Steering Bay, crowns and seals

A lovely day for December in Stornoway. The Viking name for the harbour was Steering bay which became adapted to Stornoway, according to the leaflet I was given. The tourist office was closed on Saturdays so I could not get more info.

Hardly a breath of wind, dry and occasionally sunny and, if wearing a warm jersey, mild enough not to need a jacket.

Spent the morning wandering the town and the harbour where this seal, one of several, was spotted. Then off to Lews Castle Museum. A modern addition to the castle with some superb displays with video clips of older and more modern residents. Plus a great large scale video display of the climate and the dramatic and beautiful islands. And some of the Lewis Chessmen- see extra -, supplemented by a great DVD about the chessmen. Well worth the visit and a good cafe for lunch. Unfortunate that one of my crowns came off while eating lunch.

Then I walked for ages round the estate getting some lovely views both over a Stornoway and towards the hills of Harris.

Some of the restaurants were booked up for Christmas events, but I managed to get a lovely meal just next to my hotel.