11 to 12 September: The Outer Hebrides Continued- Harris and Lewis

Graced by fantastic weather, we cycled through mountains of South Harris, and then into scenic North Harris. 

This is the pass south of Tarbert. 

We remain baffled as to how one island can have two names (Harris and Lewis)! The way that people refer to these two islands- you would think they were actually separate, but they are not!  All we can find regarding this mystery is that until 1975, when the Western Islands Council was formed, Harris and Lewis were actually governed under two different shires (Inverness-shire and Ross-shire respectively). Still, kinda strange!

Later that afternoon, after making it to Lewis and riding westward on the A858, we visited the incredible Callanish standing stones, which are over 5000 years old. 

They are thought to be older than Stonehenge and even the Giza pyramids! 

This site consists of rows of large Lewisian gneiss in a cross shape. At the center of the cross it was found to have a burial chamber. It is fascinating to ponder these ancient and mysterious sites and imagine what life may have been like for these people.

We were amazed to learn the area is actually home to several standing stones sites- a dozen sites within only a 5 kilometer radius! It may perhaps be one of the most significant megalithic complexes in Europe!

The weather still holding, we made our way north to the Dun Carloway Broch- one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland. 

While reading of its recent history and were amused to hear that once a cattle thief taking shelter from a storm was smoked out of the broch by angry cattle owners. Sadly, the broch was partially disassembled in 1800's and the stones used in other near by buildings. It was one of the first brochs to earn protection from the Scottish government in order to prevent further harm and to preserve it for future generations.

This is a photo of the inner stairwell, between the inner and outer walls. (Watch your head going up he steps. boB theorizes that the folks who built this broch were a good deal shorter than he is, and likely didn't bang their heads on several tons of hard, cold stone. Which he did. Going up AND down the steps.) We were amazed by how intact the structure was compared with other brochs we've seen. boB's head? Not so intact. 

Exhausted from fighting the wind all day, we arrived at the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village museum. We were impressed by the rustic beauty of these quaint and lovingly restored traditional homes. It was indeed like stepping back in time!

A Blackhouse is a traditional stone home with a thatched roof such as were common in the islands until the mid 1900's. We are told that their stone walls were packed with clay, which kept them quite cozy inside during the notoriously windy Hebridean weather. Sadly, this also meant the air was stale and one must consider that diseases like tuberculosis continued in this area well after they were virtually eradicated elsewhere. It is easy to romanticize the simple crofting island life, but truth be told, it was a hard one, with disease and poverty going hand in hand.

 We watched a long-time weaver work his magic on the old loom. This isn't just for show - the fabric he's weaving will make its way into a suit, waistcoat, or other fashion accessory. 

The sound of the loom was mesmerizing. Ah, Harris tweed makes our hearts throb!!!

The picture above is the hostel/bunkhouse we stayed in at the village. It was actually quite modernized inside, which our English roomies were lamenting. They had visited just 3 years ago and cooked all their food on the peat fire cookstove within. (We get enough rustic living while out camping in the elements that we were personally glad for modern conveniences!)

Later, that same evening... Digging through the cabinets in the hostel, we found this...

... and subsequently later that night we became know as the Montana Whisky Thieves, as we accidentally cattle rustled some Glenfiddich 12 year old from the cabinet that we were told was the "Free Bin" in the kitchen!  Now we know better. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is! (Here we were so giddy to have found it- we even took a picture!) Sorry James, the poor Englishman! We repaid him in kind with some of our treasured Oban, and he took it all in stride. But, next time, James, be sure to label your food stuff, okay? That's pretty normal for hostel-living...

 

This photo shows the nearby ruins of a crofter's cottage at sunset. 

The next morning we headed for Stornoway under the bridge and through Carloway...

... And across the minimally-travelled Pentland road through the moors, it felt a little like we were on Mars- otherworldly rock formations and waving grass that stretched out for miles. We were pushing a severe headwind all the way, but even so was an enchanting experience. 

Perhaps you've heard of the preservatorial (?) properties of peat bogs? Bodies can be preserved for hundreds or thousands of years in peat bogs, due to the lack of oxygen and pH balance of the turf. Pretty amazing! It's even been called 'black butter', because this is what pear looks like when it is first cut. We've been wondering if we would make any significant discoveries in the bogs since we're covering so much of the country, and a fair portion of it had been tromping through - and riding past - bogs. Well, this fine day we made our great discovery:

A blue toaster. Not as archealogically significant as we might have hoped, but it's arguably better than finding something that's, um, not as nifty as a blue toaster. 

We arrived in Stornoway midmorning and hit the coop grocery store-we were hungry and had BIG eyes! 

