Utterly Hebridean (1): A Weekend on the Island of Lewis

Until very recently, you couldn't take the ferry to Scotland's Outer Hebrides on a Sunday. Now you can. But don't think the remote Island of Lewis is wholly ready to join the 21st century yet. They've still got a wee bit to go, so a visit here is still a step into a different world.

Stornoway is the island's main town where the car ferry "Isle of Lewis" now slips in and out seven days a week. The fishing has been in decline of late, but the residents go about their business quietly anyway, especially on a Sunday when you won't really see many of them, except en route to church. It's a respectful, honest community where front doors remain unlocked and everybody knows everyone else's business. And that's without reading the two weekly papers, The Stornoway Gazette (traditional) or the excellent West Highland Free Press (radical)
 
This is the British Isles' third biggest landmass and beyond Stornoway, across a moonscape of peat bogs and heather (Europe's largest undisturbed expanse of 'blanket bog') are surprisingly large townships strung along Europe's remotest edge, where Gaelic roadsigns and housenames serve the UK's greatest concentration of Gaelic speakers. Along the coast, inland from some spectacular beaches, there's hauntingly empty scenery and scattered evidence of ancient communities, dating back 5000 years or more, where life remained unchanged for centuries. Even under the Vikings, when the law was Norse rather than British.

Look out to sea and you won't even catch a glimpse of a distant shoreline - that way lies America - but there's plenty to see and do here if you look closely.

How to get to the Isle of Lewis.
The Outer Hebrides are Scotland's most North-Westerly islands, a long chain of small communities set in a variety of landscapes. Lewis is the furthest north, the bigger half of the landmass it shares with Harris.
 
The Calmac ferry service to the Outer Hebrides has benefitted from a new public subsidy, the Road Equivalent Tariff, where charges are matched with 'road costs' thus reducing fares for vehicles by up to 40%. But the long, long road journey to get there is still the same, a two hour crossing from Ullapool in Wester Ross, or from the Isle of Skye to get to Tarbert, further south.
 
Much quicker is to fly with one of three airlines serving Stornoway, (a fourth may start soon), which means you can fly indirectly from just about anywhere in the UK. Eastern Airways, whose regular passengers are so loyal it was voted 'airline of the year' over the mighty BA and Virgin, operate from a host of regional airports such as Southampton, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bradford and so on to take you to Stornoway via Aberdeen in less than two hours flying time. The staff on Eastern are exemplary, quite unlike the any other airline, and make your journey on their small Lear twinprops as pleasant as possible. Free snacks and champagne, personal service and small airports. It's the way flying used to be for everyone.

From the South East of England, say, it's an hour down from London to Southampton Airport by train, (Parkway Station is at the airport) or car (parking charges can be as low as £35 a week for AA members, £65 ordinarily) sidestepping the congestion and high charges of the biggest airports and therefore starting your holiday earlier.

Flybe and Loganair now codeshare to fly from Gatwick, Glasgow or Edinburgh, and Highland Air have a service from Inverness.

Getting Around the Isle of Lewis
If you're not cycling, the best choice is a car and best place to start is with Hebridean Hopscotch a local holiday company who will meet you at Stornoway (at the airport) with your chosen vehicle, but let you drop it off at the other end, such as Barra, or back in Stornoway. They're the only people that will let you do this and have other 'extra' touches, such as hamper and blanket in the boot for that isolated al fresco picnic you've been dreaming of on an Atlantic beach, but their brochure also illustrates the full range of places to stay on the island as cars can only be hired with accommodation. They take the effort and doubt out of booking as all their selected properties are graded and checked, varying from self catering through B&B to hotels and guesthouses. They cover most places on the island and allow you to create your own holiday, staying with them some nights and not others. Packages can include your own car, ferry bookings, etc. Start with a map, their brochure, your dates, and you're off.

If you've plenty of time on your hands the alternative is public transport, buses and the excellent postbuses, which sadly are now under threat. Timetables can be found here but the schedules tend to be thin, serving outlying school pupils and working people rather than holidaymakers. You can't travel on a Sunday, there are no services at all, and frankly Saturdays aren't great either.

OK. WE’RE HERE.
Stornoway itself is pretty compact, a quiet little town which welcomes a trickle of tourists throughout the summer and a few hardy souls who like to fish or surf throughout the rest of the year (the west coast beaches are fantastic, not just for surfers). There's a bit of history, some shops selling essentials, and a few pubs and restaurants. Wandering around Stornoway doesn't take long but the fresh air will make you linger, as well as the almost total absence of parking restrictions! A good tourist office with maps and several excellent bookshops provide the basics.

Set off west across the undulating landscape of peat bogs towards the Atlantic, which bashes the shoreline to create soft sandy beaches while the wind makes sure no trees survive. The road splits at Barvas. By heading north for Ness you'll pass through coastal communities, with plenty of walks taking in the beaches and headlands. Head south to Callanish and you'll find the Black Houses - original croft dwellings which were lived in for centuries before abandonment just 40 years ago - and more ancient communities evident by ruins and standing stones.

