The Outer Hebrides
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The Outer Hebrides comprise a 210km archipelago off the north west coast
of Scotland It consists of hundreds of islands, the major ones being Barra in the
south,  South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist, and
the largest of the group, Lewis and Harris, in the north. Lewis is both the largest and most populous of the Western Isles, it is largely flat and peat-covered. The main activities of the island are crofting, weaving, fishing and to a growing extent, tourism. Despite its name, it is in fact Lewis which is the centre of the Harris Tweed industry and many looms can be visited - the tweed still manufactured in the  traditional
way. Lewis was first settled in the Iron Age - people who left their mark in the countless
neolithic sites which scatter the island.The Celtic tribes moved in during the first millenium of the modern era.Harris is among the best kept secrets of the British Isles. It is an area of towering mountains, wide white sandy beaches, ancient ruins yet is spectacularly untouristed. |
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People first came to Harris during the
Bronze Age leaving many standing stones which can be visited - MacLeod's Stone (Clach Mhic
Leoid) is easily reached, being at the far end of the beach at Nisabost, south of
Horgabost. There is also a fine example on the road between Borve and Scarista in south
Harris. Remote and spectacular, St Kilda is home to great colonies of sea-birds such as puffins, gannets and fulmars. Each year, Trust volunteer working parties maintain and restore the buildings of the small community which existed around Village Bay until the evacuation in 1930. |
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Hebrides Links
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