My almost-lifelong friend, Mo, from Canada and I drove south to Harris yesterday. It is a drive with views of landscapes varying from wild areas of 'moonscape' rock bare of habitation and much in the way of vegetation to world-class beaches stretching for miles. We started in the late morning with coffee and Christmas cake at the Harris Distillery in Tarbert. It was a good job that we did because we did not find another single place open to get any food or drink on the entire South Harris. Fortunately there is a good scattering of well-maintained public toilet facilities.
The weather varied between dreich, heavy mist and rain to occasional flashes of blue sky and sun: The Outer Hebrides at it's varied winter best.
I only took a few photos but they will give you a flavour of our trip.
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| The East side of South Harris south of Licasto |
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| A rare sunny moment turning the hillside golden on the East Side near Geocrab |
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| On the West looking North to Northton and Northton Sands |
The scenery looks very like parts of Ireland in which I feel very much at home in,even though my home is amid green fields. So perhaps the homeliness comes from the openness.
ReplyDeleteHeron I rather think the openness is a big factor: certainly it is for me. Green fields are few and far between on Lewis and Harris although we have magnificent machair lands what are green and filled with flowers in the spring and early summer.
DeleteThe scenery is all so pretty! I find it so hard to imagine that real people live there and it's not a movie set.
ReplyDeleteSometime Kylie it does feel a bit like a movie set and has been used a such quite a lot. One of the sad things is that fewer and fewer people do live in the remoter parts of the Islands.
DeleteThese are beautiful pictures and I am glad you are well enough to undertake such outings. Geocrab - what a strange place name!
ReplyDeleteMeike you have set me wondering as to the origin of the name Geocrab and I have drawn a blank. Interesting because there will be plenty of information if I can find it, I'm sure. I shall try and remember to pursue the matter at a later date.
DeleteWhat grand light.
ReplyDeleteIt was rather special Adrian.
DeleteIt looks beautiful, reminds me of parts of NZ in winter.
ReplyDeleteYes, Amy, I can imagine that even though I have never spent a winter in New Zealand.
DeleteBeautiful scenery
ReplyDeleteIndeed Maywyn.
DeleteHow happy it must have made you, those flashes of sunshine! Your scenery is beautiful in all weathers, of course, but I do love the light.
ReplyDeleteKay it brought some joy into my heart and into that of my visitor even though she had been there before. It is always different.
DeleteThanks for sharing these glimpses of Harris. Once We stayed on Mull for a week and I very much appreciated the changing moods of the weather, the changing light, the uncertainty and the big Atlantic clouds rolling in. It's part of what the Hebridean islands is all about.
ReplyDeleteYP I'm hoping this coming year to make a real effort to get out and about again and explore some of the areas I have neglected for so long.
DeleteInteresting to see the winter colour scheme ... I think most of your blog images from Lewis and Harris in the past have probably been from the summer months (as you used to skip winter and go to NZ for another summer instead!)
ReplyDeleteMonica you are absolutely correct. Since I've been blogging I've not really live a winter on Lewis until the last couple of years.
DeleteJust beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIndeed Mrs Thyme.
DeleteEvery day is a good day, sunny, grey, raining or dry...or in between. :)
ReplyDeleteLee, as you know, for me, if I wake up it's a Good Day.
DeleteI do love Lee's comment. Yes indeed everyday is a good day.
ReplyDeleteLynda you show us that so much and I've been missing it - together with the rest of Blogland.
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