Friday trip

In the morning, my father and I walked to the Iolaire Memorial, about an hour's walk down the coast. After leaving a stone on the cairn, we returned through the nearby village of Sandwick, but heavy traffic on East Street prompted us to divert into Lower Sandwick and the Old Cemetery. Once on the shorepath, we heard a corncrake "crexing" in the tall grass. This one is a bit late; their mating call usually sounds in May or June. After a quick cuppa we went to the bus station. The driver didn't know what we were talking about when asking about a "round trip with two stops", but finally it was translated into a two-stop rover ticket. First call: Callanish. The Harris mountains were wreathed in rainclouds, but strangely enough the rain did not make much northward progress. After lunch at the visitor centre, we had a look at the famous Stones, then walked down the village back street towards the main road near the church. As we headed south along the A858, a coach and a bridal car headed in the opposite direction. Before the next bus arrived, pipes could be heard from the direction of the church, and a large number of vehicles were parked at the church. A slow journey took us to Arnol in 60 minutes, and the sun came out on the way. At Callanish and Carloway, it was raining. Had a look round the Arnol Blackhouse, which I've seen before - my father did not. Upon return to Stornoway, we had a nice supper.

Will post pictures at a later stage.