Tuesday, 13 June 2017

A Tour Around Stornoway

Our trip to Stornoway was a joy taking in the views on the journey there and back which takes about 40 minutes each way to drive.  It is about 25 miles but there are a lot of speed restrictions as we do drive through a lot of small villages on the way.  There is still a lot of activity with the peat cutting, hard work but a wonderful source of fuel for those Winter months.

We did have a lovely stroll around the harbour, taking in some stunning sights.  It is a working harbour with a lot of fishing boats with the odd beautiful yacht thrown in, an eclectic mix of work and pleasure.  Both a joy to admire, whilst sitting on a bench eating an enormous fish and chip supper.  With hindsight we could have shared a portion, they were very generous with the chips.


 
A glimpse of the turrets of the castle behind the trees, which are always a delight to see.  There are not a lot of trees on the Island due to the high winds.  This must be a sheltered area.




 

 
We did take a stroll around so that I could get a photograph of Lews Castle, we have yet to have a walk around the grounds since moving here.  Something to share with the family when they visit.
 
 
We also managed to get a closer look at the statue of one of the herring girls which have been installed in memory of a lifestyle gone but not forgotten.
 

 
On a previous trip we had managed to pick up a book on the herring girls from the Charity shop so it was a delight to see them.  Also wonderful to see so many planters around the town.
 






 
Despite the size of the Island it is only 36 miles long with a population of 23,000 I am always amazed at how much care is taken with the upkeep/maintenance of its infrastructure.  Volunteers can always be seen cleaning up and planting the memorial areas in each village.  It was another windy day here on the edge of the Atlantic, my washing yesterday was dried in no time at all.
 
 
 
As you can see there has been a lot of progress made on the grass, another cut and it should start to look a little better.  What is keeping you busy?
 
See you soon.

30 comments:

  1. Thanks for this tour of Stornaway. It is not all what I had imagined. The trees are a surprise! Love the photo of your washing!

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  2. Interesting tour of Stornaway. I like to see the boats and the castle. Nice statue of the herring girls.

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  3. There's plenty to see, I love the statues of the herring girls xx

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  4. QUE PASSEIO LINDO, OBRIGADA POR COMPARTILHAR .
    BEIJOS
    ÂNGELA

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  5. Love the statue of the Herring Girl and how neat and pretty it all looks.

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  6. Oh I loved the tour today. Thank you so very much for taking us along with you. It's such a joy and a treat to see another part of this beautiful world, that I have to admit I will probably never get a chance to visit in person. With your photos and your words I will get to experience it too, and I thank you for that. I love the Herring girls statue and will have to look up the story behind them online. The castle is fabulous. How wonderful to have a real castle so close by Thank you again. Blessings, Betsy

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  7. That is quite windy! So when you travel to Stornoway, you are almost traveling the length of the island...well 2/3. Lots of history there and it is wonderful that the residents love and care for their piece of heaven on earth.

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  8. Thank you for this wonderful tour!! There are so many places that I would love to visit but probably will never get to see. This is one of the reasons I love Blogland so much. I always enjoy looking at photos of other parts of the world!! That castle is gorgeous!! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time visiting it with your family. I've been busy here with my daughter. She has strep throat. It's honestly been mainly sitting and keeping an eye on her because she hasn't wanted me to leave her side. My honey is home from work today and Megan seems to be feeling better so they're spending some time together while I catch up on laundry and blogging. Enjoy the rest of your week!! xoxo

    ~ Wendy
    http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  9. I'm enjoying getting to know your area! Stornoway looks like a great little town to visit. Lews Castle would be a great place to explore. I look forward to your visit there. Your laundry could get lost in that wind! Love the photo. Have a nice evening. ♥

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  10. I'm enjoying you taking us with you as you explore your new home. I was thrilled to see you have your very own historic castle there and can't wait to see more of it. I got such a kick out of your sheets flying in the wind.. I hope you have some industrial quality clothes-pins to use! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  11. I've never been to your neck of the woods so I'm enjoying a good look round. You can't beat a town with a harbour, there's always something going on.

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  12. I don't think I would ever be at home if I lived there. It looks so beautiful.
    I am so glad that you are settling well into your new life-x-

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  13. What a lovely place, I thoroughly enjoyed this tour! Beautiful photos!

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  14. The statues of the ladies caught my interest and the pots of flowers too. Thanks for taking us on the tour with you.

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  15. I enjoyed the pictures, especially the castle ( who doesn't love a castle?) and the old blue boat planted full of greenery.

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  16. What a wonderful place to visit! I love that boat with the flowers planted in it!
    Lots of yard work and planting flowers is what is keeping me busy at this time!
    So enjoyed your lovely tour!

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  17. Thank you for the tour! It must be a joy to take in scenic views on your drive and then walk around this interesting and well-cared for town where volunteers help to keep it looking attractive. It's good to see evidence of the fishing heritage in the form of the herring girl statue. You'll enjoy reading the book and your family will love visiting the castle when they come to stay. There's plenty to do tidying up the garden as well as routine household jobs for us here.

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  18. It all looks so clean and well cared for, I love the statue of the herring girl and how wonderful to have found the book all about the girls and women and how hard they worked. I wish my washing would dry like that:)

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  19. I love that statue the most. So graceful and her movement of her arms and skirt. Lovely!

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  20. Wow, you are living the dream! What a beautiful place you have landed in! Love that everything is so well tended and cared for. Everyone must love this island they call home. xo

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  21. Your laundry made me laugh. With that wind, your sheet just might end up in MY yard on the t'other side of the pond!
    Fun to see your harbor town and compare it with mine. We still have the fishing boats and working boats, but in summer they are outnumbered by the pleasure boats.

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  22. It looks lovely. It's good to hear that there are still thriving communities which pull together to keep the place they live looking nice.

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  23. It's been lovely to enjoy your photographs and journey around Stornoway with you. I think chip portion sizes get larger the further North you travel.
    I'm not surprised your washing dried in that wind, I'm more surprised it stayed put on your line! X

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  24. Thanks for taking us on the tour with you - lovely!

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  25. The castle is stunning. We don't have any of those in the USA. What a lovely sight.
    xx Beca

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  26. What an interesting excursion, looks very nice !

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  27. Lews Castle! I look forward to you sharing your explorations of it. I had forgotten that you moved from Lincolnshire. Some of my ancestors worked at Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire County. Did you ever visit there, Lorraine? xx

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  28. Love to see castles and enjoyed the tour.

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  29. Thank you for taking us along on your visit. Such a beautiful place to see. Have a great day.

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  30. I believe you've found an invigorating place to live; at least that's how it seems from the photos.

    And if someone looked up "castle" in the dictionary, there should be a photo of the one above. It's exactly what I think of when I think "castle".

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