Lewis

Lewis

Lying some 50km across The Minch from the Scottish mainland at the northern end of the Outer Hebrides island chain, the Isle of Lewis – Eilean Leòdhais – is the larger, northern part of Lewis and Harris, the biggest of the Scottish islands. They are referred to as separate islands, historically because of differing clan loyalties, but also because there is a geographical ‘border’ of sorts, formed by the mountainous boundary of the Harris Hills and the lengthy incursions of Loch Rèasort from the west and fjord-like Loch Seaforth from the east. North of those two sea lochs, much of southern Lewis is hillcountry and moorland, the landscape scattered with numerous freshwater lochs and lochans. Mealaisbhal in the Uig Hills in the southwest of the island is the highest peak on Lewis at 574m, while Beinn Mhòr in Pàirc in the southeast is 572m. Lewis is generally lower-lying than Harris with peat moorland covering much of the interior in the north; it also has a rugged coastline of rocky cliffs punctuated by coves, sea lochs, small islands and skerries, and the west coast is garlanded with dune-backed white sand beaches.

History is everywhere in Lewis, with striking monuments to human endeavour – ancient and more recent – to be found in the landscape. Many of these sites – Neolithic standing stones, a Bronze Age broch, beehive cells and Victorian follies, to name but a few – are visited on the walking routes featured here. Beyond the townships and crofting lands, the large tracts of uninhabited land around the island – coastline, mountain and moorland – are anything but empty. The landscape is dotted with poignant traces of historical settlement, cultivation and livestock management: entire townships that were cleared to make way for sheep farming, or sporting estates and communities on the periphery that were ultimately stretched too thinly. Some of these abandoned settlements are still connected by cairn-marked paths few now follow. The coast, hills and hinterland are also home to an array of magnificent wildlife.

Due to its preponderance of flatter more cultivable land, Lewis is home to three-quarters of the population of the Western Isles. Lewis and Harris are the most populous of the Scottish islands, with around 19,000 permanent residents in Lewis and 2000 in Harris. In common with Harris, Lewis remains a stronghold of the Gaelic language and of a distinctive traditional culture where the Sabbath is still widely observed. Apart from the village of Achamore in the centre of the island, all the settlements are on or near the coast where the most fertile land is found. Crofting remains a significant part of the economic and cultural landscape of Lewis with livestock management – particularly sheep and cattle – still accounting for much crofting activity. With a population of around 7000, Stornoway is the only town in the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris. The port town is built around a natural harbour on the eastern side of Lewis, and the ferry connects with Ullapool on the mainland. Once home to a thriving fishing industry, Stornoway now has a much reduced fishing fleet, but the town’s economy has diversified over the years.

As travel to the islands has become quicker and easier, visitor numbers have increased in recent years, and tourism plays an important part in the island’s economy. In the spring and summer months, the ferry port at Stornoway bustles with visitors arriving and departing in cars, campervans and motorhomes, on pannier-laden bicycles and on foot. Lewis is very much a working place, however, with crofting, fishing and weaving still mainstays of island life. Aquaculture has become a major source of employment, and the many small enterprises add to the air of industry here. More than 40 percent of the working population is employed in the public sector, principally the local authority, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, and the NHS.

Lewis has an abundance of walks to suit most timetables and energy levels. Although there are plenty of fine vistas and monuments a short walk from the nearest car park, some of the island’s most beautiful landscapes and fascinating historical sites are accessible only on foot or by boat, which only adds to the pleasure of visiting them.
This guidebook brings together 25 of the best walking routes, from strolls along the west coast’s white sand beaches and half-day outings on rugged coastal paths to day-long mountain hikes and one wild country backpacking trek. Some of the routes are relatively popular, such as the one to the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, the east coast Heritage Trail between Tolsta and Ness and a ramble around the grounds of Stornoway’s Lews Castle.Others are largely unfrequented, including a tour of the hills of northern Pàirc and the Àird Bheag backpacking route in southwest Lewis. Three walking options are also included for visitors to the uninhabited Shiant Islands off the east coast of Lewis.

