A grand day out...

Backblip

Ele and Kenny headed home today.  Their ferry was leaving at lunch time so we had breakfast together then bid them farewell and we headed off to spend the day in south west Lewis.  

It was such a beautiful day and I am really sorry that Ele and Kenny didn't get the chance to see this part of Lewis.  The beaches on south Harris (Luskentyre, Scarista etc) get all the glory but the beaches on south west Lewis (Uig, Kneep, Reef and Cliff beaches) are just as breathtaking.

We made a quick stop at Calanais to see the standing stones but it was very busy so I just took some shots from the car. We then turned back and carried on down the road to the south west.  

We got down there just as our rumbling tums declared it lunch time so we stopped at Uig Community Centre cafe, which is next to the Primary School.  It was interval when we arrived and it was so lovely to hear and see the children playing against the stunning backdrop of the hills and Uig Bay.  Of course they weren't playing the blindest bit of attention to the scenery.  I bet they don't even notice it, as tends to be the way when one lives in stunning surroundings.  

The little cafe was lovely and we had a very delicious lunch of a toasted panini (cheese and ham) for David and a brown seeded baguette with roast chicken and paprika mayo for me.  Of course we couldn't leave without sampling their delicious home baking, so coffee and a slice of Victoria sponge and lemon curd sponge finished lunch off beautifully.

We continued our exploration of the area, with our jaws literally dropping as we drove around every corner.  We also saw a few stunning holiday homes so took a note of those as we went.  Good to have a list of accommodation that we've seen :-))

We did manage to see Uig and Cliff Beach (my main blip) on our last visit but didn't get as far as Kneep and Reef beaches so it was lovely to see them on this visit, especially on such a lovely day. 

We drove to Gallan Head, which is a stunning location, but we were a bit discombobulated by the abandoned buildings scattered amongst the croft houses.  They had a definite military feel.  On checking when we got back to Stornoway, it turns out it was an RAF Station between 1954 and 1974, before being taken over by NATO.  More info here.

We'd run out of time to explore it properly as I wanted to stop at Calanais on the way back to Stornoway, in the hope it would be less busy.  If we return next year I will definitely come back and explore Gallan Head more thoroughly.  Lots of amazing photo opportunities (many stories to tell)  and a wheelchair accessible path right to the top.  

The stones were quieter when we returned but the light wasn't great, so we headed over to the second, smaller stone circle, Calanis 2. (there's Calanais 3, which is also stunning but we both needed the loo by this point so didn't stop there! :-) 

It was strange returning to an empty house with Ele and Kenny gone.  Ele texted to day the ferry journey hadn't been too bad and they'd dropped David's golf clubs at the house and seen the progress being made on the new roof and the removal of paint from the copes and quoins.  They said that what they could see (the place is covered with scaffolding!) looks fab.  Phew!  Tommy the roofer has been giving us daily updates and sending photos so we have an idea of what's happening.  Looking forward to seeing it.

Home for dinner and to begin editing today's photos.  I may be some time!

P.S. Main blip is Cliff Beach.  Extras are Reef beach, Calanais standing stones, houses overlooking the Atlantic, the machair at Cliff beach, Calanis 2 standing stones with Calanis 1 in the distance.