First of two posts about travel around the Western Isles of Scotland,
drawn mainly from a trip taken back in July of 2007.
The Hebrides can nearly be considered a magical realm of their own, as indicated by the famous line of poetry which serves as my title.
Whether you're considering the neolithic monuments of Lewis...,
... the stern, rocky shores of Harris...,
... or the flower-strewn grasslands of Barra and its partner Vatersay...,
... the Hebrides have a special magic all their own, and it's a unique ambience especially in the Outer Hebrides, the chain which faces the open Atlantic Ocean at Scotland's northwestern corner.
It always surprises me that the Orkneys and Shetlands draw so many visitors from Canada, yet few ever seem to wander out to the Western Isles -- with the exception of the perennially popular Isle of Skye. If any country can lay claim to producing the most visitors to these islands, it would likely be Germany, whose inhabitants love the numerous hiking opportunities which the Hebrides present.
In this blog post, I'm merging together memories of two different trips around the chain of the Outer Hebrides (pronounced "He--bri--dees," by the way), one in the early 1990s and the other in 2007. The photos are all drawn from the 2007 trip, apart from a few internet downloads to fill in the gaps.
Source Map Attribution: ttps://freevectormaps.com/united-kingdom/scotland/GB-SC-EPS-01-0001?ref=atr
When it comes to driving to the Outer Hebrides, the "Road to the Isles" is laconically referred to as "Calmac." The name, a modern shortened form of "Caledonian MacBrayne," is the brand identity of the shipping operator which holds the franchise for ferry services to, from, and within the Hebrides. Being familiar with the schedules and policies of Calmac is an essential aspect of car travel in this part of the world. Here is a link to their website, with all the information you need to know about schedules, fares, reservations, check-in times, and what to expect once you're on board the ship:
Calmac Ferries
In addition to the main routes shown on this map, there are also Calmac routes from the ferry port at Uig on the Isle of Skye to Harris and North Uist, and from Mallaig on the mainland east of Skye to South Uist.
It's a personal preference of mine to begin with Lewis, the northernmost of the major islands. A good modern highway, the A835, leads from the city of Inverness (a beauty in its own right) to the ferry port at Ullapool. The MV Loch Seaforth, Calmac's largest vessel, sails on the 2.5 hour voyage to Stornoway twice per day, but always home-porting in Stornoway overnight.
Before you get to Ullapool, though, there is one not-to-miss sight just a short distance off the main road by turning left onto the A832 -- the Corrieshalloch Gorge and Falls of Measach on the River Droma. This is a National Trust for Scotland property, and there is a parking charge, as well as a cafe and toilets. I have to completely agree with the online reviewer who said that the sheer drama of this place is hard to capture with a camera -- you have to see it in person. But I did my best with the camera anyway.
Cross the gorge by the falls on a suspension bridge (which is where I took these pictures, looking almost straight down!) and continue to the end of the trail (it's a short walk), and you will see this spectacular view down the valley towards Loch Broom and Ullapool. To clarify, a "loch" in Scotland may be a freshwater lake such as Loch Lomond. However, the term is equally used to refer to an enclosed stretch of the ocean, such as Loch Broom.
No doubt, you noticed the clouds and fog looming around about. Expecting adverse weather and coming prepared for it is another essential travel skill in Scotland. But, as the Scots themselves will say, "if you don't like the weather in Scotland, wait ten minutes" -- and this also was often true on our travels.
By the way, if you have several days to spare, it's well worth your while to drive northeast from Inverness along the coast, and go on a circle tour all around the north and northwest coasts of Scotland, one of the wildest and most remote areas I've ever seen -- and one of the most hauntingly beautiful. Sadly, we got hit with two solid days of drenching rains on that leg of the trip.
Ullapool is a busy fishing port on a small point jutting out from the north shore of Loch Broom. Here's a view on the road approaching from the north (coming in from that extended coastal tour).