Ness is a particularly good place to wander around, its small harbour the setting-off point for the annual Guga Hunt (an age old cull of Gannets allowed by Act of Parliament) and despite its remoteness one the best restaurants in Scotland has suddenly appeared here (see Part Three). There are very few shops as the mobile banks/butchers/bakers supply most needs, (plus there's a large Co-op supermarket in Stornoway itself now). En route there are a few art galleries and potteries selling original pieces by artists who live and work here. There's no mass production. It's quiet.

South of Barvas the road hugs the coast towards smaller communities where fishing and crofting can still be found. The road signs up to now may have been bilingual but here you'll find they're just Gaelic, which is still understandable.

STAY WHERE?
There's a limited range of high quality accommodation in Stornoway, here is the best.
 
The oldest hotel in Stornoway is The Royal Hotel, sitting over the shoreline at the edge of the harbour. Best room is No 6 on the first floor which affords a view over the water to the hilltop Lews Castle. It's said the man who built the castle sat here observing its construction. A listed building, the rooms are refurbed slowly but surely to keep up with modern demands for flat screen TV, wifi and elegant bathrooms. Interior design in the bars and restaurants is an eclectic mix of sport and maritime memorabilia, but the food is more straightforward, and very good. Main courses may include langoustines, haggis and black pudding, risotto and a decent spread of vegetarian 'alternatives'. Wines and beers are economic, desserts sweetly toothsome. Of the two restaurants, go to The Boatshed for good service, happy atmosphere, in gastropub-style furniture.

The Royal is part of the small Cala Group, which also has the Caladh Inn, a cheap, clean and cheerful low cost hotel. Check out the website for prices. Free wifi here too.

Cala also has Stornoway’s top hotel, the Cabarfeidh, a relatively modern building set back from the road beside Lews Castle. It's large, clean and smoothly run with a happy local staff. The rooms are big, well equipped and multi purpose (business as well as holidaymakers, so there's everything you need including WiFi, flatscreen TV, and power showers) plus daily papers (not at all common outside Stornoway) and a buzzing bar. The hotel restaurant, Solas, is particularly good, a bistro style with modern fare. A dish of local diver caught scallops atop soft, unctuous Stornoway Black Pudding served with thick crispy pancetta hits the spot exactly, a perfect execution of a much maligned dish created out of stunning ingredients expertly handled. The wine list is chosen by the management (it includes wine from Uruguay!) and breakfasts offer poached local haddock, kippers, and fudge flavoured yoghurt.

Self Catering is booming in the Hebrides, and the best accommodations are at Hebridean Luxury Holidays, where refurbed croft houses, new builds and townhouse conversions are on offer all year round. Three of the better properties, on Sand Street at the edge of Stornoway (there's a beach at the end of the road) can house up to six or eight people in comfort. All have quality furniture and fittings, satellite TV (with DVD library), fireplaces, and fully equipped kitchens (which have everything, including larder basics, milk and teabags, plus every implement you're likely to need). 'Seacote' has a wetroom power shower, three double/twin bedrooms, and views across the fields and beaches. Adjacent, the striking ‘Craigroyston’ has sheep on the doorstep and a light airy interior thanks to its Scandinavian design. All have decks for evening barbecues, and are well placed for exploring the hinterland of Lewis. Children can play quite safely, it's quiet, and the views are breathtaking.

VisitScotland have other quality premises on their database.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, 1,2,3….
(1) Stornoway has a clutch of treasures, all within walking distance. An Lanntair Arts Centre is the central focus with changing exhibitions, the only cinema, a shop and a decent caff. On Francis Street the Museum nan Eilean offers a gentle lesson in the area's volatile history. The Loom Centre on Cromwell Street is well worth a looksee, Ronnie the man in charge will keep you amused, plus the town's bookshops in Cromwell Street offer up various volumes of local interest unavailable on the mainland. Souvenir photographs are hugely popular, and can also be bought online, such as those to be found here by local photographer Mike Shailes.

(2) The world famous Callanish Standing Stone Circles (there are three) are 5,000 years old and it's still a mystery exactly who built them and why. They're a stunning sight, older than Stonehenge and The Pyramids, and worth as much time as you've got on a rainy or sunny day. An adjoining information centre explains all you need to know - as well as housing a shop and very good cafe in a very attractive building. This place is disarmingly beautiful, with the stones forming a cross from four 'avenues' stretching out from a small central burial ground. In 3000 BC the settlers here either had the time to build such incredible monuments, or they had the capability to control a workforce. Either way, it's a fascinating and unique place to visit.

(3) The crofting and fishing communities of Lewis that still exist today are housed in sturdy brick houses but not so very long ago (40 years in some places) families dwelt in 'Black' Houses built out of roughly hewn stone and thatched with heather or reeds. Inside, they lived in cramped conditions, in some cases alongside their animals, burning peat fires and with floors of just earth. A perfectly preserved village of these dwellings can be found (en route to Callanish) at Gearrannan. The families still live nearby and their hillside village, leading down to the sea, is exactly as they left it. One house has been turned into a Youth Hostel, another poignantly illustrates life way back when, and one has been turned into a public convenience for visitors.

