Lewis with Harris

The Isle of Lewis

Lewis and Harris

Lewis with Harris

Lewis ( Leòdhas in Scottish Gaelic ) or The Isle of Lewis ( Eilean Leòdhais ), is the northern part of the largest island of the Western Isles of Scotland or Outer Hebrides ( Na h-Eileanan Siar ). The southern part of the island is called Harris ( Na Hearadh ). The two names however refer to the two parts of the same island despite the use of the terms 'Isle of Lewis' and 'Isle of Harris'. Lewis is, in general, the lower lying part of this island, with Harris being more mountainous.

Geography
Lewis' main settlement, the only burgh on the Outer Hebrides, is Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh), from which ferries sail to Ullapool on the Scottish mainland. In the 2001 census Lewis had a usually resident population of 16,872.

The island's settlements are on or near the coasts or sea lochs, being particularly concentrated on the north east coast. The interior of the island is a large area of moorland from which peat was traditionally cut as fuel, although this practice has become rarer. The southern part of the island, adjoining Harris, is more mountainous with inland lochs. The island of Bernera (Great Bernera) in the district of Uig is linked to the mainland of Lewis by a bridge opened in 1953 .

Topography
The landscape of Lewis varies from moorland with fresh-water lochs in the North of the island to a more hilly landscape in Uig. The coast is marked by rocks, cliffs, machair and various beaches, some shingle-covered and some with golden sands. The island is composed of gneiss rocks, excepting a patch of granite near Carloway, small bands of intrusive basalt at Gress and in Eye Peninsula and some Torridonian sandstone at Stornoway, Tong, Vatskir and Carloway.

Compared to Harris, Lewis is relatively flat, save in the south-east, where Ben More reaches 1874 ft., and in the south-west, where Mealasbhal (1885) is the highest point; but there are only eleven peaks exceeding 1000 ft. in height. The principal capes are the Butt of Lewis, in the extreme north, where the cliffs are nearly 150 ft. high and crowned with a lighthouse, the light of which is visible for 19 m.; Tolsta Head, Tiumpan Head and Cabag Head, on the east; Renish Point, in the extreme south; and, on the west, Toe Head and Gallon Head.

Parishes and districts of Lewis
There are four parishes: Barvas (Barabhas), Lochs (Na Lochan), Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh), and Uig on which the original civil registration districts were based. The district of Carloway (after the village of that name) which hitherto had fallen partly within the parishes of Lochs and Uig, became a separate civil registration district in 1859 .
The districts of Lewis are Ness (Nis), Carloway (Càrlabhagh), Back, Lochs (Na Lochan), Park (A' Phàirc), Point (An Rubha), Stornoway, and Uig. These designations are traditional and in use by the entire population.
For civil registration purposes Lochs (Na Lochan) is nowadays split into North Lochs (Na Lochan a Tuath) and South Lochs (Na Lochan a Deas).
The West Side is a generic designation for the area covering the villages from Arnol to Shawbost (Siabost).
It is claimed that the site of the Stornoway War Memorial was chosen as it would be visible from at least one location in each of the four parished; therefore, it is further claimed that it is possible to see all four parishes of Lewis from the top of the monument

Settlements of Lewis
The following is a non-exhaustive list of Villages in Lewis according to their location:

Back Ness North Lochs Park
(South Lochs)
Point Uig West Side Stornoway
Back, Coll, Gress, North Tolsta, Tong Habost, Port of Ness Balallan, Crossbost, Leurbost Gravir Aird Aignish, Flesherin, Lower Bayble, Portnaguran, Portvoller, Upper Bayble Cliff, Kneep, Timsgarry, Valtos Arnol, Ballantrushal, Barvas, Bragar, Breasclete Brue, Callanish, Carloway, Garenin, Garynahine, Shawbost Laxdale, Parkend, Plasterfield, Sandwick

