Inverewe Gardens, Isle of Lewis
The wild winds of Scotland moderated a bit today but still offered exciting conditions for our time ashore. Last night’s northbound progress took us from the west central portion of Scotland’s coastline, north through the Sea of the Hebrides, past the Island of Skye and into a protected body of water named Loch Ewe, some 90 miles north of yesterday’s adventures in Tobermory.
Our morning destination was at the southern end of the Loch on the Scottish mainland to a place called Inverewe Gardens. Unlike the average visitor arriving via car we were greeted at the back end of the property at a small cement dock by the gardeners themselves whom took us on guided tours through the grounds. Our morning Zodiac ride over suggested promising weather and while it started that way we were not without the occasional rain squall that sent everyone scrambling for the protection of the nearest rhododendron or Scots Pine. These squalls did not last long and only added to the lushness and vibrancy of the gardens as the sun was never far behind.
The body of water which separates the NW mainland of Scotland and the Outer Hebrides (a western island group belonging to Scotland) is called the Minch. Due north of this is a straight shot to the Arctic ocean but if you go west from Loch Ewe, across the Minch to the northern most island of the Hebrides, you come to the Isle of Lewis. On its eastern coast is the town of Stornoway, our launching off point for our second destination of the day — The Standing Stones of Callanish. When the winds and waters of Scotland allow we usually approach from the west and cruise through the fjords straight to the site. While some may prefer this approach the interior of the island proved stunning and offered a very telling look at the wind-torn, treeless landscape of the Hebrides. Within 30 minutes from Stornoway we could make out the outlines of the Standing Stones on the horizon and were soon in the presence of 4,000 years of human history. Akin to the prehistoric stone circles of Stonehenge these stones seem to have been arranged to follow sun and moon phases and were no doubt carefully selected. Anywhere from 1 to 5 meters tall the stones are made of local Lewisian Gneiss and are arranged in a circle and ringed by long avenues of stones which suggest the path the moon and/or sun rises on the equinoxes/solstices.
With the wind blowing at a consistent 20 mph, the late afternoon sun starting to cast long shadows over the rugged terrain and the other worldly presence of these standing stones the day came to a stunning end.
