Highlights of the Hebrides

We start the day with a visit to Harris, whose mountainous environment is so different from Lewis’. Here we visit St. Clement’s Church at Rodel, built in the late 15^th century for the MacLeods of Harris, including Alasdair Crotach MacLeod whose wall tomb, dating to the early 16^th century, is one of the finest in Scotland. We continue with a visit to the Genealogy Centre at Northton, which explores the factors which contributed the development of the various island communities in the Hebrides. We conclude the day with a visit to the Clach Mhic Leoid, or MacLeod’s Stone, a 10-foot-tall standing stone overlooking Harris’ stunning north western shore, which may originally have been a burial cairn.

This morning we venture to Great Bernera to visit the Bosta Iron Age Village, dating to the 8^th-7^th century BC which includes 9 interconnected buildings. We continue to the superb Standing Stones of Callanish, the most important Bronze Age standing stones in the Western Isles. In the afternoon, we visit St. Columba’s Ui church, the most intact medieval structure on Lewis, before moving onto Lewis Castle where we will explore the home of the famous Lewis Chessmen, the iconic 12^th century chess pieces carved from walrus bone, possibly in Norway.

The day begins with an exploration of Carloway Broch, a remarkably well preserved 1^st century AD fortification which was reused in the 17^th century as a stronghold under the Morrisons of Ness. We then proceed to the Blackhouses at Gearannan and Arnol, typical crofting settlements found until recently in the Western Isles, which housed humans and livestock alike. After this, we explore the Norse Mill at Shawbost, a reconstruction of an Iron Age mill powered by a local stream flowing out of Loch Roinavat, which gives us an interesting glimpse into Lewis’ Scandinavian past. Our last visit of the day is to Clach an Trushal, an imposing 6-metre-tall standing stone which is one of the tallest in Scotland.

The Butt of Lewis lighthouse stands on high cliffs at the very northmost point of the island, casting a light 20 miles into the wild North Atlantic, with nothing between you and Newfoundland 2000 miles due west. Nearby at Eoropie lies the little medieval Church of St. Moluag, possibly built the by son of a Scandinavian king and which was a place of pilgrimage to those seeking healing. Nearby, we will also explore the mysterious site of Steinacleit, a possible prehistoric farmstead, revealed by peat cutting in the 1920s. The afternoon is yours to explore Stornoway.

On our last day, we take an early morning Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool, from where we continue our independent onward journeys.