shared. Blackhouses get their name from the dark volcanic stone and the thatched roofs.

We got a talk on village life and the process of weaving Harris Tweed. If I were still working I think I would have spent a months salary or more on this finely woven tweed clothing. Sport coats, vests, hats, jackets, ladies suits, handbags, etc. None of the natural oils are removed from the wool so all the garments are very water repellant.

Fireplace in the house.  The warm peat fire. Peat is hundreds of years of vegetation that gets compacted by the weight of new years peat growing on top. It is dug out of bogs (it grows where the land is very swampy) and cut into blocks. It is then allowed to dry for a year much like allowing green wood to dry out before it is burned. The next winter it is burned in the fireplaces and puts out a lot of warming heat.

The inside of a typical crofter’s house. The walls of these huts are very thick, about 4 feet, to keep out the harsh winter chill.

Harris Tweed is still woven by hand although the looms today are a lot more efficient.

Above, you can see how close the ocean is at the end of the street. That is the Atlantic Ocean: next stop, Iceland!!!!

Rocks and rope hold the thatch in place on top of the roofs of the homes.

Edward holding a chuck of the dried peat that will be burned next winter. We were told that this is a typical amount used for the winter. 

Below, the old grist mill at a Viking site.

Point Ness, the most northerly point on Lewis Island.

Above, an ocean inlet similar to a fiord and a whale jaw bone and harpoon from the ancient days of whaling that once supported the island.

Elaine searching for Puffins. Lots of terns, but, alas, no Puffins spotted. Below, the cliffs of Point Ness and the lighthouse.

Pictures of the seabirds nesting hoping one contains a Puffin.

The signs on Lewis Island are all in Gaelic first and English second.  This can be confusing when looking for a street name, etc.  Most of the people on Lewis Island speak Gaelic and most know English but whether you can understand their English is questionable.

A very nice proper sand beach on the Atlantic shore.  Nice sand.

Above, the sand dune restoration on the north Atlantic at the Europie Dunes Park. The restoration is being funded by the European Union.

Below, more evidence of the great tides in the area. When the tide is out, this anchorage is dry and boats sit on the sand. When the tide comes in, it enters this harbor all the way to the seawall.

The bus driver must be related to Elaine since he parked next to the “No Parking” sign. But, in Elaine’s words, “It does not say ‘absolutely’ No Parking!”

“Road to No Where”: This road was built north out of Stornoway with the intent of connecting it to Point Ness. But, a few miles north of Stornoway, it simply ends at a beach! It was determined that there was not sufficient to traffic demand to complete the road. You can hike the remaining 8 miles to the Point Ness lighthouse.

Above, Elaine is standing on the end of the pavement just above the beach. A gravel road completes the road to the beach.

Cliffs overlooking the beach at the end of the “Road to Nowhere.”

Cemetery on the roadside going back to Stornoway.

Below, a war memorial to the men of Stornoway who died during World Wars I and II.

Our group dinner at the local Thai café in Stornoway.