1 EAGLETON NOTES: The Harris Hills

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Saturday 16 May 2015

The Harris Hills

On my way into town (Stornoway) I have to cross the peninsula on which I live. 


At the highest point of the road across the moor one has a clear view of the hills of the Isle of Harris. I should, of course, have said that one sometimes has a clear view of the hills of the Isle of Harris. It has been know to rain on occasion obscuring them or at least interfering with the 33km or thereby between me and the hills you can see in the photo (somewhere round the end of the yellow line).

One day I shall do a post on peat cutting. In the foreground is one of the very few, perhaps the only, peat bank being cut on the Lower Bayble Common Grazings this year. When I arrived here four decades ago there would have been many dozens: most active crofts in the townships would have had a bank. 

This was the view a week or so ago:



23 comments:

  1. When I was maybe 11 or 12 years old, I read a book about a girl living on the Hebrides, and peat cutting was described in the book. Many years later, I saw something about it on telly. To read your post about it would certainly add to what little knowledge I have in that area.

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    1. PS: They really are snow-covered mountains, wow! At first glimpse (sorry, I am not yet fully awake and feel worse today than yesterday) I thought the white bits are clouds on the horizon... Superb pictures that really give an impression of depth and distance at various layers.

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    2. I'm sorry that you are no better Meike. I will try and look out my old photos of the peat banks and do a post or two.

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  2. Is Carloway a nice place? As a geographical and history geek, I would love you to post more about the Isle of Lewis. I surmise that peat cutting is also in decline in Ireland - apart from industrial-scale operations often connected with power stations and the production of kiln-dried briquettes.

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    1. Carloway has its interesting points YP. Have you any particular reason for asking or was it just a place on the weather map? I will start doing more Island posts and I'll try and make sure that I have coordinate for you too.




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    2. I just saw it on your map. A Google search led me to Carloway Broch - a most ancient and interesting structure. Please have a picnic there and report back. Then I might direct you to other locations on your island. You will be like Anneka Rice in "Treasure Hunt" - assuming of course you would be compliant - which isn't very likely.

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    3. I am absolutely astounded, YP, that I haven't blogged on The Broch at Dun Carloway but a search would seem to indicate that I have not. In fact I can recall a post with it in but it wasn't about the Broch. I shall do that this summer without fail. It's on The Blog List.

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  3. Awesome snow on the hills.

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  4. I did not know you had snow-clad mountains either. I also did not know that the southern part of Lewis was north Harris... er... well, I have to trust you to understand my meaning... Some more posts about your island would be very interesting.

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    1. Monica I understand exactly what you mean. I shall have to start some geographic posts that's for sure.

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  5. Wonderful - looks so clear and clean and empty! I have never understood why peat doesn't seem to run out. It's been cut so much for so many hundreds of years. I am probably showing my ignorance, but there we are! :)

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    1. Jenny it looks that way because it is that way! I often look at the peat moors and wonder the same but then I wonder even more about other fossil fuels.

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  6. I was so taken with the mountains, I forgot what I was supposed to be looking at. (sorry about the preposition.) I've wondered how come the peat hasn't run out, too.

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    1. Pauline there is a lot of peat and our simple non-industrial methods of extraction hardly scratch the surface.

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  7. When the weather is good it is sparkling bright.

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    1. When the weather is good Adrian there are few more beautiful places on earth (and I'm in no way biased!).

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  8. Peat cutting, now that would be an interesting post for me.
    I too am in awe of the beautiful snow-capped mountains in the background.

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    1. I shall oblige (eventually) Virginia and thank you.

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  9. Hoe quickly does peat renew itself? Ignorant question, I'm sure, but I know very little about peat.

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    1. Frances peat is simply rotted vegetation but it take many thousands of years for the peat to form into bogs. I think I read than most started in the hollows left after the last ice age. Anything stripped away in this and the last century won't be re-generating any time soon.

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  10. It certainly is gorgeous country, GB. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos. xoxo DeeDee

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