Industry
Crofting and farming, although historically important in Lewis, are currently in decline.
The Harris tweed industry regularly goes through boom and bust cycles. Every length of cloth produced is stamped with the official Orb symbol, trademarked by the Harris Tweed Association in 1909, when Harris Tweed was defined as "hand-spun, hand-woven and dyed by the crofters and cottars in the Outer Hebrides"; Machine-spinning and vat dyeing have since replaced hand methods, and only weaving is now conducted in the home, under the governance of the Harris Tweed Authority, established by an Act of Parliament in 1993. Harris Tweed is now defined as "hand woven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the islands of Harris, Lewis, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra and their several purtenances (The Outer Hebrides) and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides."
The Arnish manufacturing yard was originally established in the 1970s as a fabrication plant for the oil industry but suffered regular boom and bust cycles. The downturn in business from the North Sea oil industry in recent years led to a move away from serving this market. The yard is now earmarked as a key business in the development of the whole Arnish Point industrial estate and has received large amounts of funding in recent years. Presently, there is a seaweed processing plant and a renewable energy manufacturing yard are situated on Arnish Point.
There is a pharmacuitical plant near Carloway which specialises in fatty acid research.
The local authority is one of the main employers in the island.
The fishing fleet (and associated shoreside services) is somewhat reduced from its heydey.

Transport
A regular Caledonian Macbrayne (except Sunday) ferry (MV Isle of Lewis) sails from Stornoway to Ullapool on the Scottish mainland, taking 2 hours 40 minutes connecting Lewis with the mainland. There are an average of two return crossings a day, with an increase and reduction in frequency in summer and winter months respectively. As ferry traffic has increased, a second ship (MV Muirneag) now provides a single early morning sailing to carry most of the island's freight lorries. Other ferries sailing from Harris are easily accessible by road enabling transport to Skye and Uist.

Suggestions for the possibility of an undersea tunnel linking Lewis to the Scottish mainland were raised in early 2007. One of the possible routes, between Stornoway and Ullapool, would be over 40 miles long and hence become the longest road tunnel in the world; however, shorter routes would be possible.

Stornoway is the public transport hub of Lewis with bus service links to Point, Ness, Back and Tolsta, Uig, the West Side, Lochs and Tarbert, Harris. These services are provided by the local authority and several private operators as well as some community-run organisations.

Stornoway Airport is 2 miles away from the town itself, and is located next to the village of Melbost. From here services operate to Aberdeen, Benbecula, Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow, with flights from British Airways franchisee Loganair, Eastern Airways and Highland Airways. The airport is also the base of a HM Coastguard Search & Rescue Sikorsky S-61 helicopter, and was previously home to RAF Stornoway.

Climate
The climate of Lewis is a generally mild one with little temperature difference between summer and winter. There is a significant rainfall and frequent high winds, particularly during the autumn equinox. These winds have led to Lewis being designated a potential site for a significant wind-farm which has caused much controversy amongst the population.

Average / Month Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
High temperature Celsius (°F) 11 (52) 7 (44) 7 (44) 8 (46) 10 (50) 12 (54) 14 (58) 16 (60) 16 (61) 14 (58) 12 (53) 9 (48) 7 (45)
Low temperature Celsius (°F) 5 (41) 2 (35) 2 (35) 2 (36) 3 (38) 6 (42) 8 (47) 10 (50) 10 (50) 8 (47) 6 (43) 4 (38) 2 (36)
Days of Air Frost 2.88 7.22 7.01 6.52 2.62 0.56 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.86 3.48 6.30
Rainfall (mm) 99.74 134.41 98.48 93.86 72.70 61.86 64.89 74.21 89.63 106.44 132.21 132.37 135.78
Hours of Sun 101.94 34.46 63.43 104.85 147.07 192.18 166.44 127.94 132.57 106.63 77.19 44.26 26.21
Temperature figures are average figures for that month; other figures are averages of monthly totals.
Source: | Met Office (Data Jan 1874-Nov 2006)

Religion
Religion is important in Lewis, with much of the population belonging to the Free Church and Church of Scotland (both Presbyterian in tradition). The Sabbath (i.e., Sunday) is generally observed with most shops and licensed premises closed on that day, although there is a scheduled air service to mainland Scotland. While Presbyterianism dominates Lewis, other religions are present with a Catholic church, a Mormon temple and a Jehova's Witness temple all present in Stornoway.

