Episode 17

Episode 17
We really wanted to see Otters: At most of the causeways there are signs ‘Otters Crossing’ but as yet we still haven’t seen one. Several different places I’d read about where otter frequent we’d visited all to no avail. So we left South Uist without having seen one.
The next island north is Benbecula, quite a small island and no big hills. We could have done a walk one of the highest points on the island but it was really too wet underfoot to do it comfortably, and the weather so inclement that the view would not have been much anyway. As we drove up the west coast of the island we passed along more white sandy beaches with plenty of seaweed lying on there. The otters are not on this side of the islands, there is surf here as this is the North Atlantic, they prefer the other side in the calmer water and like the salt water lochs too. They do go into the fresh water lochs but usually only in summer to hunt for eels.
When we saw a sign for the internet in a large building we went in there to find that it was a cafe with a small shop and a room with interesting photos and information especially about the missile range that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, about the walls. David asked about the internet and found that he could use our laptop and access the net through the wireless connection for no extra cost if we bought a coffee each. We considered that an extremely good offer. Our coffee came in a lovely fine china pot with matching cups, saucers, mild jug and sugar bowl, it was very elegant indeed.
Later we got in conversation with the lady who owns the place, her name is Mairi (Maree), and she told us that the building was once the stable when the big landowners owned most of the land on the Islands. It was split up into small holdings after WW1 when the men were promised land in return for fighting in the war. However, the promise was not fulfilled without a battle on their part and it was several years and much trouble later when most got their land. A small part of one wing has still to be renovated and you can see how it was when still used as stables. At lunch time seeing that we were still here we had a lovely bowl of home made ‘scotch broth’ each, just the thing on a day like this, looking outside was not inspiring, it was foggy and drizzling.
This Island is where most of the military personal live that are connected with the missile range on South Uist, boosting the population by about 1200. They seem to live mainly in the north-western part of the island. In that area there are the few supermarkets and some other shops, even a small garage. We went for another walk out to Seal Point and did manage to see just one seal along with a lovely grey heron. A family we met here said that otters live here too, but they were avoiding us.
Benbecula is the dividing point between the Catholic south and the Protestant north in these islands:
As we left the island over yet another causeway we kept an eagle eye out for those elusive otters but didn’t see any. Now we were on North Uist, or at least I think we were though to me it seemed like a separate island. We came to a small village and looked down on a busy little boat harbour. I read a sign that said the harbour had been built as part of an EU development scheme for the Islands. The fishing boats that use this harbour fish for shell fish using mainly creels, and flat and round fish using the long line method. Lobster, crab, and crayfish are exported from here alive, they are taken in special trucks that have fresh aerated seawater tanks so that the product is delivered to the markets in Europe alive. Haddock, plaice, ling and skate are the fish that are caught here. In the small bay there is a salmon farm too, some of the salmon here is sent to local smoke houses for smoking whist other is marketed as fresh salmon.
We came to the ruins of on old temple, Trinity Temple. It dates from the 12th Century I think, though the sign didn’t say so. It was enlarged in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 19th but obviously not all that well as it’s only a ruin now. It could not have been very large either, three rooms is all that we can see. There are many headstones in the graveyard and some of them date from the mid 20th century. All around these islands we see houses, castles and churches that are ruins, derelict or just empty, some would make lovely restoration projects yet it seems more the thing to build a new house from scratch.
Another stone circle here too, this one is on ground that has been levelled out of the hillside and just above a loch. Only small stones really with the tallest about 2m high, and more of an oval than a circle: On the same hill but much higher up and facing a different direction is another stone cairn with a large burial chamber. Both are believed to date from 2000 to 4000BC. An interesting thing I read about this cairn is that it was built before the peat formed and has probably sunk about 2 metres into the peat that surrounds it. Most of these islands have big peat bogs that have been cut or are still being cut. Even up the hill sides there is peat, that is what makes walking such a pain as it holds the water and you are forever walking through wet, boggy ground or doing your best to avoid it. Along the road sides you see peat all bagged up ready to be taken home.
In the little town of Loch Maddan we visited a museum for a local music group called Runrig. They formed back in 1973 and are still going though I’m not sure any of the original members are still in the group. They seem quite popular in Scotland, Denmark, and Germany. They sing in Gaelic as well as English and are not mainstream pop, more of a pop/folk music group.
We did a few more short walks in different places one took us past a field with several donkeys that thought they might like to come and be friendly then decided against it when they got to within 20m. Near here too, we came across 4 old stone houses that would not take a great deal to repair, they would make a great backpackers hostel, they are near a pleasant beach and good walking spots. On another walk around a nature reserve we kept a very sharp lookout for otters as someone had written in the book that they had seen two the previous day, but they hadn’t said where around at least 3k of coast that the otters had been spotted. Needless to say we didn’t see any. Apparently you have to have the tide just right, about 2 to 4 hours before the high tide is a good time. At least that is when they are supposed to be most active, personally I think the little beggars are avoiding me. We did see some graylag geese and one other little bird, we usually see more wildlife on any of our walks.
This reserve is especially aimed at restoring habitat for the corn bunting and the corncrake both very endangered species. The corncrake will have gone off to southern Africa by now but the corn bunting should still be about and it may have been one of these that we saw. Both these birds need long grass in which to hide and nest so the reserve and local crofters are working together to provide a habitat for it and also staking hay in stooks instead of making silage, as this provides food the birds can access. The golden bumble bee is very endangered and another bee too that borrows a hive in the sand, these too are benefiting from the crofters reverting to older methods of hay making. On the whole it makes little difference to the crofters as most have employment elsewhere because the croft cannot generate enough income to live on.
