Photos and the City

Tag: Scotland

Ness

I arrived in Ness – as it was a Sunday everything was closed and pretty empty. I used the low tide for a long walk on the impressive beach right next to the harbour of Ness.

In the shelter of a rocky islet at Port of Ness, you will find the little harbour that has seen the local seamen off on many a mission, including the traditional annual journey to the island of Sula Sgeir where locals are licensed to capture gannet for food following in their ancestors’ traditional footsteps. (Visit Outer Hebrides)

At the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis lies the parish of Ness, offering a unique insight into the legends, lore and long-observed traditions that have shaped the island’s unique identity – as well as being a stronghold of the Gaelic language with a large majority of locals claiming Gaelic as their mother tongue. (Visit Outer Hebrides)

Per usual dark clouds on one side and blue sky on the other one – that´s just how it is.

Met a local cutie for a bit of fetch.

31/01/2023
Walking along the beach with cows

The last stop before I reached Lewis was a lovely rocky beach where I went for a walk and suddenly I had company – the company of cows. Cattle seem to love beach walks!

26/01/2023
Steinacleit – Stone Circle

My next stop on the way to the Butt of Ness was at the Steinacleit stone circle, it was just a short walk from the parking spot.

Steinacleit is a prehistoric archeological site on the West coast of the Isle of Lewis and contains a circle of boulders around the remains of a chambered cairn or better said it was believed to be the remains of a cairn…

Beautiful views in all directions.

Steinacleit lay hidden, until crofters clearing peat in the 1920s uncovered a large circular structure and an oval walled enclosure.

Steinacleit was originally thought to be a Neolithic stone circle and chambered cairn, though comparisons with similar structures show it may actually be a prehistoric farmstead, with house and yard. (Historic Enviroment Scotland)

First dated around 2000 BC as thought to be a chambered cairn and stone circle, there were similar structures and settlements found more recently in the Western Isles dating back to 4000 BC. So this might have been the house and yard of an early farmer.

The site has never been excavated so Steinacleit remains a bit of a mystery.

Whatever it might have been, it was set in a stunning location on a hill looking over a little loch. Looking towards the sea on one side and the mountains on the other one.

24/01/2023