The

Outer

HebridesGuide book

by Charles TaiT

ISBN 09517859 3 1

Hebudes

Innse Gall

Sudreyar

Na h-Eileanan an Iar

The Western Isles

CONTENTSWelcome to the Outer Hebrides 4The Main Ancient Sites 6Nature and Environment 8Archaeology 30History and Culture 48

Lewis 68Stornoway 70East Lewis 76West Lewis 80Callanish 82North Lewis 86Bernera to Uig 98

Harris 110North Harris 110East Harris 122West Coast Beaches 114South Harris 118

Text, design and layout copyright Charles Tait,all photographs copyright Charles Tait unlessotherwise credited, old photographs fromCharles Tait collectionOS maps reproduced from Ordnance Surveymapping with permission of the Controller ofHMSO, Crown Copyright Reserved MC100035677Printing by

ISBN 09517859 3 1

The Uists 128North Uist 128Berneray 132Benbecula 142South Uist 150Eriskay 162

Barra 168Castlebay 168Vatersay 180Bishop’s Isles 182

Outlying Islands 188Reference Section 206Transport 206Accommodation & Services 208Bibliography 214Index 218

Admiralty chart inside front coverWestern Isles map inside back cover

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied or reproducedin any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by anymeans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise (exceptfor the purpose of bona fide review) without the prior written permission ofthe publisher. The author has asserted his right under the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1998 to be identified as the author of this work.

Na h-Eileanan an Iar

Hebudes, Sudreyar,

Innse Gall, Western Isles

The Outer Hebrides Guide Bookcopyright Charles Tait 2012Published by Charles Tait

Kelton, St Ola, Orkney KW15 1TR Tel 01856 873738 Fax 01856 875313

charles.tait@zetnet.co.ukwww.charles-tait.co.uk

This book is dedicated to the memory of my step-mother,Jean Maxwell Tait (1913-1999)

Front cover: Allasdale, Barra; Water Lilies, South Uist; Rodel Church, Harris; Chessman replica,Stornoway; Seilebost, Harris; Corncrake, Ness; Callanish sunrise, Lewis

This page:Traigh Iar, Harris

The

OuterHebrides

Guide bookby Charles TaiT

WELCOME TO THE OUTER HEBRIDES

but it was not until the late 17th

century that detailed accountsbegan to be made about visits tothe area. In more recent timesmany eminent people have visitedthe Outer Hebrides and a numberhave written in various termsabout their experiences.

There are a number of distin-guished local authors, and there isalways a good selection of localbooks available in the bookshops,including many in Gaelic. Thelibrary in Stornoway has a fine ref-erence section for those wishing toconsult the many books which areout of print.

The landscape is beautiful, historyeverywhere, and there are manygood opportunities to see wildlife.However there is another aspect ofthe islands which is perhaps themost important and rewarding toget to know, the local people. Donot hesitate to ask the way, orabout things as you are sure to geta courteous reply.

If you are lucky you might get a fewgood stories as well! There is a say-ing in the Outer Hebrides that“When God made time he madeplenty of it”, which describes the

apparent pace of life in theislands rather well.

Maps Some of the placesmentioned in this book aresignposted, but many oth-ers are not. Signposts andmaps may be in modernGaelic or in various cartog-raphers’ spellings, soOrdnance Survey refer-ences are quoted for manysites of interest. Maps areinvaluable on all visits.The Ordnance Survey1:50,000 Landrangerseries covers the islands insix sheets, while the1:25,000 Explorer seriescomprises nine sheets, andis recommended for allserious explorers.

4 5

Loch Bee, South Uist - one of the largest of many in the Outer Hebrides

Kisimul Castle, Castlebay, Isle of Barra

THE OUTER HEBRIDES is achain of over 200 islands to thewest of northern Scotland, stretch-ing 200km (130mi) from the Buttof Lewis in the north (58031’N,6016’W) to Barra Head(56046’N,7039’W) in the south. The islandsare between 50km (30mi) and100km (60mi) from the ScottishMainland across the Minch andthe Sea of the Hebrides. Theycover about 3,070km2 (1,190mi2).

The archipelago was referred to byScottish Gaels as Innse Gall,Islands of Strangers, referring tothe Norsemen who held sway herefor nearly 500 years. The nameHebrides probably arose from theGreek Hebudes by mistranscrip-tion. Today, the Scottish Gaelicinfluence is strong, however theNorse heritage remains evident inmany of the placenames and in thelanguage.

About 26,500 people inhabit 15of the islands, with the majority of

the population living in Lewis andHarris (about 22,000). The maintown and ferry port is Stornowaywith a population of about 9,000.

From mainland Scotland, theOuter Hebrides appear as a longseries of hilltops on the horizon.When approached from the eastthey initially appear rocky andbleak, with many inlets and smallislands. In contrast, on the westside there are many sandy beachesand attractive bays, with relativelyfew high cliffs.

