and in Stornaway, the economy seems to have run aground

(ho, ho)

though elsewhere in Lewis the island light is as pure and as stunning as ever



these abandoned homes sit above Loch Seaforth (Shiophoirt) alongside the main Harris <-> Lewis road



and there’s rain in the air once again as we climb back over the pass into Harris

Tags: Harris, Lewis

a fine morning in Ardhasaig, with the hilltops clearly visible for once

So off we head westwards, past the eerie remains of the old Norwegian whaling station


to the famous sandy beach to the west at Hushinish



Sometimes on days like this the chromatics of sea and sand seem more Caribbean than British



As we head back towards Tarbert, though, the landscape is unmistakably Scottish



as are the fauna.

Having done the west route, we continued on through Tarbert and on over the bridge that links Harris and the isle of Scalpay off its eastern coast.

A major part of the character of the islands comes from the fact that, in such far flung places, broken down and unwanted properties of all kinds remain to rust and rot, until gradually over time they will simply be absorbed by the land or the sea.






So this is not a landscape wild or undisturbed. This landscape bears the marks of human presence and history at every turn. And for the most part it’s the history of ordinary island folk, whose relics linger after them and bear witness to their lives and struggles



Who lived here? And who allowed a habitation in such a beautiful spot to crumble and collapse?

Tags: Harris, Beach, Scalpay

a day-trip around the southern part of Harris...

… an area renowned for its vast sandy beaches





By reputation these expanses of sand are deserted. But it seems nobody told these surfers

Tags: Harris, Beach, Luskentyre, Surfers

when the skies cleared and the horizon came plain to view, Jim was surprised to discover

that the abandoned island of St Kilda was visible from the windows of our Hebri-gîte in Ardhasaig.



Sadly not true, though. St Kilda is visible from North Uist, but not from Ardhasaig. Turns out that’s just some rock… shame!

So it’s back to Luskentyre beach, to see it one last time, and while the sun shines and a heron is patrolling the strand

Tags: Luskentyre, Harris, Ardhasaig, Beach

our first full day on Harris is a Sunday. And as wet a Sunday as you could ever hope for

Best seen through the kitchen window, maybe



So it’s quite late in the day that we decide to get out, and head for the famous beach at Luskentyre

Along the way, South Harris shows its lunar appeal



and it seems the darkest time is just before the light as we descend towards the sea, and the beach at Luskentyre appears in the distance, glowing through the gloom



The light here is quite extraordinary. The sea glows turquoise, and through it the sand seems illuminated by a light whose source is genuinely mysterious



If the sea is blue because it reflects the colour of the sky, then when is the sea here, today, this luminous green, when the sky is grey, going on black?



And there’s more. We brave the rain to go watch gannets playing in the surf. Really quite unusual to get so close to these creatures

,,,,,,,,,,

We get thoroughly drenched walking half a mile from the car to the beach, but the rain stops and the wind dries us out again on the walk back!

Then it’s back to Ardhasaig, wher the evening light suggests we may have a better day coming tomorrow

Tags: Luskentyre, Harris, Ardhasaig, Beach, Gannets, Hebridean Adventure

as we left Uig on Skye the rain seemed to sweep in and swallow it up behind us

When we reached Tarbert on Harris, the rain was horizontal



No access to our cottage til later in the day, so off we head to Stornoway, where ancient fishing boats come to linger in reminiscence



of herring girls long-gone
.....................................................

Then it’s back down to Harris, and there’s now some hope of sunshine in the afternoon air


The boundary between Harris and Lewis seems as much a matter of geology as politics, as we cross it at the bottom of the pass over the North Harris mountains which lie between Ardhasaig and Loch Seaforth.



Ardhasaig will be our base for the next week. We picked it for its apparent potential for stunning views of mountains, loch and ocean. For now, it’s enough to settle in as gloomy turns to gentle island gloaming



Some light, eh!!!

Tags: Harris, Lewis, Hebridean Adventure, Ferry, Ardhasaig, Stornaway