If you are staying overnight for the morning sailing, or for a longer exploration of the area, Ullapool offers a wide range of B&Bs, hotels, and campsites for you. Reservations made well in advance, are essential -- not just for the accommodations, but simply to get on board the ship, and this includes foot and bicycle passengers as well as cars and their occupants. The main sea routes to and from the Outer Hebrides all require reservations, and all are routinely sold out.
In the morning, you can watch the ship sailing into the harbour, and doing a neat turn before sliding up to the pier.
The above photo shows the ship which was in use in 2007, the MV Isle of Lewis. The current vessel, the larger and much faster MV Loch Seaforth is shown in this internet photo from 2016, approaching Stornoway Harbour.
Photo Credit: Mn28
Photo Credit: Mn28By the time the ship arrives, you should already be checked in and your vehicle parked in the holding area. Due to the well-filled waterfront space, the holding area for boarding is in a parking lot across the street from the pier, enclosed by whitewashed houses.
Once on board the ship, you'll find a cafeteria, a cafe, a bar, and several seating lounges. But you really should head for the outside decks on the starboard (right) side for some amazing views of the coastal mountains north of Ullapool: Ben More Coigach...
... and the unmistakable brooding profile of Suilven, resembling a fossil of some ancient beast crouching upon the landscape.
The predecessor ferry on which I crossed back in the 1990s was named after this mountain, MV Suilven, a point which was explained on that ship's P.A. system during the welcome-aboard message. The crossing on the Suilven took an hour longer than today's Loch Seaforth, with about 60 percent of the newer ship's car capacity, while burning notably more fuel.
Altogether, I've crossed the Minch (the body of water separating the Outer Hebrides from the mainland) four times. It's always been a placid trip in summertime, but can certainly get rough under the right (or wrong) conditions. It's a good idea to travel prepared, just in case.
As the ferry approaches the harbour at Stornoway, it's impossible to miss the Victorian grandeur of Lews Castle, on a hill overlooking the port. This mansion was built by Sir James Matheson in the 1840s, and later owned for a short time by Lord Leverhulme, the founder of the worldwide Lever Brothers empire, now called Unilever -- which began as an offshoot of his father's grocery store in Bolton, near Manchester in central England. Talk about mighty oaks growing from acorns. After serving for a time as student housing for the university college which still operates on the property, the building sat empty and derelict for many years. The castle now houses a museum and cultural centre, and some luxury apartments have been created on the upper floors.
Stornoway today has a population of 7,000 people. As the major economic centre and the location of the regional government, the Council of the Western Isles, Stornoway in some ways resembles Charlottetown in Canada -- a small town with many of the amenities and facilities of a major city. Once again, there's a good assortment of hotels and B&Bs in and around town. I'd been hoping to give a shout-out to the incredible B&B in which we stayed in 2007, but alas, it appears to be no longer in operation.
There are two cultural features of the Western Isles which all visitors should note. The first is the proliferation of road direction signs in Scots Gaelic and English. Great strides have been made in recent decades to revive Gaelic as a daily use language, when it was seen to be in danger of dying out, and the road signs give proof of those efforts. It's helpful to a visitor to try to find out in advance the Gaelic name and spelling of the place(s) you wish to visit by car, as some local and informal signs may dispense with the English wording -- or it may be blocked by a random cow or sheep. Commonly in the islands, the English is in smaller type. Here, a Highland cow welcomes you from Harris into Lewis (see below).
Ken Craig photo
What you also see here is the ubiquitous "single track road" found in so many parts of the Highlands and Islands region. It's no expressway! In the background, you can see a widening of the road with a white diamond sign next to it. This is called a "passing point." The next passing point will be visible from that spot. If there is another vehicle approaching from that further passing point, you pull over at the white diamond and wait. Easy as pie. It's also a customary courtesy to exchange a little "thank you" wave with the driver of the oncoming vehicle as you pass. But it does lead to a lot more stop and go than we North Americans expect from a highway out in open country.
