Isles FM

The local radio station in Lewis, Isles FM, has recently started broadcasting a stream on the Internet, through its website. This only appears to be working through Internet Explorer; it doesn't do anything through Firefox.

Yesterday's walk

Yesterday, I jumped on the 12 noon postbus to the district of Uig in the west of Lewis. An hour later, I alighted at the hamlet of Ungeshader on the shores of Loch Roag and headed west into the hills below Suainebhal [pronounce Swainyeval]. After reaching some old shielings (summer meadows), I went west over the pass below the mass of Suainebhal and turned north to make my way between the hill and Loch Suainebhat. That was a wee bit tricky in places, with some scrambling over rocks - and with a 100 foot drop down to the water below. The biggest challenge was the angle of the ground, a full 45 degrees. Once past that little difficulty, I quickly gained a little road which took me back to the shop at Timsgarry. To my surprise, the 4.45 bus came past at 5.35, allowing me a rapid transit back to Stornoway, a journey of 35 miles.


Postbus disappearing along the road at Ungeshader, past Loch Croistean


Fording Loch Croistean


Loch Pheillear Beag


Gearraidh Thodail (shielings)


View from below Suainebhal


Forty-five degree angled terrain between Suainebhal and Loch Suainebhat


Loch Suainebhat from the north

Wednesday 10 June

After a few showers earlier, the day is clearing up to a repeat of yesterday. Bit breezier though.

Yesterday, the leader of the British National Party was pelted with eggs outside the Houses of Parliament as he tried to hold a press conference. The BNP is a far right party, which seeks the (voluntary) repatriation of immigrants, and does not want any ethnic minorities in its ranks. They gained two seats in the elections for the European Parliament last week.

This means that they are now representing parts of the UK in Europe, and have a right to air their message, however repugnant it is to a large section of society at large. Pelting their MEPs with eggs and possibly worse turns them into martyrs for their cause. Let them speak, let them air their message. And then everybody can make up their own mind about them - and see what a one-issue party can do for you. Little, probably nothing. Some people are best left to sink themselves by their own words.

I do not think anyone has much reason to complain about the appearance of the BNP in the European Parliament. The turn-out rate for the European elections was low, 43% nationally in the UK, and as low as 25% in some areas. If you don't bother to vote, then you have no right to complain.