Ferries Connections are operatedby Calmac with mainlandScotland. MV Isle of Lewis runsbetween Stornoway and Ullapool,while MV Hebrides connectsTarbert in Harris with Uig in Skyeand Lochmaddy in North Uist. Inthe south, MV Clansman linksLochboisdale in South Uist andCastlebay in Barra with Oban.There are ferries between Harrisand North Uist, and from Eriskay

to Barra. Berneray, Scalpay andVatersay are served by fixed links.

Air links Loganair operates airservices on behalf of Flybe. FromStornoway there are daily flights toand from Edinburgh, Glasgow,Aberdeen and Inverness.Benbecula has daily connections toStornoway, Barra and Glasgow,while Barra has daily services toGlasgow and Benbecula. Othercurrent flights are detailed in theService Section.

The earliest written references tothe islands are probably by Plinythe Elder around 70AD andPtolemy in about 150AD.Pytheas the Greekmay have visit-ed Lewis in about 325BC duringhis voyage, when he established thelatitude of the Stornoway area andmay have visited Callanish.

The Norse sagas, which date fromthe 12th century, describe manyevents and people in the Hebrides,

Callanish Standing Stones

FAILTE GU NA H-EILEANAN AN IAR

COUNTRYSIDE CODE

We are justly proud of our historicsites, wildlife and environment.Please help ensure that future visitorsmay enjoy them as much as you byobserving these guidelines:

1. Always use stiles and gates andclose gates after you.2. Always ask permission beforeentering agricultural land.3. Keep to paths and take care toavoid fields of grass and crops.4. Do not disturb livestock. 5. Take your litter away with you anddo not light fires.6. Do not pollute water courses orsupplies.7. Never disturb nesting birds.8. Do not pick wild flowers or dig upplants.9. Drive and park with due care andattention - do not obstruct or endan-ger others. 10. Always take care near cliffs andbeaches - particularly with childrenand pets. Many beaches are danger-ous for swimmers.11. Walkers should take adequateclothes, wear suitable footwear andtell someone of their plans.12. Above all please respect the life ofthe countryside - leave only foot-prints, take only photographs andpleasant memories.

Notice: While most of the sites of inter-est are open to the public and havemarked access, many are on privateland. No right of access is implied in thedescription, and if in doubt it is alwayspolite to ask. Also, while many roadsand tracks are rights of way, not all are.

FROM THE NEOLITHIC AGE TO MODERN TIMES

Duns and brochs form aclass of domestic structureoften termed as Atlanticround houses. There aremany throughout theislands, but the best areprobably in North Uist,especially Dun Sticir, nearOtternish and DunTorchuill.

Many are situated on lochislets and accessed by cause-ways. They were often occu-pied for long periods, fromthe Iron Age to Mediaevaltimes in some cases.

There are only a few remain-ing castles in the islands, andKisimul Castle on Barra isthe most dramatic. The cas-tle at Stornoway was largelydestroyed by Cromwell’stroops during the Civil War.The remains now lie underthe old ferry pier.

The Western Isles havemany ancient chapel andmonastic sites. Most areruinous and remote. Thebest preserved Medievalchurch is the 16th century StClement’s at Rodel, Harris.

Throughout Scotland black-houses were the standarddomestic building until the19th century. These appar-ently primitive dwellingshad thatched roofs, and acentral fireplace. The smokeescaped through the thatchwhich the human inhabi-tants shared with their live-stock, much as in Neolithictimes.

There are so many sites of interestin the Western Isles that it wouldtake many trips to visit them all.However even on a short stay it ispossible to observe human con-structions from a wide range ofperiods.

The early settlers have leftmuch evidence behind them,ranging from numerous cham-bered cairns, and standingstones. These include the wellpreserved cairn at Langass onNorth Uist, the enigmaticSteinicleit at Shader in Lewisand the spectacular standingstone settings at Callanish.

Neolithic, Bronze Age, IronAge, Norse, Medieval andmore modern sites are scat-tered from the north of Lewisto Barra Head. While someare signposted, most are not,making maps essential inmany cases.

Perhaps the most dramatic ofall the Outer Hebrides monu-ments are the Standing Stonesat Callanish. These megalithsand the adjacent smaller cir-cles represent an immenseamount of work for aNeolithic society and wereclearly erected with a strongsense of purpose and rever-ence.

Dun Carloway is the best pre-served of the many Iron Agebrochs and duns in theislands. Its drystone wallshave survived despite beingused as a quarry for nearbyblackhouses and shows thegalleried structure typical ofall brochs.

6 7

A TOUR OF THE MAIN ANCIENT SITES

Steinicleit is an enigmatic Neolithic ruin in north Lewis Kisimul Castle, Castlebay, Barra

Langass chambered cairn is one of the best preserved of its type

Blackhouse Museum at Arnol, west Lewis

Dun Torchuill in North Uist is a ruined broch on an islet in a loch

Midsummer sunrise at Callanish

Dun Carloway is a well-preserved broch

St Clement’s Church at Rodel in south Harris has an elaborate MacLeod tomb