As we travelled up the West Coast of Scotland the sea began to get a little rougher and through the early hours of the night caused much creaking and banging in our stateroom. As we had booked a trip for today it meant we had an early start so we wearily emerged from our cabin at 7.30 am to catch the tender boat to the shore.
Stornoway is a small town with a population of around 6000, so the arrival of a cruise ship containing some 4500 passengers and crew makes quite an impact. The coach took us quickly from the town and out into the surrounding countryside. This was very reminiscent of West Ireland, with its peat bogs slowly leading into a more rugged rocky landscape. The first stop was the Arnol Blackhouse, a traditional island crofters house made from stone with a thatched roof.
The houses provided shelter not only for the crofters but also for their animals who shared the accommodation, which were heated by an open peat fire in the centre. Although numerous ruins of blackhouses can be seen around the island this particular one has been preserved as it was in the late 1960s. The name Blackhouse was given to the dwelling due to the discolouration of the thatch by the peat smoke as there were no chimneys.
The coach then took us across to the west of the island passing salmon farms and Harris Tweed factories on the way to the Callanish standing stones. Consisting of thirteen stones around a central monolith in the shape of a cross, the stones date to around 3000 BC so have no Christian basis. The exact meaning and significance has yet to be discovered.
The area was particularly busy today as in addition to the visitors from the ship several camper vans of New Age travellers celebrating the Summer Solstice were also present.
The landscape in the area, with the lakes giving away to the mountains in the distance, was absolutely stunning and I’m not sure that the photos will do them justice.
The circular tour of the island ended back in Stornoway which gave us a chance to walk around the town, buy a few souvenirs and visit Lews Castle and its grounds. Similar to Margam Castle near home, this house was built in the late 1800s by the local landowner, James Matheson, and like Margam lies in a state of disrepair.
Todays visit to the Outer Hebrides has been very enjoyable with stunning scenery and fascinating history. Unfortunately our departure from the port was somewhat delayed as we had snagged some lobster pots with the anchor and needed to get disentangled.
Tonight we are eating at the Indian restaurant onboard with Win and Jim, with a sea day tomorrow we will have plenty of time to recover. Tomorrow's blog will feature photos of food!!!
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