Tag Archives: Coast

Gearrannan Blackhouse Village, Isle of Lewis

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Another grey day on the Isle of Lewis but that was to be expected. It was October after all. We were making our way to the infamous Blackhouse village.

The Gearranan Blackhouse Village is a coastal crofting village located in a secluded bay within the district of Carloway, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis.

Isle of Lewis with the location of Blackhouse Village

Today the village is designated for a variety of self-catering vacation cottages.

The local community trust Urras nan Gearrannan Hu (the Garenin Trust) has carefully restored these once derelict properties to recreate an authentic blackhouse village. It feels like stepping back in time but with the local resident sheep on guard 😆

Traditional methods have been used to recreate the drystone masonry and thatched roofing of the original croft cottages.

What an experience to walk through the village.

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/I9Bmzpnb/gearrannan-blackhouse-village-isle-of-lewis-1.mp4
Walking through Blackhouse Village

What a great thing to have done, to have preserved these homes and given them another life.

So authentic including the sheep!

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

The Wonder of The Golden Road in the Isle of Harris

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Did you know that the beautiful Isle of Harris and Lewis is the largest Island in Scotland and the third largest in the British Isles? Well, it is. There are many photos of the beautiful beaches in West Harris. But what about East Harris?

On this trip we decided to travel to the east; to explore the Golden Road.

The Golden Road starts at Meabhag nam Bhaigh, Plocreapool, Scadabay, Grosebay and Kyles Stockinish, before rejoining the main East Coast road at Leacali in Harris.

The Golden Road

I have been told that the road got its name because of the extremely high cost of building it.

Driving aling the Golden Road

The road was built in 1897. Farmers were moved with their families from the west to the east.

Driving along the Golden Road

With the prospect of farming in such a harsh environment, the families were promised a road. A road to provide access and to ease their trepidation. Hence, the Golden road was built.

Despite the desolate nature of the area, I found it uncannily beautiful. Yes, beautiful. I had not seen anything like it before. It was both barren and mesmerising.

The view from the coast was spectacular 🙌🏾

What an amazing place.

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Lunch at The Temple in Northton, Isle of Harris

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After visiting Luskentyre, it was time for lunch.

We journeyed along the coast from Seilebost until we got to the lovely cafe, The Temple at Northton.

What a delightful, picturesque location. A perfect spot for lunch.

What a lovely experience. Wholesome food, grown and uniquely prepared on-site, in a beautiful setting.

Eating outside was pure bliss. Definitely worth the stop.

After lunch, we met up with the locals before heading out to our next stop 😆

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Luskentyre and Seilebost Beaches, South West Harris

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Can I say the ride to Luskentyre and Seilebost was glorious? Would that be a bit much? The ride was glorious!! 😄

The ride to South Harris

We were on our way to see the island’s precious gems, the infamous beaches along the coast of Seilebost and Luskentyre.

Maps of the Isles of Lewis and Harris with the location of Luskentyre and Seilebost

Luskentyre sands is on the west coast of South Harris. We were heading there first.

As we got closer we could just make out the beautiful turquoise water and white beach. Needless to say, our anticipation grew. We were very excited. After all, Luskentyre is one of the largest beaches in Harris and it has been recognised as one of the UK’s best beaches. We had good reason to be “energised”.

Upon arrival, we were met with mounds of white sand dunes.

As we climbed over the dunes, we were rewarded with spectacular views.

It was marvellous. It lived up to its promise. And with the temperamental nature of the weather, the entire scene seemed to change every two minutes!

Grey and moody one minute, then sparkling green-blue waters the next. It was fascinating.

It was truly beautiful. I could see how the beach may be mistaken as a Caribbean beach in photos. However, there is one “tiny little exception” called temperature which cannot be detected in a photo.

Temperature aside, we were well-wrapped and were happy to stay for a while.

The coast was a feast for the eyes.

Once we had our fill of Luskentyre beach we continued our journey to Seilebost.

We first had to negotiate our route with the residents. The Sheep. What a giggle!

Did someone say treats?!

It was easier to surrender and let them go first.

After all, it was their home. We were just visitors very much content with the beautiful surroundings of West Harris.

We made it to Seilebost! The beach was just as spectacular at this end. It was beautiful.

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Ullapool, The Highlands

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Made it! I made it to Ullapool. However, it was a short stay. Getting there was all about the 2-hour ferry crossing to Stornoway on the Isles of Lewis and Harris! This was my ultimate destination for this adventure.

On this visit, there appeared to be a lot of road repairs. Regardless, I could still see the “bones” of the village.

I loved the view of the water with the hills as its backdrop.

It perhaps was not the best of days to travel on a ferry to the Western Isles but when you live in Scotland you do not let a “ little thing like the weather” deter you from doing so.

So for our wee group, a ferry ride to Stornoway was definitely on, despite the grey clouds and threat of a little storm 😂

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/oHAS0YjD/ferry-to-stornoway-1.mp4

The ferry ride was calming but that could also be something to do with the glass of wine I was sipping. It was a wonderful trip just getting to Ullapool. I had stopped at the following:

All worth it. Cheers!

© The Scottish Pearl 2022

Gairloch, The Highlands

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My trip north meant getting to Ullapool. On our way, we made a quick stop at Gairloch. Gairloch means “Short Loch” in Gaelic. It is a small village on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands. It’s a popular summer destination but at the end of September, there are very few people to be found.

This was the case with this stop. It was a bit of a giggle because it was SO WINDY. Regardless, we ventured out to take in the view and wonder. The beach and the colour of the water were just delightful despite having to wrestle with Mother Nature.

© The Scottish Pearl 2022