A grumpy Lewis chessman.

This king is one of a hoard of 80-odd Norse chessmen found in 1831, buried in a sandbank near Uig, Lewis. Originating in the 11th century, they were carved from walrus tusks, and are thought to have been very valuable items. They were probably buried by a merchant, possibly on his trade route to Ireland from the Norse regions of Scandinavia. Seemingly, he never came back to collect them, and they were discovered centuries later in uncertain circumstances.

I went to Uig on 14 June, almost mid-summer. It rained. There was a force-six gale. It was bollock-freezing.

The facial expressions of the Lewis chesspieces is uniformly glum. It seems that 800 years on a beach in the Outer Hebrides is enough to dent the optimism of the most inanimate of objects.

Incidentally, the game of chess is thought to have been invented in India in about 600 CE. Strangely, I never knew that until I went to Lewis, which is prufe, shud it be kneaded, that travel can be very edukational.

It rains a lot on Lewis.

Apparrently, in Gaelic there are 7564 words for rain. And that doesn't include 'snow'. Or 'hail'. Or 'pissingwellyingdeggingcatsanddogsstairrods'.

Callanish - where better to be on a grey day? So good I went there twice...

Preserved blackhouse village on Lewis. The dwellings were inhabited by livestock and humans alike, and were so-called to distinguish them from later houses featuring such luxuries as windows. Hang on, these blackhouses actually have windows...so much for that theory...

Nesting guillemots on the cliffs of the Butt of Lewis. Not much shelter from the prevailing Westerlies...

The Lewis sea cliffs. Here at Screaming Geo be climbs of the utmost quality, according to the SMC guidebook. However, I spent a rainy afternoon trying to locate several specific crags further up the coast, and failing miserably...so much for the SMC guidebook.

It was raining anyway.

Crofters' bathroom. Bring your own plug - fills within seconds - no plumbing required.

Norse mill, restored by local enthusiasts.

The style of roofing, with the thatch held down by ropes and rocks, was maintained until the last blackhouses were inhabited in the 1950s. Doesn't look very waterproof to me.

Carloway, the best-preserved broch on Lewis.

Essentially a broch is a type of dry-stone built conical house. Carloway was built in the fourth century CE, and was still in use in the 1600s.

Luxury features include fully integrated ventilation system, and sheltered hilltop position.

On the horizon, the megalithic construction at Callanish












Callanish is made of thin slabs of Lewisian gneiss, which ranks as one of the oldest rocks on the Earth's surface. The rock's inky layers make it a striking building material, in plentiful supply on the sea-cliffs a couple of miles to the west.

Seals basking on the shore; South Uist. Well, not so much basking as taking a shower. Suberbly adapted to an aquatic existence. I wanted to grow fins and join them.

Where there's rain there's rainbows.

The stunning white beach scenery of South Uist. Hebridean beaches rival any in the World, offering unrivalled rainbathing in unspoilt surroundings.

 

 

These stones form part of the cicle of Pobull Fhinn, the largest of the Uist stone circles, situated about half-a-mile south-east of Barpa Langais.

Despite its remote location this is the first Scottish stone circle I have visited. It's actually oval in layout, which may sound like a trivial detail, but compared with their English and Welsh counterparts, many of the Scottish stone circles are irregular in shape.

This heap of rocks is Barpa Langais, on the island of North Uist, which has the highest density of Neolithic tombs in the British Isles. It's the best-preserved chambered cairn in the Outer Hebrides. Inside, the walls and roof of the original burial chamber are still intact - amazing given the prevailing conditions and the age of the structure (at least 4500 years).

 

Hebridean flora include foxgloves and a striking tall yellow flower that grows in bogs.

 

Perfect weather on Skye. One could be forgiven for being well-psyched to traverse the Cuillins, seen here in all their glory. However, one's disappointment that the weather broke next morning will be easily understood. It rained all day. And the next.

I made a diversion to the Outer Hebrides to see some megalithic monuments, in the naive hope that the good weather would return in due course. In the event it rained for 10 days before I gave up and came home. No foot was set on the hill. It's raining still.

 


The tidal entrance to the amazing Spar Cave, Skye. The calcite formations include huge staircases of flowstone, and are among the best I've seen in the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

Pitch 1 of Flat Crags Climb (S), Flat Crags, Bowfell

 

On the Climbers' Traverse, Bowfell.

Apparrently there are 6 species of reptile in the UK - 3 snakes and 3 lizards - but they are not usually found in upland regions of the North. Any claims of tortoise-sightings, for instance, can be rejected out of hand.

These are tortoises and Lindas, and related items.

A tortoise is a type of reptile, possibly the least scary of all reptiles, except maybe geckoes.

Tortoise is also a post-rock outfit. Throughout their 10-year history, Tortoise have been one of the most singularly dynamic bands in modern music. With each record they have not only redefined their own sound, but helped to nudge music itself in unique and exciting new directions.

Lindas are types of Human Beings. Mostly they are very nice, but sometimes they can get upset if they are in any way associated with certain types of harmless reptile.

JHBSBIGTRIP would like to make it clear that any inference that Lindas and tortoises are in any way associated is purely accidental. And in no way intentional. Not even slightly.

Lindas have never had anything to do with tortoises.

At all.

Ever.

User-friendly stile in Langdale

 

The replica bronze age settlement near Cardigan in Pembrokeshire