Weather

The Hebridean weather can be challenging – high winds and persistent rain are not uncommon – but, contrary to popular myth, the sun often shines in the Outer Hebrides too. In fact, the Hebridean climate, greatly influenced by the North Atlantic Drift, is generally milder than that of the Scottish mainland. Island weather is changeable, usually providing some variety over the course of a few days, and you should be prepared and equipped for all eventualities when planning walks.

Access and safety

Public access to the countryside in Scotland is a statutory right. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code provides guidance both for those exercising their right to roam and for land managers. See outdooraccess-scotland.scot.
Walkers have the right to roam over all open land, but this also comes with responsibilities. They must treat the environment and wildlife with care, respect the needs and privacy of those living and working in the countryside, not obstruct activities such as farming, crofting and deer stalking, and keep dogs under close control near livestock and ground-nesting birds. Sheep and cattle may be encountered roaming on roads, paths and beaches, so drive aware and be alert when walking with dogs.

Check weather forecasts before setting out and allow plenty of time to complete walks. Always let someone know your intended route and estimated time of completion. While some of the routes featured here take clear paths and tracks – some signposted and waymarked, others not – others follow vague and intermittent paths at best, and require a degree of navigational competence.

Getting there and getting around

Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the mainland port of Ullapool to Stornoway and from Uig, Skye to Tarbert, Harris. Book well ahead for vehicles as the ferries can be very busy, especially in summer.
Loganair flies to Stornoway from Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Lewis and Harris have a network of bus routes connecting most townships with Stornoway and Tarbert, hence many of the walks can be accessed by public transport, though timetables are often organised around schooldays.
If driving or cycling, familiarise yourself with the correct use of passing places on the island’s single-track roads, including letting vehicles overtake safely.

History

There are extensive traces of Neolithic culture in the Hebrides; the best-known site is the megalithic standing stones at Callanish (Calanais) in Lewis. Bronze Age sites are also found throughout the islands, including hut circles, field systems and burial cairns.
Viking raiders arrived in the islands at the end of the eighth century and formal Norse control followed in 1098. The Norsemen ruled the islands until 1156 when the Norse-Gael warlord Somerled took control of the Inner Hebrides. The Outer Hebrides remained in Norse hands until they were ceded to the Kingdom of Scotland at the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Somerled’s descendants, Clan Donald – known as the Lords of the Isles – emerged as the most important power in northwest Scotland, ruling the isles until 1493.With the Treaty of Union in 1707, the Hebrides became part of the new Kingdom of Great Britain, although there was considerable support for the Stuart cause among the island clan chiefs during the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite rebellions. In 1746 the decisive defeat of Charles Edward Stuart’s forces at the Battle of Culloden brought serious repercussions for highlanders and islanders.

The British government broke up the clan system and turned the Hebrides into a series of landed estates. The descendants of the clan chiefs became English-speaking landlords more concerned with revenues generated by their estates than the condition of those who lived on them. Rents were increased, Gaelic-speaking was discouraged and the wearing of folk dress was outlawed. In the mid-19th century crofting communities were devastated by the Clearances. Throughout the Highlands and Islands, populations were evicted – often forcibly – and replaced with sheep and deer. In Lewis, crofting communities were uprooted from their land. Large-scale emigration followed, some voluntary, some forced, with islanders relocated to the west coast and Lowlands of mainland Scotland and the North American colonies. The outlook for the depleted island communities remained bleak until rent strikes and land raids led to the passing of the 1886 Crofters Act. The Act set fair rents and guaranteed security of tenure and the right to bequeath crofts to a successor. Nonetheless, emigration from the Hebrides continued apace, and many communities dwindled through much of the 20th century. For those who remained, the economic situation gradually improved, with cattle farming, fisheries and tourism providing much of the stimulus.