Government and politics

In terms of local government, Lewis forms part of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar council centralised in Stornoway.

The Isle of Lewis is in the Highlands electoral region and is part of the identical Western Isles Scottish Parliamentiary and Na h-Eileanan an Iar Westminster constituencies, both currently represented by members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and both previously held by members of the Labour Party before the respective elections.

The current MSP is Alasdair Allan (SNP), succeeding Alasdair Morrison (Labour)
The current MP is Angus MacNeil, succeeding Calum MacDonald (Labour)
The local authority is currently under no overall control with a significant number of independent members.
Historically, while Harris was part of Inverness-shire, Lewis was part of Ross-shire (Ross and Cromarty) until the establishment of the Western Isles Islands Council in 1975.

During the 1970s, the local MP, Donald Stewart was the leader of the parliamentary SNP group in Westminster.
Between December 1997 and July 1999 Calum MacDonald was Minister for Housing, Planning and European Affairs at the Scottish Office. Between July 1998 and July 1999 he had additional responsibilities for Transport, Highlands and Islands and Gaelic.

Education
Many of the villages have primary schools, with some also having 2-year secondary schools. The Nicolson Institute is the only six-year secondary school in Lewis with a roll of approximately 1,000 pupils.

Stornoway is home to a small campus of the University of Stirling, teaching nursing, which is based in Ospadal nan Eilean (Western Isles Hospital). There is also a further education college, Lews Castle College, which is part of the UHI Millennium Institute.

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Language
Lewis has a linguistic heritage rooted in Gaelic and Old Norse, which both continue to influence life in Lewis. Today, both Gaelic and English are spoken in Lewis, but in day to day life, a hybrid of English and Gaelic (Highland English) is very common. As a result of the Gaelic influence, the Lewis accent is frequently considered to sound more Irish, Welsh and even North American than stereotypically Scottish in some quarters. The Gaelic culture in the Western Isles is more prominent than in any other part of Scotland. Gaelic is still the language of choice amongst many islanders and around 60% of islanders speak Gaelic, whilst 70% of the resident population have some knowledge of Gaelic (including reading, writing, speaking or a combination of the three). All signposts on the islands are written in both English and 'Gàidhlig' and much day-to-day business is carried out in the Gaelic language. Almost all of the Gaelic speakers are bilingual.

Most of the place names in Lewis and Harris come from Old Norse. The name Lewis is the English spelling of the Gaelic Leòdhas which comes from the Old Norse Ljóðhús, as Lewis is named in medieval Norwegian maps of the island. Ljóðhús translates from Old Norse to English as Home of the Poet (Ljóð = Poet, hús = house). The 12th century ruler of the Island, Leod, taking his name from the Norse word for Poet.

Media and the Arts
Lewis has been home to, or inspired, many writers. Examples include James Boswell and Dr Johnson's account of a trip to the Hebrides. As well as regularly playing host to the Royal National Mod, there are annual local mods. Stornoway Golf Course hosts the annual 3 day Hebridean Celtic Festival in July, attracting over 10,000 visitors. The festival includes events such as ceilidhs, dances and special concerts featuring storytelling, song and music with performers from all round the Isles and beyond.

The radio station Isles FM is based in Stornoway and broadcasts on 103FM, featuring a mixture of Gaelic and English programming. The town is also home to a studio operated by BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, and Studio Alba, an independent television studio from where the Gaelic TV channel TeleG is broadcast.

There is a good provision of sporting grounds and sports centres in Lewis. Sports such as Football (Soccer), Rugby and Golf are popular.

