Leverburgh

Leverburgh, Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Day 20 , 18th July.

Harris, Hebrides, History, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Scotland, seascape, Travel.

On our return from St Kilda we stopped in Leverburgh for the night.  This is right down at the south tip of Harris.  You can drive here from Lewis (which is actually the same island) but to go further south to Uist you need to take a ferry.  There was some time left before nightfall so we went for a short walk on land.

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Harris, Hebrides, History, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Scotland, seascape, Travel. .

Harris, Hebrides, History, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Scotland, seascape, Travel.

The ruins of an abandoned croft, probably from the clearances in the nineteenth century.

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Harris, Hebrides, History, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Scotland, seascape, Travel. .

Harris, Hebrides, History, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Scotland, seascape, Travel. .

Harris, Hebrides, History, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Scotland, seascape, Travel. .

Harris, Hebrides, History, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Scotland, seascape, Travel. .

South Harris and Scalpay

Harris, Scotland.  Day 10, 8th July.

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Harris

This was my day to catch the ferry from Tarbert to Uigh, or in other words, from Harris to Skye.  I had a little bit of time to explore Harris before catching the ferry.

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Harris

I’m not sure where the first four images are.  I think they must be the north coast of South Harris.

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Harris

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Harris

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South Harris (eastern corner)

This image and the four following are from a loop in a minor road at the eastern corner of South Harris.

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South Harris (eastern corner)

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South Harris (eastern corner)

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South Harris (eastern corner)

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South Harris (eastern corner)

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Scalpay

This is the only image in this post I have a GPS reference for.  It is at the north-west corner of ScalpayScalpay is a small island to the south-east of Tarbert.  The next three images are also from Scalpay.

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Scalpay

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Scalpay

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Scalpay

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Tarbert

A hardware store in TarbertTarbert is the largest town in Harris and is beside an isthmus between North and South HarrisHarris itself, though notionally an island, is connected to Lewis.

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St Clement’s Church, Rodel

Harris, Scotland.  Day 9, 7th July.

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St Clement’s Church, Rodel

St Clement’s Church at Rodel was built on the site of a much earlier church in the 1520s.

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I was running out of time when I came to this church and I did not climb the tower.  I had made the mistake of staying at an establishment that served dinner which was all very wonderful except that I had to be there from the other side of the island at 7pm.

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The near tomb is that of Alexander MacLeod, eighth MacLeod laird of Skye and Harris, who lived at Dunvegan Castle on Skye.  It dates from 1528.  He was also known as Alasdair Crotach or Humpback.  The far tomb is that of Alexander’s son William, who died in 1551, though a date on the tomb probably reads 1539.

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The oldest part of the church possible dates to the 13th century and it was renovated and extended in the 15th and 16th centuries.  St Clements was a Catholic church and fell into disuse in 1560, due to the reformation.  The roof was restored in 1784 and again in 1787 after a fire.  It was used as a cow byre for a while in the nineteenth century and restored again in 1873.

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Click to zoom in.

You can click any image to see it larger.  With this one I have included the full detail in case you want to see exactly what is carved in the tomb.

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Five grave slabs.  The left four date from the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries and were originally on the church floor.  The far right one has a date of 1725 and the initials are probably for Roderick Campbell and his wife Anne MacSween..

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Another tomb under the window, probably belonging to John MacLeod of Minginish, the 10th laird.

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South Harris (south coast)

South Harris (south coast)

I headed back by a minor road along the south coast.  I was running very short of time and for some of these I merely stopped the car and took them through the open window.

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South Harris (south coast)

South Harris (south coast)

This is a very rocky region with little opportunity for agriculture.  Historically, most income must have come from the sea.

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South Harris (south coast)

South Harris (south coast)

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South Harris (south coast)

South Harris (south coast)

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South Harris (south coast)

South Harris (south coast)

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South Harris (south coast)

South Harris (south coast)

I remember taking this from the car window (though the car was stopped).

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Huisinis

Harris, Scotland.  Day 9, 7th July.

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After visiting Tigh na Cailleachan Dubha, I headed for Harris, an “island” at the south of Lewis though actually joined to Lewis.  Most of the images in this post are from a side road in North Harris to Huisinis and back.

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Huisinis (South beach)

At the end of the road in Huisinis, this is the sandy South Beach.

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Huisinis (North beach)

And this is the stony Huisinis North Beach.  There is a jetty here as well.

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Amhuinnsuidhe Castle

Amhuinnsuidhe Castle was built in 1865 for Charles Murray, the 7th Earl of Dunmore.  It is possible to stay there.  That is a Rolls Royce parked outside.

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Cannon outside Amhuinnsuidhe Castle

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Amhuinnsuidhe Castle

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A small waterfall near the castle

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Beach, South Harris

Harris is more mountainous than Lewis and has a number of impressive beaches.

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Beach, South Harris

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Clach Mhicleoid Standing Stone

This standing stone dates from about 3000BC.  It was originally at the centre of a large stone circle and there was a ditch beyond the circle.  A circular stony mound between the stone and the sea may be the remains of a burial cairn.

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Here is a reconstruction of what it may have looked like 5,000 years ago, from the information board at the site.

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Beach, South Harris

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