A short flight from Edinburgh landed us in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis and Harris. We had spent a week there two years ago and couldn’t wait to get back. And now, at long last, we were there! And this time it would be for a little over two weeks!
The Isle of Lewis and Harris is the largest island in the Outer Hebrides , lying about 24 miles off the northwest coast of Scotland. It is also the largest island in Scotland and the third largest island in the British Isles (after Great Britain and Ireland). Just to complicate matters, you will often hear reference to the Isle of Lewis and the Isle of Harris, making it sound like they are two separate islands. In fact, they are merely different regions of the same island. The larger Lewis occupies roughly two thirds of the island in the north while Harris lies to the south. The two areas are essentially separated by a mountain range with Harris being more rugged and mountainous and Lewis tending to be flatter.
The largest town on the island is Stornoway. It has a very beautiful harbor, especially when viewed from the grounds of Lews Castle.
Equally beautiful are the grounds around Lews Castle. The castle was built in the early 1850’s by Sir James Matheson following his purchase of Lewis in 1844. In 1918, one of the Lever Brothers, Lord Leverhulme (William Hesketh Lever) purchased the Isle of Lewis and made a number of improvements to Lews Castle. When he left the island in 1824 he gifted Lews Castle and surrounding lands to the people of Stornoway Parish. The castle has been in community hands ever since. It has variously served as a naval hospital during WWII, a residential technical school, a college, and most recently combination museum and temporary accommodation.
At the north end of Lewis is the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse and the nearby Port of Ness. The Butt provides some dramatic views and cliffs.
The Island of Lewis and Harris is know for some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere. While water temperatures may not be the same, many would rival Caribbean beaches in their beauty. The first such beach we visited was Huisinis Beach on Harris. I will highlight some of the other beaches in a future post.
During our first visit to Lewis and Harris two years ago, we visited many of the well-know tourist locations. While we went back to some of those on this trip, we also enjoyed just driving around, enjoying the incredible landscapes that abound on this island. Several days during our first week were spent just driving down random one-lane roads in the area south and east of Stornoway. On these days we had no particular destination. We would just pick a road, drive down it until we hit an intersection, randomly pick a turn and carry on. It was a lot of fun and the scenery did not disappoint. (As with any of the galleries in my posts, just click on an image for a larger-sized version.)
Stay tuned for Part 2.
Wind At Your Back 
Leave a comment