STANDING TALL TEN THINGS TO DO ON LEWIS & HARRIS
AMHUINNSUIDHE CASTLE Amhuinnsuidhe Castle was built in 1865 for Charles Murray, the 7th Earl of Dunmore. Today, the castle hosts fishing and shooting parties and a collection of William McTaggart paintings.
AN LANNTAIR ARTS CENTRE From its humble beginnings in Stornoway Town Hall, the Western Isle’s arts centre moved into its purpose-built home on the sea front in 2005. The centre hosts dancing, exhibitions, films and music.
‘Religion on the islands, I discovered, was not just a question of faith, it was a way of life’
the Church – and across the three books feel I achieved some measure of balance. An interesting and amusing footnote to the
observance of the Lewis Sabbath wrote itself one miserable wet Sunday during my filming years when I saw a collie dog crossing the road from a peat stack to a croft house with a chunk of peat in its mouth. It had been trained to go and fetch the peat on a Sunday so that its owner wouldn’t have to break the Sabbath. We were very warmly received during those
years. Everyone on the island watched the show, and we employed many locals as extras or additional members of crew. We also offered professional training, as well as bringing in £5-6 million a year in additional tourism. Over the years that it ran, Machair probably benefited the island by more than £30m. Similarly, the international popularity of
the Lewis Trilogy – The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man and The Chessmen – has brought an influx of fresh tourism to the Outer Hebrides, where a new island trail has now been launched allow- ing readers the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the trilogy’s fictitious central char- acter, Fin Macleod. I have to confess, though, to being a little
nervous at first about how the books would be received by the islanders themselves – after all, I was an outsider, writing about their way of life, their island. But, as it turned out, the books have become bestsellers on the islands, too, and everywhere I have gone to talk about
Above: Peter May kitted out to face the weather in the Western Isles.
CALLANISH VISITOR CENTRE The standing stones at Callanish – or Calanais in Gaelic – are one of the most-famous historic sites in the Western Isles, with the visitor centre offering the story behind the stones.
DUN CARLOWAY BROCH Brochs are a type of fortified dwelling only found in Scotland and Dun Carloway, which is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, is one of the best-preserved examples.
GEARRANNAN BLACKHOUSE VILLAGE A blackhouse is a traditional Western Isles dwelling and Gearranan gives visitors the chance to stay in one of four remaining houses – with touches of comfort such as under- floor heating thrown in.
HARRIS TWEED HEBRIDES TATTOO As part of the Year of Homecoming, Lews Castle in Stornoway will host a tattoo on 8 and 9 August, complete with ten pipe bands and a troop of 40 Vikings from Shetland making a special guest appearance.
LOCH NA MUILNE The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reserve at Loch na Muilne is an excellent place to spot lapwings, whooper swans and the rare red-necked phalarope, a tiny wading bird..
SEATREK
In the summer, Seatrek offers boat trips to St Kilda and around the Uig coast, with dolphins, whales and seabirds high on the agenda. The company has more than 25 years of experience running boat trips.
SHAWBOST MUSEUM
The exhibitions in Shawbost Museum, which was launched 30 years ago, allow visitors to learn about what life was like on Lewis. The museum is based in the local community centre.
UIG LODGE
Salmon has been smoked since 1984 at Uig Lodge, which sources its Scottish Atlantic fish from RSPCA-accredited farms. The lodge also offers B&B, lettings and fishing, with its salmon also available via mail order.
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