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After breakfast at the Harris Hotel, we headed North towards Lewis, taking in the scenery along the way. We stopped at the sign where Harris turns to Lewis and took photos both ways.
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We then drove on to the Pairc Monument, a memorial commemorating those who
stood up for their land rights in the 19th Centuary. There are three
monuments to these uprisings on Lewis, and this one is my favorite, because
it's a tower you can enter and climb to see the view.
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We proceeded north to Callanish, taking in the famous and incredible standing
stones. We were met at the entrance by a Border Collie, who seemed thrilled
to see us, and who hung out with Wayne for much of the visit - wanting
attention and to play. Much as on our very first visit to Callanish, the
weather was variable, and so we got to see the stones in a variety of
lighting situations. At the end, it threatened to rain, and everyone else
left, leaving us alone with the stones - quite a wonderful experience.
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We attempted to have tea at the tea shop at the foot of the stones, but it had not opened for the season. So we drove around to the visitor's center on the other side and found they had a tea shop there, where we had lunch. There were baby lambs just outside the window that kept us entertained during lunch. |
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After lunch, we stopped at one of the minor Callanish circles, and viewed another from a distance. (There are actually quite a few standing stone sites related to Callanish, although most people only know of the main circle.) From there, we headed north to Carloway Broch, which has historical significance to Clan Morrison. The Morrisons of Ness took shelter there after a cattle raid against the MacAuleys. (This was a long-standing feud.) These brochs were known to be impenetrable. Donald Cam MacAuley managed to climb the walls with his dirks as anchors and drop fire down into the broch, thus smoking the Morrisons out to face their adversaries.
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These Iron Age brochs are fascinating, and this one is the most complete one around except for one on Orkney. Wayne and I had visited this one several times before, but it was always socked in by fog when we visited. This time, things had cleared, and we had a terrific view of the water behind the broch. |
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We drove further North, seeing the whalebone arch along the way, and looking for the Harris Tweed Mill, which we never found. We then went to Clach an Truiseil, the tallest standing stone in Scotland, and another historical Morrison site, as it is the location of the last battle between the Morrisons and the MacAuleys. |
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We settled into our B&B, the Cleascro Guest House, and then headed to Stornoway for Chinese food at the Golden Ocean Restaurant. (We were the only guests there.)
