Lochs Show

Saturday was the day for Lochs Show, a major event on the calendar for Granny's Scotland as Wilbur calls it.  The day dawned with bright sunshine perfect for the show.  The main attraction was Inch Perfect Trials Display which the boys loved.  They are going to be biking stunt brothers when they grow up.

 

The two bikers were very talented stunt riders and had the audience gripped with their display.

 

 

It was not for the faint hearted...

 

 

There was lots to see and do, a fun family day out that had something for everyone.  Gerard loved the classic cars and tractors, along with the chainsaw carving.

 

 

 

The highland dancing and Lewis Pipeband  were a joy.

 

 

I don't think I will ever tire of the beautiful sound of the pipes and drums. 

 

There were so many categories for the competitions it was a delight to walk around and admire the different classes.

 

 

Whilst I favoured the craft section and admired the skills of the many competitors, Gerard and the children favoured the agricultural sections.

 

 

A fantastic day out with memories of Granny's Scotland to keep them going until they visit again. 

 

At the moment we are preparing the car and packing our suitcases for a trip to see the family.  We leave tomorrow on a Ferry from Tarbert in Harris across to the Isle of Skye and then we will drive across the causeway to the mainland.  A route that we have never taken before so adds a little excitement to the journey.  I will catch up with you all on my return with news of my adventures.  In the meantime take care and look after yourselves.

 

See you soon.

 

 

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.