Tuesday 25 July 2017

Failte gu Taighean-dubha nan Gearrannan

Welcome to Gearrannan Blackhouse Village and we certainly did receive a very warm welcome.  There are nine house amongst the complex.  One is a Youth Hostel, another four are self catering accommodation and the others are a meeting room, a working blackhouse/museum and a cafeteria/shop.




 
We travelled back in time to visit Taigh Thormoid Anna, back to 1955 to stroll around a working museum to experience life in a genuine blackhouse. 
 





 
A hard life but warm in so many ways.  The peat fire added warmth and the fragrance added to the atmosphere.  The blackhouse interiors had many of the features of more modern "white" houses of the time.



The traditional way of life continues beyond the 1950s but eventually the blackhouses were left with only ageing residents who were unable to maintain them so in 1974 they were moved to local council houses.

There are also two coastal walks, we had a little stroll and explored the top of the world.



Wilbur was the King of many a castle.








Definitely worth a visit.  We then continued along the Westside of the Island with Wilbur and Hector thrilled to see sheep wandering around in the road.  Wilbur also loved seeing the sheep grazing on the rough terrain and hanging off the sides of the mountains.  We certainly had a fun drive and stopped to visit the standing stones of Calanais.



It was a delight to see the two boys wandering around, holding hands and taking it all in.  We talked about how the stones got there and how many men it would need to carry them.




We finished off our outing with a visit to the coffee shop for lunch and admired the view over Loch Roag.
 

 
 
So nice to see the beauty of the thistles along the machair.  The thistle is the National flower of Scotland and also the national emblem of Scotland since the Reign of Alexander III (1249-1286).
 


Hope you enjoyed our little tour around our Island Paradise, its magical powers certainly worked on our visitors who are already planning their next visit.
 
As always thank you for all your wonderful comments, support and encouragement.
 
See you soon.

28 comments:

  1. How interesting and how far removed from how we live and the luxuries we have nowadays xx

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  2. I so enjoyed this tour today. I always like to see how people lived in years before us. Our lives are so easy in comparison. The scenery in your island paradise is absolutely breathtaking. Thank you for being so willing to share it with us. It's easy to see why your grandboys are so taken with it. It's a perfect place for them to explore and be outside.
    Blessings always, Betsy

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  3. I love taking long walks in nature, and so your photos remind me of those lovely walks! Gorgeous and captivating!

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  4. Oh the grands are darling walking about hand in hand. Oh the adventures they enjoyed and wonderful that the island enchanted them and they want to return. Perhaps they'll spread the word. Oh the emptiness of the home once the visitors have gone. Yes, I truly did enjoy the tour.

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  5. That is such a unique place to visit.
    I like the boys wearing their matching T-shirts. So cute.

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  6. Beautiful photo and ispiration life, stunning baby
    kisses

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  7. What a great tour of your paradise. Such sweet photos of the two grands walking hand in hand. I'm struck at how beautifully blue the water is! ♥

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  8. I thoroughly enjoyed all your photos of your amazing and historic new island home! I googled and found the website of where you visited and found out why it was called a "Black house"! Funny! Your daughter and her boys are totally adorable. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  9. Very interesting place to visit..The stones are very similar to the stones of Stonehenge..

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  10. What an interesting place, thanks for showing us around.

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  11. Another fascinating place to visit with you! How nice to see that you can get so close to the stones to really explore them up close!

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  12. What an interesting day out. I'm not surprised that your visitors are planning their next trip, it looks like such a wonderful place.

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  13. What a wonderful place, so interesting I wished I could visit it ! It's really back to the past !

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  14. Oh my word....that looks such an amazing place and the kind of place I love to visit. What a pity that it is so far away.
    .....and that dresser...wow....just gorgeous.
    The boys look so happy-x-

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  15. I adore history (didn't as a teen!) and love to see how everything was back then. Also if there are living actors playing the part what a bonus. Those little grands grew!!!

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  16. A wonderful fun day out with love ones. Interesting treasures in the museum. Your have cute grand kids. The thistles are very pretty! Have a happy day!

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  17. I do enjoy your days out . So much to look at .

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  18. What a wonderful visit! seeing the spinning wheel, the loom and the treadle brought such a smile to my face :0) it feels like a humble but cozy cottage... thank you for taking us along.

    I grew thistle here in the garden and the bees and wasps just loved it, but alas, it became too much since they wouldn't let me near that flower bed to weed it...so once winter arrived, I had to get rid of the thistle :/

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  19. Such an interesting place to visit and the little exploring boys are as cute as can be. I am wondering, is it the stone houses that are called black houses? And how did they get that name? Something to do with the peat they burned?

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  20. Oh, what a lovely place to visit, my friend! And you brought us there through your pictures....thank you :)

    Hugs to you!

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  21. Thanks for taking us on the tour with you. The thistles are pretty and remind me of flowering cactus. Have a good visit with those wonderful little ones.

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  22. Looks like you are having great fun, you are certainly living in a lovely place, I can see why you moved there. The Blackhouse museum and the standing stones are the kind of places I like to visit too. Thank you for sharing.

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  23. Your week with the boys and your daughter sounded wonderful. THey boys are getting so big, I am sure you hugged the stuffing out of them when you saw them. SO glad you had special time with them.

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  24. I can't believe how big the boys are getting!! Just adorable!! They must've had the best time playing "king of the castle!!" Those thistle plants are just so pretty. What a beautiful world we live in when we take the chance to notice it. : )

    ~ Wendy xo

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  25. The photo of the boys from the back with the "Stonehenge rocks" in the background is a prize winner. If you can find a photo contest, you should enter it.

    Love seeing your homeland through your camera. And I'm always fascinated by the fences. Each country has fences made from whatever is most plentiful in the area.

    Hope you had a wonderful trip and welcome home.

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  26. Wonderful! Lovely photos and fascinating to see how they used to live.
    Great that you can wander amongst the standing stones. Too often now you can only view from a distance which takes away that feeling of awe and wonder at how and why they are there.
    Gill xx

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