Football is the most popular amateur sport in Lewis with Goathill Park in Stornoway hosting special matches involving select teams and visiting clubs and other organisations. Local teams currently participate in the Lewis and Harris Football League.
Shinty is not as popular as in the rest of the West of Scotland, but the Lewis Camanachd team is based around the town.
Attached to the Nicolson Institute School is the Ionad Spors Leòdhas (Lewis Sports Centre), an all-weather pitch and running track.
The Lews Castle Grounds is the home of Stornoway Golf Club (the only 18-hole golf course in the Outer Hebrides).

Myths and Legends

"Boy on white horse" by Theodor Kittelsen.The Isle of Lewis has a rich folklore, including:

The Blue Men of the Minch (also known as storm kelpies), who occupy the stretch of water between Lewis and mainland Scotland, looking for sailors to drown and stricken boats to sink.
Kelpies were said to occupy several lochs, including one at Leurbost.
Seonaidh - a water-spirit who had to be offered ale.
Searrach Uisge - a monster who was said to occupy Loch Suainbhal. Resembling a capsized boat, this creature has been reported swimming around for one and a half centuries. Locals say lambs were once offered annually to the creature. Other such creatures have been reported in several other lochs, including Loch Urubhal.
A family of werewolves were said to occupy an island on Loch Langavat. Although long deceased, they promised to rise if their graves were disturbed.
Various sea monsters have been reported off the shores of Lewis over the years, including a sighting reported in 1882 by a German ship off the Butt of Lewis. The ship, 15 kilometres off the coast, reported a sea serpent around 40 metres in length, several bumps protruding from the water, along its back. Sea serpents have also been reported at the southern side of the island.
Glowing Balls have been reported in the area of Sandwick. The lights that float around the area normally announce approaching death for a local. Some say the light belongs to an Irish merchant who was robbed and murdered on the island.

The Isle of Lewis has a variety of locations of historical and archaeological interest including:

Callanish standing stones;
Dun Carloway Broch;
Iron Age houses near Bostadh (Great Bernera);
The Black House village at Garenin (Na Gearannan), near Carloway and the Black House at Arnol;
St. Columba's church in Aignish;
Teampull Mholuaidh in Ness;
Clach an Truiseil monolith;
Bonnie Prince Charlie's Monument, Arnish;
Lews Castle;
Butt of Lewis cliffs and lighthouse;
Dùn Èistean.
There are also numerous 'lesser' stone circles and remains of brochs.

