True to her reputation Pauline brought lovely weather to Lewis with her - during the day anyway which is what mattered. So we drove across the Island to the West Side to explore.
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| The hills of South Lewis from The Peatland Road |
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| Looking South and West |
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| The Garenin Black House Village (Pauline in red). |
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| Old and new thatch. Weighted fishing net was thrown over to help keep the thatch in place in storms. |
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| Pauline capturing a thatcher at work. I think she got some cracking photos. |
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| Just another village black house. |
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| The village street |
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| The Broch at Dun Carloway |
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| I'll do a proper post on the Broch one day |
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| From New Zealand to The Standing Stones of Callanish |
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| The interior of the Black House at Arnol |
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| and the Church at Eoropie |
So many questions arising from your photos GB. Thank you for sharing again.
ReplyDeleteWell, Carol, I hope that one day I'll provide the answers.
DeleteA superb look round. Beautiful weather, what a difference it makes to the pictures.
ReplyDeleteI am slightly puzzled by your reference to Pauline's financial status.
Very droll Adrian. You had me puzzled until I re-read the captions.
DeletePauline is well and truly in the red now, Adrian, believe me! Poor but happy stay at home for a long time girl.
DeleteAmazing vistas. Those sights onto the sea must be breathtaking in real life.
ReplyDeleteMersad
Mersad Donko Photography
Merged they are and on a day like that one was they are almost as good as so many of the views out to sea that you post.
DeleteI can spend many hours at sites like this where replicas have been made and lots of descriptions. Your island topography reminds me so much of the places in the Arctic.
ReplyDeleteRed these are actual houses renovated and used either for holiday letting or as a museum or for visitor facilities such as a café. The last of the houses was vacated in the 1970s. Interesting that we remind you of the Arctic. My son has just returned from traversing the North West Passage and Alaska. I must ask him.
DeleteHow recently have the Black Houses been inhabited, Graham? I suppose some of them still are - at least from time to time -, judging from the lamps and rather modern-looking roof window in one of the pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt looks a fascinating place for a visit but also makes me extra glad of my central heating, hot water and electricity over here (not so speak of the super-fast internet connection)...
Meike the last one was vacated in the 1970s. Some of the renovated houses are used for holiday letting. The windows in the roof are similar to the one in the roof go my house which was built in about 1927. Many blockhouses had proper chimneys and fireplaces installed in the mid twentieth century as well as windows.
DeleteLove the photos! Such fascinating houses, too. Perhaps some of my ancestors lived in something like that.
ReplyDeleteIt's entirely possible that they did Sean-Ron if they came from the Scottish Highlands.
DeleteOh wow, what an amazing place to visit - I am going to put this on my 'to go one day' list! Fabulous photos.
ReplyDeleteWell I hope that you make it Serenata.
Deleteah...thank you for sharing these wonderful photos! Did I share that a cousin discovered that the ancestors of my grandmother (his great-aunt) were originally from Scotland? That was the loveliest news for us.
ReplyDeleteYes, Norma, you did. It's amazing how far the tentacles of Scottish genealogy reach.
DeleteBeautiful pictures, and so interesting to get a closer look at those black houses. An extra thanks to Pauline as well for a/ bringing the good weather and b/ getting you in touristy mood too :)
ReplyDeleteYes Monica I don't often get in a touristy mood here is Scotland and it really was good to wander and be a tourist for a change.
DeleteThe scenery is fantastic....where you live is surrounded with such interesting features with lots of history....gosh I'm dying to hear about the Broch.
ReplyDeleteThe little village houses have captured my imagination.
Pauline was lucky to see the thatcher at work..what great timing.
Virginia one of the things about living in a relatively small enclosed space (i.e. in this case surrounded by water like you) one ends up taking everything for granted. I shall start looking at things with the eye of a tourist for the blog.
DeleteThose pictures are so incredibly beautiful, Graham. What a place to live!
ReplyDeleteIt is Frances. I hope that you will see it in all its glory before too long.
DeleteThank heavens for Lady Pauline! Without her visit, Lewis would have remained rather mysterious in your blog!
ReplyDeleteYP I'm sure that I've posted about these places many times over the life of the blog but as many of my current readers are relatively new I shall start some more informative Island blogging.
DeleteI live in a very heavily wooded area, so these pictures come as something of a shock. What do they burn on their fires; driftwood, or peat maybe?
ReplyDeleteCro most people used to cut peat for burning but very few do these days. We converted to oil fired central healing back in the '70s. Peat cutting will be the subject of a post in the not-too-distant future.
DeleteHow very interesting! I have just spent the last few minutes reading about what a Broch was and is and about the Standing Stone and the church. It is a wonder to me, Mr. Edwards, that this sort of architecture can be found nowhere else except in the western part of Scotland and in the islands there. And that those fortified structures fell out of favor so quickly. Quite extrarordinary.
ReplyDeleteMrs Thyme I'm glad that you found the structures interesting.. Brochs are actually found in other parts of Scotland too: the one in Orkney is quite famous but why they are only found in Scotland seems a bit of a mystery.
DeleteWow! What a wonderful area...and the ambience has been captured excellently. So vivid are those photos I feel as if I'm there; I can feel the crisp clear air. Absolutely fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing. :)
Lee the air is certainly crisp and clear except, that is, when it's raining which, this year in particular, has been a lot of the time. Pauline attracts good weather though when she is on safari. I think she's on good terms with the weather gods.
DeleteWhat fabulous images you have here, Graham! Lewis looks like a wonderful area. Thanks for sharing your time with Pauline. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Liz. Lewis is a wonderful ares!
DeleteOh, that scenery - the blue sea. We were talking about the North of Scotland and the isles the other day and saying we wanted to return. I haven't been to Lewis but have visited many other islands, and when I do I am always amazed.
ReplyDeleteThat black house looked pretty cosy- although I bet it wasn't really!
I'm so sorry, Jenny (and Kay and Joyful) somehow I missed your comments during my recent 'bury' period. Black houses were reasonably cosy by the standards of the day particularly those that had the byre as part of the building. However the smoke from the peat fire had the same effect on the inhabitants as the smoke in a smokehouse has on kippers.
DeleteI love all these photos, but I think I like the one of Pauline standing next to The Standing Stones! She looks so happy to be there! I love that she got to visit you in such a gorgeous part of the world and THEN she gets to go home to New Zealand, a place I long to see!!
ReplyDeleteKay I think Pauline was very happy and, as you say, she is now bak in New Zealand.....bliss in my book.
DeleteI checked out your last few posts. They are beautiful and the area you are featuring is stunning. Enjoy the rest of your stay.
ReplyDeleteThank you Joyful. I apologise for the delay in responding to your comment.
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