Earlier this month I went across to the Isle of Lewis off the west coast of Scotland. It’s one of the Outer Hebridean islands. It’s an absolutely superb place. You have to get the ferry over either from Ullapool on the west coast of the mainland or, as we did, from Uig on the Isle of Skye. The ferry was cancelled on the original day because of high winds but ran the following day although it didn’t feel like it was less windy to us! We stayed in a lovely little cottage at Siabost. There were beautiful beaches within a few minutes although with the strength of the wind it was sometimes difficult to stand up! It was close to the standing stones at Calanais which are more than 5000 years old. Older than Stonehenge and around the same time as the Egyptian pyramids.

I also saw the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, for the first time. They are absolutely jaw-dropping! Then the beach at Luskentyre on Harris, the Black House at Arnol, the lighthouse at Point of Ness and many other interesting places.

The ferry home was also cancelled because one of the engines failed and the ferry was stuck in Lochmaddy on the island of North Uist. That’s somewhere else that I really want to go to. We got home the following day after taking the other ferry to Ullapool and driving about 120 miles down the coast.

Northern Lights at Dalbeg, Isle of Harris

I drove down to Fife a few months ago and while I was there the Scottish government brought in the lockdown legislation which restricted transport amongst other things. My mother was unwell at the time so I stayed to take care of her. Now that she is feeling better and my sister is caring for her I am free to go home to Portree.

While I was driving home I went past Eilean Donan Castle. I’ve mentioned before that it is probably in the Guiness Book of Records as the most photographed castle in the world. Usually there is something that I don’t like as I drive past. Overrun with tourists, raining, grey, massive tour buses in the way… You name it, there is a problem. But not today. I got there as the sun was going down. The loch was still and the colours from the sunset put the mountains of the Black Cuillin on Skye into silhouette. Beautiful!