Historical Events
The first evidence of human habitation of the islands is found in peat samples which indicate that about 8,000 years ago, much of the native woodland was torched to make way for grassland to allow deer to graze.
The earliest archaeological remains in Lewis date from about 5,000 years ago. At that time, people began to settle in permanent farms rather than following their herds. The small houses of these people have been found throughout the Western Isles, in particular, at Dail Mor in Lewis. The more striking great monuments of this period are the temples and communal burial cairns at places like Calanais.
About 500 BC, island society moved into the Iron Age. The buildings became larger and more prominent, resulting in the brochs which were circular dry-stone towers belonging to the local chieftans, the best example of which in Lewis is at Dun Charlabhagh.
7th and 8th Centuries AD, Christianity began to spread through the islands.
9th Century AD, The Vikings arived, intermarrying with local families and abandoning their pagan beliefs. At this time, most buildings changed their forms from being round to rectangular, following the Scandinavian style. At this time, Lewis was officially part of Norway. The Lewis chessmen, which were found on the island in 1831, date from the time of Viking rule. The people were called the Gall-Ghaidheil, the ‘Foreigner Gaels', reflecting their mixed Scandinavian/Gaelic background, and probably their bilingual speech.
1263 The battle of Largs, while not taking place in Lewis had a significant effect in Scotland's defeat of the Vikings, leading to Lewis, and the rest of the Islands, being ceded to Scotland in 1266.
14th Century. The Lordship of the Isles emerged as the most important power in north-western Scotland. The Lords of the Isles were based on Islay, but controlled all of the Hebrides. They were descended from Somerled (Somhairle) Mac Gillibride, a Gall-Gaidheil lord who had held the Hebrides and West Coast two hundred years earlier.
18th Century. Following the 1745 rebellion, and Prince Charles Edward Stewart's flight to France, the use of Gaelic was discouraged, rents were demanded in cash rather than kind, and the wearing of folk dress was made illegal. Emigration to the New World increasingly became an escape for those who could afford it during the latter half of the century.
19th Century. Clearances by landlords forced vast numbers off their lands, and increased again the flood of emigrants. Lewis was the site of numerous 'land strugles' which have recently been commemorated in modern cairn-style monuments in various villages.
1914-1918 During the First World War, thousands of islanders served in the forces, many losing their lives.
1919 The Isle of Lewis suffered a terrible blow with the sinking of the Iolaire on New Year's Day, when at the close of the First World War the Admiralty yacht HMY Iolaire, sank within sight of Stornoway's harbour, killing over 200 naval reservists from the island who were returning home after the war.
1939-1945 Again, Lewis contributed to the forces during the Second World War with most serving in the Royal and Merchant Navy. Again, many lives were lost. Following the war, many more inhabitants emigrated to the Americas and mainland Scotland.
Medieval development of the Stornoway was spurred by the construction of the original castle in the High Middle Ages by the Nicolson (or MacNicol) family of Viking descent. Infighting between rival clans continued throughout the Late Middle Ages and resisted an attempt by James VI to colonise Lewis in 1597. The castle was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's forces in the mid 17th century, and the ownership of Lewis passed from the MacKenzies of Kintail through the Seaforth family and Sir James Matheson (and his descendants) to William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme.
Lord Leverhulme finally gifted the town's parish to the Stornoway Trust, who's ownership remains to this day.

Nature
The only reptile is the slow-worm, a legless lizard. No native amphibians are known and any frogs, newts or toads found have been introduced.

Birds
Three hundred and twenty seven species of birds have been recorded in the Western Isles and more than 100 breed. The Islands provide a natural flyway for migrating landbirds to and from their Arctic breeding grounds and a refuge for windblown vagrants from America and northern Europe. Many species of bird breed in the Western Isles and the surrounding islands, including, most of Britain's Corncrakes which breed on the croftlands of all the islands.

Many species of seabirds inhabit the coastal areas of Lewis, such as shag, gannets, fulmars, kittiwakes, guillemots and the ubiquitous seagulls.

In the Uig hills, it is possible to spot golden eagles; it has also been claimed that white-tailed eagles have been seen in the area. . In the Pairc area, it is possible to see feeding oyster catchers and curlews.

A few pairs of Peregrine Falcons survive on coastal cliffs and Merlin and Buzzard are not uncommon anywhere on hill and moor. Red-throated Divers nest on countless small tarns and a very few Black-throated Divers on bigger lochs. Arctic Skuas are spreading south from Lewis as far as South Uist but the Great Skua is still found breeding only in Lewis, St Kilda, North Rona, the Shiant Isles and Barra Head.

An important feature of the winter bird life is the great diversity of wildfowl. A variety of duck, such as Eider and Long-tailed are found in the shallow water around Lewis..

Marine Life

Atlantic salmonSalmon frequent several Lewis rivers after crossing the Atlantic. Many of the fresh-water lochs are home to fish such as trout. Other freshwater fish present include Arctic char, European eel, 3 and 9 spined sticklebacks, thick-lipped mullet and flounder.

Offshore, it is common to see seals, particularly in Stornoway harbour, and with luck, dolphins, porpoises, sharks and even the occasional whale can be encountered.

Occasional turtles, mainly loggerhead and leathery, may be met in coastal waters.

Land Mammals
There are only two native land mammals in the Western Isles, red deer and otter. The rabbit, blue hare, hedgehog, brown and black rat, feral cat and polecat were introduced by man. The origin of mice and voles is uncertain.

