The highlights of our journey to Caledonia were the Isle of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides for me and probably the Falkirk Wheel for Jim. The first was magical for its natural scenery and fascinating history and mythology and the second for the technology and beauty of the device. Driving on back roads through the Northern Highlands was also a great experience.

We took two days mostly on the motorways to travel north to Ullapool then took the car ferry to the Isle of Lewis and Harris.

We stayed one night at Perth airport in an AirBnB.  Jim had fun watching the small planes taking off and landing at very close quarters. The accommodation was fine but reminded me far too much of a school camp.

We walked around the streets and gardens of Perth to stretch our legs after a long day in the car.

The high point of the trip north was the Snow Roads Scenic Route on our way from Perth to Ullapool. It is a 90 mile journey through the eastern Cairngorms on the highest public road in Britain. We didn’t have much time to stop and explore this wild and beautiful highland countryside but it was well worth the detour.

We even drove past Balmoral where the Queen was in residence. Disappointed that she didn’t come out to wave to us. She was expecting Boris the next day – poor woman had probably gone into hiding!

The Isles of Lewis and Harris – the Outer Hebrides

We only had three days on the island and would probably have liked one more. The Isles of Lewis and Harris are quite compact and it was fairly easy to cover the north on our first day then the south on the second and the bits we had missed on the third day before we caught the ferry back to the mainland.

Just a note about the name. It is quite confusing as to whether Lewis and Harris are one island or two. Although it sounds like two separate islands, Lewis and Harris are actually two parts of the one island joined by a narrow section in the far south. Lewis is the larger northern section and Harris the lower part although there is a district called North Harris that is actually on Lewis. Confused yet?

Day 1: Lewis

Driving north on a cool and blustery day through a landscape richly dotted with lochs our first stop was the Callinish Standing Stones. There is evidence of human habitation on Lewis from around 8500 BC or pretty much as soon as the climate had improved enough for humans to survive there. The Callinish Standing Stones date from around 3000BC. There are remains of Neolithic houses in Harris and evidence of the Norse kingdom that ruled most of the area from the 9^th – 14^th centuries.

 

Apart from grasses, heather and a few other flowering plants there is little natural vegetation on the islands of the Outer Hebrides.  The Vikings, climate change and felling to clear land for crops are some of the reasons. Some parts look like a desolate lunar landscape and the bare mountains dominate especially in the south. There are no trees at all except in gardens or plantations.

Further north we came upon Carloway Broch. The broch is a large circular dwelling with inner and outer walls with stairs in the gap between. A surprisingly well preserved Iron Age structure, dating back to the 1st century AD, studies suggest that it was in use until the 17th century.  About half is intact however you can’t go inside at the moment due to conservation work. It was fascinating to see as it appears to have been largely untouched for centuries and it is a testament to the skill of ancient dry stone builders.

We stopped at Gearrannan Blackhouse village. It is on the Atlantic coast of west Lewis. There are 9 traditional blackhouse cottages. These houses were lived in until as recently as 1974. The village has been painstakingly restored to include self-catering holiday accommodation with all mod-cons hidden within. Two of the cottages have been left as their owners would have lived in them until the 1970’s.  It was interesting to see an elderly man weaving tweed cloth and collecting peat for the fire just as islanders have always done in their own cottages and still do today.

We had a late lunch of hot soup and sandwiches at a cafe at Port Ness – the most northerly point of Lewis then visited the Butt of Lewis lighthouse. Another amazing day done!!

 

Day 2: Harris

Harris has many historic sites but it’s sheer beauty is what overwhelms visitors. It was a perfectly still, sunny day – an absolute rarity in the Western Isles. You have already seen some of our pics but I hope you don’t mind if I repeat some of them.

St Clement’s Church is a late fifteenth-century or early sixteenth-century church in Harris, built for the Chiefs of the MacLeods of Harris. It is dedicated to Pope Clement I.

 

Luskentyre Beach – voted the most beautiful beach in the UK.

I thought Beach 5 at Venus Bay was just about as pretty as beaches get – but this is Luskentyre Beach and it is perfect!

 A random selection of the most amazing vistas in Harris.

We always make an effort to find a scenic spot for lunch and today did not disappoint. The sheep were very interested too. 

Day 3: The Lewis (Uig) Chessmen 

Earlier in the year we saw some of the famous Lewis Chessmen at the British Museum (82 pieces) and 11 others are at the Edinburgh Museum.  I took my copy of The Chessmen by Peter Mays with me to Lewis and Harris and on our last day I was thrilled to visit the site where they were found. The 12th Century Chessmen were found by a farmer at Uig Beach in 1831 and are believed to have been buried in the sand at Uig in the Viking era. Recently one piece that was separated from the others and bought for 5 pounds sold at auction for 735,000 pounds.

The lost Lewis Chessman

After enjoying the descriptions in Peter May’s thrillers set in the Outer Hebrides I had high expectations for the Isles of Lewis and Harris.  We were not disappointed.  If you get the chance to visit this magical island don’t hesitate.

Next we are back on the mainland of Scotland to do part of the Northern 500 including John O’Groats, the most northerly point on the UK mainland. Then on to Falkirk to ride the Falkirk Wheel.

Love to hear from you if you are enjoying our Gap Year Adventure as much as we are. We are encouraged by your feedback and interest. Six months is nearly up and we are beginning to panic that we won’t get to everything that is on our list! At the moment we are debating what to do for Christmas. All ideas, however crazy are welcome.

See you here soon…..

Frankie and Jim