We have been very impressed with all of the public signs in Gaelic- it's been a lot of fun trying to pronounce the Gaelic words and figure out which letters are silent!

We had a delightful yet cold and drizzly picnic in the park with some cuddly sheep. boB's not looking so happy here. He's cold. And hungry. And bummed these sheep aren't so cuddly. 

This is as close as we've actually gotten to snuggling sheep- and it hasn't been for lack of trying! Ahh...Gotta love skittish Scottish sheep, and the endlessly lovely weather! (That's what we keep telling ourselves, anyway.)

We visited a funky Harris tweed shop or two (even though we were technically on Lewis!), spent some time at the library to catch up on blog business, and found a fish and chips (F&C) place to fuel up for the  journey south. 

And ...

Yum!

This place was a crackup. They had a sign in front announcing they had won a World-Wide Chip Shop competition ... For 2016! And they had this sign posted inside, extolling the health benefits of a F&C diet.

Only Three Ingredients! And, it's scientifically proven to fuel hungry cyclists on their Scottish Cycle Tour Adventure!  (By the way, were seeking ideas on the name for our cycling team. Feel free to submit your entries in the Comments section. Cheers.)

Stornoway is the main town on Lewis with a population of 6000 (approximately a third of entire island population). Stornaway was visited frequently by the Vikings and was given the name "steering bay" for its sheltered harbor.

On the way out of town, we stopped by the Lews castle, which has a tremendous history.  Built in the 1800's by a rich merchant Sir James Matheson who bought the of Lewis in 1844. The castle was then purchased, along with the island, by Lord Leverhume in 1918. He graciously gave it back to the people in 1923. It is baffling and mind bending for us foreigners to imagine an entire island, along with its inhabitants being bought and sold- its people being mere commodities to shuffle around as the laird sees fit. It has given us greater appreciation for the liberties we were granted. And thankfully, the people of Lewis now own their own land!

We were sad to find that the Lews castle is currently closed to visitors due to extensive renovations. Another location to add our "next time" list. It was neat seeing the gargoyles at least!

We also came to Stornoway very excited to visit the Lewis Chessmen- a Viking chess set that was discovered at Uig (west coast of isle of Lewis) in a small stone chamber at the edge of a beach in 1831. It is thought the pieces were made in 1100 or 1200's AD. Quite enigmatic to ponder how they came to on the beach, in such good condition! We had read that the chessmen were to be returned to Lewis, their island home, this very year after a long stay at the British museum. To our dismay, upon checking in with the tourist information office, we found that they won't be coming to Stornoway until December of this year- and ironically enough, they will be housed at the Lews castle museum (which is currently closed anyways). 

 We hear that 11 of the 93 pieces from the set are actually at the Edinburgh museum and we hope to catch them there later this fall! This pic was googled for you... Cuz we haven't yet actually seen them. Stay tuned!

Riding south through inceasingly questionable weather, we headed to Tarbert to catch the Sunday ferry to Skye. 

We came across an intriguing structure along the roadside and couldn't help but explore- there was a small memorial depicting the story of the deer raiders- a group of brave men who took a stand against the unjust use of land. Such courage!

We also rode through Ballalan, at 4 miles, it's the longest village in the entire UK. Cool, no?

This area is rich in history around Bonnie Prince Charlie, and his arrival before - and escape after - the disasterous battle at Culloden. 

This stone monument is dedicated to Bonnie Prince Charlie and his escape from the Hebrides with the help of many brave and loyal locals. It is remarkable that, despite a £30,000 price on his head, the Bonnie Prince was never betrayed to the English. This speaks volumes of the Scottish highlanders and islanders. 

It was off-and-on raining, so we had to time our selection of camp site with a break in the showers. We actually did alright in that regard. 

About 15 miles north of Tarbert we set camp on a secluded road-side pull-out that was a ways up the hill. Decent days riding through wind and intermittent rain, we thought, so let's have our one-pot tortellini dinner and settle in. The constant wind takes a toll, even on a day of "only" 45 miles. 

Day to day summaries:

September 11 - South Talbert to Gearrannan Blackhouse village. Visited Callanish standing stones, Dun Carloway Broch, and the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village museum. Total 54.8 miles. Very windy, mountainous terrain. Wow, is Harris beautiful!!

September 12 - Gearrannan Blackhouse village to Loch Seaforth  (near Align Community Forest Preserve) via the lightly travelled Rathad Pentland road and the much busier A859. Visited Stornaway public library, Lews castle, monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the monument to the Deer Raiders. Total 45 miles. Very windy. Very. Very very windy (stay tuned for next post).