There are claims that the Stornoway castle grounds are home to bats. In addition, there are farmed animals such as sheep, cattle and a few pigs.

Harris (Na Hearadh in Scottish Gaelic) is the southern part of the largest island of the Western Isles of Scotland or Outer Hebrides ( Na h-Eileanan Siar ). The northern part of the island is called Lewis (Leòdhas). Despite the use of the terms 'Isle of Lewis' and 'Isle of Harris', the two names 'Harris' and 'Lewis' refer to the two parts of the same island. Lewis is, in general, the lower lying part of the island, with Harris being the more mountainous.

Harris divides naturally into northern and southern parts, joined by a narrow isthmus at the main settlement of Tarbert (An Tairbeart or Tairbeart na Hearadh), from which ferries sail to Uig in Skye. Harris was previously part of Inverness-shire, under older administrative divisions. In the 2001 census Harris had a usually resident population of 3,601.

Harris has been described as the last bastion of fundamentalist Calvinism (see Religion in the Outer Hebrides), and sabbatarianism is still a highly contentious issue.

Harris is also known for Harris tweed, although it is mostly now made in Lewis.

In common with many parts of the Highlands and Islands Harris has numerous single-track roads with passing lanes at intervals.

Most of the place names of Lewis and Harris come from Old Norse. Lewis and Harris came via Old Norse Ljóðhús = "Home of the Poet" (Ljóð = Poet, hús = house) and Herað = "a type of administrative district" from alterations of unknown Pictish originals.

North Harris
North Harris, adjoining Lewis, contains Clisham (An Cliseam), the highest mountain in the Outer Hebrides at 799 metres. The area is sparsely populated. Beyond Tarbert, the furthest settlement is Hushinish (Hùisinis) on the west coast. A bridge from the east coast links Harris to the island of Scalpay (Scalpaigh na Hearadh).

In March 2003 the North Harris Estate was purchased on behalf of the local community by the North Harris Trust. In April 2006 the Trust hosted the Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company conference "Community Energy: Leading from the Edge" in Tarbert.

South Harris
South HarrisThe southern part of Harris is less mountainous, with numerous unspoilt, white sandy beaches on the west coast. Its main settlements are Rodel (Roghadal), known for its medieval kirk St. Clement's Church (Eaglais Chliamhain) (Historic Scotland), the most elaborate surviving medieval church in the Hebrides after Iona Abbey, and Leverburgh (An Tòb na Hearadh or An t-Òb na Hearadh) from which a ferry sails to Berneray (Beàrnaraigh na Hearadh), an island off the coast of North Uist (Uibhist a Tuath), to which it is joined by a causeway.

The road which runs along the east coast of Harris (from south of Tarbert to Rodel) is known colloquially as the "Golden Road" as it cost so much money to build, when it was built in 1897 by Jamie Harris. It runs through the area of Harris known as Bays through the coastal townships Lickisto (Liceasto), Geocrab (Geòcrab), Manish (Mànais), Flodabay (Fleòideabhagh), Ardvay (Àird Mhighe), Finsbay (Fionnsbhagh) and Lingerbay (Lingreabhagh).

Of all the beaches on South Harris, Luskentyre and Scarista are considered by many to be the most spectacular. The scenery is some of the most breathtakingly beautiful in Scotland. From Luskentyre, the island of Taransay, where the BBC Television series Castaway was recorded, is seen most clearly. At Scarista the scene is much more sporting, as it is often the venue for surfing and kite buggying. Nearby the Harris Golf Club offers well kept greens and astounding views, but there is no play on Sundays. Scarista is the birthplace of the author Finlay J. MacDonald. Finlay wrote about growing up on Harris in the 1930s in his books: Crowdie and Cream, The Corncrake and the Lysander and Crotal and White and paints a very vivid and humorous picture of Hebridean life.

Trivia
Tinted shots of parts of the island were used by Stanley Kubrick as the surface of Jupiter in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey

Lewis is the biggest island of Britain, after Britain, and is bigger than just the Isle of Skye,

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