Monday 1 April

Went for an 80-mile drive round the island, through Barvas, Carloway, Callanish, Linshader and Great Bernera. Great Bernera was in mourning following the drowning of a local diver at Croir, near Bosta. Called into Dalbeg, Gearrannan, Callanish, Linshader and Tobson. Had lunch at Gearrannan Blackhouse Village and a cuppa & cake at Callanish. I had never been into Linshader, which lies off the main road into Uig (the B8011), so it was nice to have that opportunity to see the Callanish Stones from a completely different angle. Linshader is only a few hundred yards west of the Stones as the crow flies. It was a gorgeously sunny day, but not warm. Met a friend at Gearrannan that I last met a week ago - after being out of touch for 18 months.


Loch Roisneabhat trout fishery, 6 miles north of Stornoway on the Barvas Road


Barvas Moor


Roadsign at Barvas (left); Brue (right)


Bragar


Shawbost




Dalbeg


Gearrannan


Kirivick


Linshader


Great Bernera


Along the Pentland Road

Saturday 31 March

Wildfires continue to plague the Highlands and Islands, including Lewis. Went out, being driven around, first of all to the Lewis War Memorial, then to North Tolsta. A few miles north of Tolsta, a large wildfire has destroyed an area of moorland to the north of Garry Beach, leaving blackened hillsides.


Lewis War Memorial


Coll


Wildfire as seen from North Tolsta

Blackened hillsides near Garry


At the Bridge to Nowhere


Sandblow at Garry


Traigh Mhor, Tolsta


Sandblow at Gress - it had to be shoveled off the road a week ago

Saturday 30 March

Visited the Grinneas nan Eilean [Beauty of the Isles] exhibition in An Lanntair today. It is an open event for local artists to showcase their work, some of it good, some of it bad. But it's a question of taste. What I can't hack is bad labelling, like a work that was about Eilean Donan Castle in Lochalsh, being referred to as Elen Dawn. Ugh.

Friday 29 March

Nicolson Institute (left) and Portrona Drive (right)

Cockle Ebb from Cross Street (left) and Sand Street (right)

Cuddy Point

Moorland (left) and Lochs from Achmore (right)

Pond area by the Iron Fountain bridge