These crofters grow rye, barely, and oats, rotating the crop each year. It is grown on the sand dunes that are naturally covered in Marram grass and if not cultivated this grass provides good grazing for both cows, usually longhorned highland cattle with very shaggy coats and the ever present sheep.
Crossing yet another causeway we came onto the island of Berneray and did another couple of short walks here too. We also stayed in a small hostel that was in one of the thatched roof stone houses. It was very musty smelling and damp despite the heating, no hot water would come out of the shower, the little heaters over the sinks both decided to leak profusely, and the kitchen had a really most peculiar smell so I wouldn’t recommend it, however, as it was a very wild windy and wet night it was better than being in the tent or the car. Our other 4 fellow hostellers were a diverse group so that we had quite a pleasant evening.
We took yet another ferry from Berneray to Leverburgh in Harris: This was a very pleasant trip on a sunny Sunday afternoon. As we neared Harris the ferry weaved its way about several small islands as it negotiated it way through the narrow twisting channel into the little boat harbour at Leverburgh.
We drove the 2 or 3 miles to the end of the road with the intention of walking to the southern tip of the island but the track that is quite boggy in the driest of times was very wet so we just took the short walk along a lovely grassy well made track to the next little village of Roghadal where we had a look at another old church. This one, St Clements, was probably finished in 1549, it not certain, but the eastern end was certainly finished in 1528 as that is when the tomb was made and decorated for Alexander Macleod. He was clan chief and had the church and his tomb built; there is lovely carving about the tomb too, little panels representing different religious scenes. The one I liked was of a saint who guards the entrance to heaven and the devil weighing souls to decide which way they should be sent; up to heaven or down to hell. Alexander Macleod died in 1545 or 47, no one is sure about that either, his son William who succeeded him as chief died in 1551, the next clan chief died in 1557; all are buried in the church. The roof had been redone several times over the centuries but the stone walls are original I believe. We climbed to the top of the tower for a view over the lock and out towards some small offshore islands.
The weather changed and turned very wet so much so that we couldn’t do any walks because its just too wet underfoot. As we drove up the island of Harris we saw hundreds of little waterfalls as the excess water cascaded down the hill sides and over embankments, the boggy peat marshes were awash, the gale force wind was blowing the tops off the waves and sometimes the spume blew across the road. In one place we came to a tourist information shelter the size of a phone box and several sheep were sheltering inside, it was quite funny. I have never before seen it so wet that the sheep are looking for cover.
A recently built monument to local men who fought for land reform stands by the road side not far from Stornoway. In the late 1800’s a woman who owned 42,000 acres of land on the island throw all the crofters and villagers off her land, then imported deer and started a deer park. This was devastating for the local people who were already very poor anyway, there wasn’t much work and most tried to get by scratching a living from the few acres of a croft. These few men came onto the deer farm one day and killed a few deer then roasted them and ate them. They were arrested but later acquitted by the Scottish High Court. This was the start of the struggle for land reform that lasted until well after the 1st world war.

The town of Stornoway is the largest town in the Outer Hebrides with a population of around 9000. The older part of the town clusters around the harbour but the more modern suburbs have spread out into the countryside. The harbour has a few fishing boats moored in it, but nothing like there used to be before the quotas were introduced. It also has a ferry terminal; the ferry from here goes to Ullapool on the mainland. The day that had started out so wet had suddenly cleared and the sun shone from a bright blue sky, just every now and again a heavy shower would suddenly come over and dampen things again.
While here we visited the water wheel that has been reconstructed on the site of a former one that burnt down in the late 1800’s. This one now supplies power to the castle grounds, it stands on the edge of Lews Castle grounds. Here too, is a lot of information about the castle that was built in 1863 by James Matheson who had bought the Island of Lewis in 1844. This James Matheson made his personal fortune from the tea and opium trade in the Far East. He joined forces with Jardine to create the company Jardine Matheson which still trades today with a slightly altered name. There was information on other mills around the island and something that I found extremely interesting is that waterwheels using modern technology have been installed in small villages in Sri Lanka where they power many homes in an area that didn’t have electricity previously.
The info here also told about the big land owners installing waterwheel powered grain mills then making the local farmers bring their grain along to them to be milled for a 10% fee paid in the grain that was milled. Prior to this the farmers milled their own grain often using quern stones, but in many cases these were smashed to force the farmers to use the landlord owned mills.
We walked around the castle grounds quite a way. They are heavily wooded with large trees like oak, alder, Scottish pine, spruce and larch, and there are huge banks of rhododendrons too that must be a lovely blaze of colour in the spring. It is quite something to see such big trees growing here in these almost treeless islands. Matheson imported massive amounts of topsoil from the mainland to establish his gardens and woodland. The castle is more of a big stately home than a castle and it is closed at present. I did read it was being renovated year ago, but it doesn’t appear to have been completed.
In the old loom shop we found a very wide range of Harris tweeds on show and for sale. I don’t think I have been in such a small shop with so much stuff for a long time. You could buy the tweed and sew it yourself or purchase any one of a wide range of items already made. I find wool rather coarse and can’t wear it next to my skin, and these tweed fabrics are very coarse. Wool from the sheep here is not fine like the merino wool from Australia, it is quite coarse. The island of Harris just to the south of Lewis is the home of the Harris Tweed.
© Lynette Regan 15th October 2007