Leverburgh, Scotland

Leverburgh, Scotland

June 26, 2012

A typical shot from the road, just outside of Leverburgh, on the Southern tip of the Isle of Harris.  Lovely scenery!

Somewhere on the A859 between Tarbert and Leverburgh

Isle of Harris, Scotland

June 25, 2013

I'm realizing June 25th was quite the day, we drove all over the place!  Here's another shot of the gorgeous countryside we encountered in our travels.

Harris Tweed Foot Loom

Harris Tweed Warehouse

Tarbert, Scotland

May 25, 2012

Tarbert was our 'home base' for the Outer Hebridean portion of our transatlantic sojourn last summer.   Tarbert is located on the Isle of Harris, home of the world famous......you guessed it, Harris Tweed.

We were lucky to witness a live demonstration of an older, Hattersly loom in operation.  I was surprised to learn that every single metre of Harris Tweed is woven on these looms....which are foot powered!  Check out this page to see a video of one of these mechanical beauties in operation.

The tweed warehouse had that wonderful smell that comes with wool, sometimes I think it smells like crayons.  We spent a long time looking at bolt after bolt of gorgeous fabric, trying to narrow down the choices of which ones to buy and bring back to Canada.  Since our visit to Tarbert, I notice Harris Tweed everywhere.  

The story of how Harris Tweed changed life on the island is very interesting, I recommend browsing the official site.  They are, after all, the guardians of the orb.

Scotland: From Tarbert to Scalpay

Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

June 26, 2012

I snapped this shot from the window of a moving van on the way back from Scalpay. I guess I shouldn't obsess with perfect shot taking conditions when I can take decent shots like this one. Heck, this one was an afterthought. I liked the look of the building in the foreground and only managed to capture an image after we had passed it. Turns out, it was a great vantage point since you get a nice view of the winding road through the rocky hills of Harris.

Scalpay, or Sgalpaigh na Hearadh (Scalpay of Harris) is a tiny island close to where the ferry lands in nearby Tarbert. It is well worth a visit, stay tuned for more pics of our hike to an abandoned lighthouse on Scalpay, on of the highlights of our trip!

Isle of Harris: Hike to an Abandoned Lighthouse on Scalpay

I'm back!  Uh...in case anyone wondered why I haven't been posting for the last two weeks, I have been travelling in Scotland and Iceland!


This shot was taken near an abandoned lighthouse in Scalpay.  Scalpay is on the Isle of Harris (or, Harris as the Scots call it) in the Outer Hebrides.  The coastal hike we took to get to the lighthouse is outlined here.  The hike was well marked and explained in a small booklet of Western Isles walking/hiking routes I picked up at a local shop.  It was amazing to see the Isle of Skye across the body of water (its name escapes me) from Harris.  Walking through peat covered hills reminded me I was not close to home.  Oystercatchers and other coastal birds were having a time as we rambled along the trail...and managed to avoid the rain that followed shortly after we returned to the car!


More shots and tales to follow...stay tuned!