Stornoway; Saturday, 21 June, 2025

I had a full day tour of the north of the Isle of Lewis booked, so after a leisurely breakfast I got ready for the day and then headed down to reception to meet the guide just before 10. It turned out that all bar two of the people on the tour were at the hotel, so it was a very quick process of getting everyone together before we set off, first for a quick drive around the key sights in Stornoway and then for the near hours drive north up the island to the Butt of Lewis.

The Butt is the northernmost point on the island and is also home to the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, an important navigation aid in the day due to the treacherous cliffs and rocks that form this tip of the island, even on a clear sunny day with virtually no wind it was still pretty obvious how dangerous – if very beautiful – the cliffs were.

From the Butt of Lewis we started to head back south again down the Western coast of the island making a brief stop at the picturesque Port of Ness and then a little further on as the Bure Shieling, an example of the summer buildings that the crofters would live in whilst their livestock were grazing the fields in the summer months, before returning to the main home in the winter, and their main home is where we headed to next at the Arnol Blackhouse.

The name Blackhouse derives from the fact that the long low buildings, almost resembling an upturned Viking boat, had a wood and grass roof on their low walls, and no chimney, so the soot from the peat burning on the fire almost constantly for six months of the year blackened the walls of the building (and no doubt the lungs of the inhabitants). This particular Blackhouse was lived in until the 1960s at which point the occupant had a new Whitehouse built next door – so called because of the limewashed walls and the presence of a chimney that took away most of the smoke and soot. On the opposite side of the road is an example of a decommissioned Blackhouse where the walls have been left intact, but the roof has been removed making it uninhabitable – a move taken when the owners had a new Whitehouse built with a government grant, with the destruction of the Blackhouse a stipulation of the money being awarded.

From the Blackhouse we continued on down the coast, stopping off for a lunch break at the very beautiful Dalmore Beach, weirdly overlooked by a large graveyard, but with stunning gold sands and a crystal clear blue sea it looked very tempting, until you remember it’s the North Atlantic – though one of the tour party, from Australia, did decide to go in for a dip – their yelp of pain as the first hit of cold water caught them pretty much confirming the idea that I wanted to go nowhere near the icebox!

From Dalmore beach we headed on round the coast and further back in time, stopping at the 2,000 year old Dun Carloway Broch to look at the style of dwelling that lasted for about 1500 years before the Blackhouse’s took over, and then back even further in time 5,000 years to the Calanais Standing Stones, which on the day of the Summer Solstice had quite a few visitors – many communing with the stones.

From Calanais it was a short drive back around the southwestern coast and back across to Stornoway where we were all dropped off back at the hotel in plenty of time to head over to Lews Castle and take in the museum located behind the main castle building. The museum has an interesting collection, focused on the Outer Hebrides, along with – unsurprisingly – some recreations of Lewis Chessmen.

After looking round the museum I had a quick stop for a bite to eat and some coffee before heading out into the castle ground to go for a walk. The castle occupies a large amount of land and there are a number of walks and trails that you can take that head you deep into the grounds and forests of the estate. I took a route that took me along the waters edge right round to where the Creed River forms a natural boundary as it empties into the harbour, and then up the side of the river until taking a side path up Gallows Hill.

Gallows Hill is called that because this was the place where the clan chieftains, in their day, would have the gallows erected in the case of needing to carry out an execution. It’s also the highest point on the castle estate and a great place for getting views back down on the castle, the harbour and Stornoway itself. From Gallows Hill I headed back down towards the castle, stopping off to take in the Gruffalo trail – a series of wood carved recreations of characters from the children’s book – and the Sunken Garden, which appeared to have been taken over by rabbits as there were dozens on them in the garden.

I wandered back through the last of the castle grounds and then back round over the Bayhead River bridge into the town centre, a quick wander around the harbour and then to the pressing need for dinner, before returning to the hotel for a well earned and much needed rest.