Not far away, another Black House at Arnol is just as impressive with the added bonus of one of the Hebrides' most revered nature reserves - Loch na Mulilne - where twitchers get excited over red-necked phalaropes, golden plovers and snipe while the rest of us can wonder at the idea that the water here was once diverted to power four separate mills in the village.

LET’S DO LUNCH
Cheap
In the shadow of Lews Castle is the Woodlands Centre, a bright modern building of glass and light where everybody in town likes to lunch on soups and salad, or choose from a couple of main courses and sandwiches. Cheap and cheerful, when the weather's fine you can sit outside and enjoy the view over the water to the harbour.

Not so cheap
Two of the best staples in Stornoway are the Thai Cafe and The Indian Balti Palace. The latter is busy, particularly on Sundays (it's the only place open!) with pakora, a full menu of familiar dishes and all drinks - even on Sunday!

Not cheap but worthwhile
The two best restaurants in Stornoway are Solas,(see Cabarfeidh Hotel, above) and Digby Chick, a corner site in town where modern fare is served by a cheery staff in contemporary surroundings. Starters such as oatmeal herring with sweet and sour onion and red pepper coulis are followed by twice cooked pork belly with sweetcorn mash and mushroom pakora. It's all delicious and in summer booking is advisable. The menu changes with the seasons and lunchtimes are bargain led, with two courses for £9.95. Dinner at night includes Mondays (a rarity hereabouts) and is heavily booked.

AN APERITIF
Stornoway houses a number of wee bars frequented by the seafaring community and it would be remiss not to mix and chat while in town. A good place for a pre-prandial is The Criterion Bar (adjacent Digby Chick) where the Weekender would recommend a half and a half, a half pint of 70 shilling (beer) accompanied by a small plain blended whisky with a splash of water. No need for the luxury of a single malt here, everyone else is drinking the cooking stuff so why shouldn't you? A friendly wee place at any time of the day or night.

DINNER IS SERVED
I wouldn't normally recommend a 25 mile road trip for dinner but here is the one exception. Waaay out of Stornoway, at the very northern tip of Lewis is Ness, or to be more exact Port of Ness (Port Nis in Gaelic) which until recently had one claim to fame, an annual cull of Gannets (a protected species) by local men who salt the birds for preservation then send the cured meat all over the world to exiles as a reminder of home. A gourmet delight, I am assured by the recipients, and a strong reminder of their history. Otherwise Ness has been ignored by the world, a wee fishing community just minding its own business in the face of strong winds and accompanying rain hurtling in off the Atlantic. You can't get more remote than this.

Then Sulair opened, a quite startling restaurant which has taken the place by storm (boom boom!) and would have queues and clipboard Nazis with food critics drooling, were it in Central London. It is quite the most extraordinary place you will ever visit. If you can get a table.

The owner chef, Murdo Alex Macritchie, is a local boy back from his travels. The building is small and unprepossessing, just like the rest of the village, and sits with its picture windows overlooking the tiny harbour. You can watch the sun shine on the sheep grazing over the bay, or the rain come in from the North Atlantic, while eating some of the best food you'll ever have in your life.

The menu kicks off with a list of suppliers. They're not just local, they're mostly within a mile or two, Habost, Brue, Barvas - and keep in mind where you are here, the very northern tip of Britain's outermost islands - supplying beef, pork (Old Gloucester), fresh fish (from the water in front of you), all manner of game, vegetables and herbs and spices and so on and so forth. It's the only supplier's list that you'll discuss over lunch. Instead of sending all that fine produce via the wholesalers to markets on the mainland for consumption down south, you can eat it all here, in situ, prepared by an expert.

Heavens above, there's even an amuse bouche, deep fried breadcrumbed blue cheese bonbons accompanied by a cup of carrot soup spiked with cardamom, and soft white bread. The wine list is extensive, cheap, and available by glasses, halves, and supplied by the excellent Inverarity Wines of Edinburgh, the best in Scotland.

Aah, cheap. The lunchtime three course menu is a staggering £15 - they even knock off £4 if you don't have dessert - with starters like foie gras and haggis spring rolls served with pickled apple puree and a hazelnut vinaigrette, Port of Ness mackerel ("Caught this morning") with sweet fresh beetroot, quails egg, and honey and orange dressing or a delicious summery, fresh tasting pea and marjoram pannacotta with pea shoots (picked just before you eat them) with a slurry of white truffle emulsion. Mains can include slow braised local Ox Cheek, local sea trout and so on followed by desserts like baked Brillat Savarin and Nutmeg Cheesecake with real vanilla ice cream. All served by the owner's wife and cheery local help in an informal, happy clean fuss free room. No tartan gimcrackery, no sub-standard catering, no chips.

The dinner menu is a la carte and evolves with the seasons, offering the very best that's available locally. This isn't just the best restaurant in the Outer Hebrides (and there are several good ones), this is one of the best restaurants in Scotland, and Murdo would give the top restaurants in Central London a run for their money. But only if he could get the suppliers there too.

(Open Weds to Sat in summer, Thurs to Sat in winter, lunch and dinner. Tel 01851 810222)