Harris on a Winter Monday

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.

The East side of South Harris south of Licasto

A rare sunny moment turning the hillside golden on the East Side near Geocrab

On the West looking North to Northton and Northton Sands

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:

Skies Over Harris

On the day that Viv and I went to Harris and saw the Eagles we also saw some interesting skies.  The first of these photos was taken at Laxay on Lewis looking down over the Harris hills and shows wonderful mare's tails clouds.  The second was taken over Harris during a particularly dramatic weather moment in what was generally a lovely day.  Both these photos were taken by Viv - mine didn't meet expectations.

A Trip To Harris

Today dawned sunny and with the promise of a certain stability that has been lacking recently so we decided to take a trip to Harris.  There is a lovely new(ish) gallery we were aiming for for morning coffee but before that we needed a comfort stop and look round the shops in Tarbert.  

We spent the time on the West side of the Island 

We had lunch at the Macgillivray Centre in Northton - which was as far as we went down the West side.

And of course CJ spent a lot of time doing what CJ does:

Glimpses of a Week Gone By: Harris

A few pictures from a day spent exploring in Harris with Viv.

First Fruits Tearoom, Tarbert

Not quite B&Q or Mitre 10 Mega NZ but more character!

The Bridge to Scalpay

East Coast of South Harris

St Clements Church, Rodel, Harris - of which there will be more later

Seilabost, West Coast of South Harris

Luskentyre Sands, Harris

A wee township near Tarbert

The hills of North Harris looking North at the valley through to Lewis

Loch Seaforth -the Harris/Lewis boundarylooking East to Skye

Thankful Thursday

This week I've had Viv, a friend from France, staying.  Viv has not been to the Outer Hebrides before so, of course, we've been doing touristy things; that is going to all the touristy places.  However, in addition to having a biologist's interest in flora and fauna, Viv is also an artist.  So to some extent I've been seeing some of the things that I take for granted in a new light.  I've also been wandering off the beaten track and have discovered a few roads and places I didn't know existed and have re-discovered places which I have not visited for over 30 years: places that I went to when I was first exploring the Island but have rarely or not been to since. 

Rather coincidentally Viv had links via acquaintanceship and art to Willie Fulton, a well-known Harris artist and campaigner.  I like his art but have not always sen eye to eye with his views.  Viv decided to call upon him and his wife, Moira.  I tagged along.  Interestingly Willie and I managed to see eye to eye on things upon which I had judged him ill.

The weather, which was wonderfully warm and sunny for a couple of weeks before Viv came, has been rather cold and very showery except for the day we went to Harris when the sun had the majority vote and the rain was banished to the sidelines.  This does not, however, seem to have dimmed Viv's enthusiasm.

So today I am thankful for personal indifference laid to rest and for a re-awakening of my vision of the Island upon which I have lived for coming up to 40 years and which I love so much.

In Harris

When Wendy and the children and I spent the day in Harris, Wendy drove home so I had the opportunity to take a few photos. 

Looking South West down West Loch Tarbert

Looking North from Ardhasaig into the Harris Hills (The Forest of Harris – which has few, if any, trees!)

I’d rather be me than them!

 Over the hills and looking North into Lewis

Inter-Island Ferries

When Wendy and the children were here we went down to Harris and had lunch at The Anchorage Restaurant at the ferry terminal at Leverburgh.  Leverburgh is the point on Harris from which the ferry goes to the Island of Berneray and to North Uist.  North Uist is the northernmost of the Southern Isles.  I will post on the island chain soon because I’m conscious of the fact that I’ve never done so and few of my readers are likely to be au fait with the geography of the area.

When I came to the Islands to live in 1975 the only ferries between the Islands were passenger ferries and they were basic passenger launches or converted small inshore fishing boats.  The exception to this was the Caledonian MacBrayne deep sea ferry between Harris and Skye and North Uist.

The Leverburgh, Berneray, North Uist ferry in 1984

The ferry between Ludaig in South Uist and the Island of Eriskay , MV Eilean Na H-Oige came into service in 1980. (Scottish Gaelic Eilean na h-Òige "The Island of Youth")  until the causeway opened in July 2001.

MV Eilean Na H’Oige

By the time the late 1970s had arrived the ferry between Leverburgh and Berneray and North Uist had been improved to a 12 seater motor launch with a proper cabin:

That was replaced on the sector between Berneray and North Uist by MV Eilean Bhearnaraigh (a similar vessel to the MV Eilean Na H’Oige) in 1982.   This operated until the Berneray Causeway opened in 1998.

The distance between Berneray and Leverburgh is too great for a causeway and a vehicle ferry Sound of Harris service started in 1996.  However the 18 vehicle ferry proved to be inadequare because the popularity of the service was greater than any of the estimates had anticipated.  The new ferry capable of carrying 36 vehicles, MV Loch Portain, came into service on 1 June 2003.  This is the ferry which we saw when we were in Leverburgh last week:

   

Directly across the water from Leverburgh is the Island of Ensay.  There is no permanent occupation of the Island although there is a large holiday house and a chapel.  There used to be a service held every summer in the chapel which was attended by members of the church in Stornoway to which my wife and I belonged.  There was no ferry to the Island so each year the local cattle boat which was used to ferry sheep and cattle to and from the local islands was used for us human cattle:

As you may have realised I have been delving into my old boxes of photos yesterday and was lucky enough to find old photos of the ferries and scan them onto the computer.  It’s been an enjoyable exercise made possible by the horrible weather outside.

All’s Quiet

It’s 7am (or it was when I started this posting) and all’s quiet.  Mind you at this hour it has been since the Geddi (the plural of Geddes and applicable to any gathering thereof) arrived at Eagleton last Sunday.  Everyone has been going to bed so late that the mornings have not started until rather later than usual.  But this morning all is quiet and there will be no tired faces appearing for breakfast.  We were up just after 5am and by the time this post is finished Wendy, Fraser and Catriona will be half way across The Minch on the way to their next visit. 

They were fortunate in having wonderfully sunny, if cold, weather for the first four days and the children, who had not been on the Island before, saw it in its best light. Wendy, having lived here, knows the Island in all its moods.

So now the visit is just memories.  I have enjoyed it immensely.  I have enjoyed their company.  I have enjoyed that they have seen my home as it now is (Wendy was last in this house over 15 years ago).  I have enjoyed the laughter.  I have enjoyed being congratulated on my lovely grandchildren (and have given up explanations).  I have enjoyed (on one occasion and by someone who should have known otherwise) being mistaken for Wendy’s husband (who’s 20 years my junior!).

Today there were no emotional goodbyes; just hugs and high fives.  I probably won’t see them again before they return to New Zealand but I should be back in my NZ home at the end of our UK summer.  Summer?!  In Napier they are complaining about the cold winter.  It’s summer here and our temperatures are still generally lower by one or two degrees than in Napier!

Fraser, Wendy and Catriona at ‘The Wedding’ Dinner and Party (posting to come)

A beautiful smile

‘What’s more interesting than a Nintendo DS?’ (But at least they kept them happy in the car!)

Sunny Stornoway.  Even sunnier family.

Laughter

Being impish

Being Catriona

Being Fraser

Being contemplative (and windblown and chilly!)

A hole in a wall (a very high up hole in a wall!)

Wide open spaces

  and windblown sandy beaches