The second cultural feature is the question of religion. The northern parts of the Outer Hebrides -- Lewis, Harris, and North Uist -- are among the most fiercely Protestant communities in all of Scotland. Farther south, and especially in South Uist and Barra, Roman Catholicism predominates. If you've ever heard the famous Skye Boat Song, you may recall that it narrates an especially famous episode of Scottish history with strong religious overtones. At the collapse of his 1745 Uprising to try to regain the throne of England and Scotland, Prince Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") escaped from the mainland to the Outer Hebrides, where he travelled back and forth, repeatedly eluding capture. Eventually, his escape from South Uist to Skye was facilitated by Flora Macdonald, and he reputedly sailed with her in an open boat, disguised as her maid, "Betty Burke."
Where did religion enter into it all? Simply that Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Stuart ancestors were Catholics, while the reigning Hanoverian monarchs of England and Scotland were Protestants. Many (not all) supporters of the 1745 Uprising changed loyalties for religious reasons.
The most notable religious aspect of life in Lewis and Harris is the shutdown of many public functions, shops, and the like, on Sundays. Many people, especially among the older residents, will refuse to drive or ride on the Sabbath day, instead walking. When I first visited Stornoway in the 1990s, I was forced by the intermittent ferry schedules of that day to include Sunday in my time there. Walking was all I did.
Today, there are some economic activities that take place on Sundays, but not nearly as many as on all other days of the week. The strict Sabbatarians fought a last-ditch battle to try to prevent the extension of ferry services to the mainland on Sundays, but lost in the courts, which held that such restrictions violated the equal rights of those who did not share their religious beliefs. Now, the ferries and the airline flights from the islands operate seven days a week. This happened less than ten years ago!
In fact, though, the dam had already cracked when I first travelled there three decades ago. The County Hotel, where I stayed on that trip, was of course allowed and obligated to offer meals in its restaurant on Sunday to guests of the hotel, who had no other recourse. But after 5:00 PM the hotel placed a small, unobtrusive sign outside the door on Francis Street, indicating that the lounge bar was open for "casuals," an old British term for walk-in clients in a hotel (as opposed to "residents"). That began in 1992, and undoubtedly caused a good deal of indignation and outrage at the time! The hotel still looks much the same on the outside today.
Internet photo.
For the other key evidence, keep your eyes open as you tour the rest of the island, outside of Stornoway itself. As you pass a church, take a good look. If it has a belfry with no bell, and clear glass windows which let you look right through the building and out the other side, you know it's a representative of the "Free Kirk of Scotland." These are the most rigid, doctrinaire observers of the Sabbath to be found in the entire country. The Free Kirk at Barvas in the northern part of Lewis gives you the idea.
Internet photo
Stornoway itself has some attractive public buildings apart from Lews Castle, the Town Hall being a prime example.
Over on the west side of the island are two outstanding Neolithic sites. One is the hilltop stone circle known as the Callanish Standing Stones.
The other is the partially crumbled but still impressive double walled round tower known as the Dun Carloway Broch. Note that the intricate masonry is entirely dry-stone construction with no mortar of any kind used. This style of construction was widely used through the Highlands and Islands back in the pre-Christian era. Sites like this bring you face to face with the reason why this age of human technological advancement is referred to as the Stone Age.
In both cases, these Neolithic constructions were raised on some of the very few hills in Lewis. In fact, most of Lewis is relatively level with only gently rolling slopes. What's under that level surface? Mile upon mile of peat bogs is what. In an environment with precious few trees (all the greenery around Lews Castle was mostly planted by Sir James Matheson's gardeners), peat bogs provided a natural source of fuel for warmth. The cutting and stacking of the peats for drying was a traditional summer-time occupation of landholders in all of the Hebrides, Orkneys, and Shetlands, as well as many adjacent mainland areas. Here is a photo of a peat cutting site with a little modern assistance -- plastic bags to protect the peat slabs during shipment to customers in other areas. Many Scots in the Highlands and Islands rely to this day on their peat fires for warmth.
The hilly, stony backdrop shows that this photo in fact was taken in Harris. Despite the different name, this rocky, mountainous region is physically part of the same island as Lewis -- but by long tradition was a separate entity in name, in law, and in practice. More on Harris will be forthcoming in the next post.
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