The fortunes of islanders were also influenced by the lairds, landowners and entrepreneurs who owned much of the archipelago. The philanthropic entrepreneur Lord Leverhulme invested in infrastructure and economic development on Lewis and Harris – with limited success. The population decline affecting the Hebrides since the mid-19th century has to some extent stalled. As well as the public sector, farming, aquaculture, fishing and tourism, the development of renewable energy – wind and wave power projects – are an important element of the future island economy.
Conservation bodies and local communities have worked together in recent years to limit large-scale wind farm developments in favour of smaller community-owned projects, generating power currently consumed locally with profits ploughed back into community projects. The impetus for local control of natural assets is part of a bigger picture for the future of the island communities. The provisions of the 2003 Scottish Land Reform Act, together with funding to support bids, has encouraged community land ownership in the Western Isles with more than three quarters of land currently in the hands of community trusts and further community buy-outs in progress.

Natural history

The Outer Hebrides are largely comprised of Lewisian gneisses, some of the oldest rocks in Europe. The rugged landscape of the present day dates from the most recent glacial period of the Quaternary ice age when much of the rocky low-lying terrain was heavily scoured by the advancing ice sheet, creating the characteristic ‘cnoc-and-lochan’ topography of hillocks and small lochs. Sea levels rose as the glaciers melted, resulting in the archipelago of islands, skerries and reefs recognisable today. Vast quantities of sand and gravel deposited into the sea by glacial meltwaters were swept ashore by wind and wave action, forming the white sand beaches and sand dunes characteristic of the low-lying areas of the western coastline. There are few native mammal species in the Outer Hebrides, but the chances of spotting wildlife while out walking are good. Red deer haunt the crags and glens and are often seen when out walking, particularly in the Uig Hills and the hinterland of Pàirc. Mountain hares are generally much more difficult to see and the local population is small. They tend to be solitary and are normally found high up in the mountains. Otters have territories around much of the island’s coastline and are most often to be seen around the rocky inlets and headlands of the east coast.

Common and Atlantic grey seals are abundant and are regularly spotted basking on offshore rocks and skerries or observing onshore activity from the sea. Dolphins and porpoises frequent the sea lochs and bays of the east coast, usually in the spring and summer months. Few sights are as rewarding as a golden eagle soaring past a mountain ridge or effortlessly rising on thermals, except perhaps that of a white-tailed eagle flapping its barn door-sized wings as it patrols the coastline in search of prey. There is a good chance of spotting eagles, particularly in the hillcountry of south Lewis.

Eagles aside, the birdlife of the Outer Hebrides is rich, diverse and often spectacular. A number of rare and uncommon species, native and migrant, such as the corncrake, red-necked phalarope and great northern diver are present in the islands, as are several of the most impressive and photogenic species, including the raven, gannet and puffin. See western-isles-wildlife.com for up to date information on recent sightings.

Places of Interest

Àird Bheag
Àird Laimisiadair
Àird Mhòr
Àird Mhòr Mhangarstaidh
Ardroil
Arnol
Beinn Mhòr
Beinn na h-Uamha
Bhaltos
Bostadh
Bragar
Brèinis
Butt of Lewis
Carloway
Carnish
Ceann Shiphoirt
Cracabhal
Cromore
Dun Borranais
Dùn Carloway
Dùn Eistean
Eishken
Eorodale
Eoropie
Feiriosbhal
Garenin
Gleann Airigh an Domhnuill
Gleann Langadail
Gleann Raonasgail
Gleann Tamnasdail
Glen Bhìogadail
Great Bernera
Guaineamol
Knockaird
Laibheal a Tuath
Laimishader
Lews Castle
Lionel
Liuthaid
Loch Cheann Chuisil
Loch na Muilne
Loch Rèasort
Loch Seaforth
Loch Sealg
Loch Suaineabhal
Loch Tamnabhaigh
Loch Tealasbhaigh
Mangersta
Mealaisbhal
Mòr-Mhonadh
Morsgail Forest
Muaitheabhal
Mullach a’ Ruisg
New Tolsta
Orinsay
Pàirc
Port of Ness
Reef
Shiant Islands, The
Sidhean an Airgid
Skigersta
South Lochs
Stiomrabhaigh
Stornoway
Suaineabhal
Taireabhal
Tamna Siar
Tamnasbhal
Tarain
Tathabhal
Teinneasabhal
Tolsta Head
Tràigh Mhòr
Tràigh na Beirigh
Tràigh Ùige (Uig Sands)
Uig Hills