Friday 25/03/05

Second day out with the Germans, and more stones on the menu. It's foggy to start with, but the fog lifts as if on cue by 10 am. The day turns out to be bright but cloudy. Showers are seen in the Harris hills. We set off by car down the Pentland Road, which is actually not signposted off the A859. You need the sign for the Bennadrove Refuse Tip. Then it's Carlabhagh / Breascleit and the 4 miles to the junction under the Barvas Hills. Hedwig and Frederick have an 'aha' experience upon beholding the masts of the Achamor transmitters, and stop to see rams and the gorge of the Creed River. At Achmore, we ask for the stone circle, which is only ¼ mile east down the road towards Liurbost. It's an indistinct circle, from which the Uig hills look like a sleeping beauty - a pregnant beauty. If you can see the hills in the first place of course. Showers are in the way today. Nice view south over Lochs. We continue down the A858 to Garynahine, the Tourist Booth there and to Calanis. Frederick loves to talk politics and alleged corruption in Germany. We switch back and forth between English and German. Frederick's English is passable, but Hedwig struggles. My German is worse than their English. We pull up sharp outside Callanish III, the 3rd stone circle to view that. The archeology is less of an interest than the geology. However, on the latter subject, all the stones are basically the same: quartzite, silicate and a metal-based crystal. Callanish III has two concentric stone circles. After that, we head for the main circle, where we have lunch in the Visitor Centre. I don't bother with the exhibition, which I've already seen. On the way to the stones I observe a lamb being born. Sheep looks at its rear end as if to say 'what the blazes has just fallen out of my butt?'. The lamb is coloured yellow. I've seen the stones a few days ago. Then we carry on to Carloway Broch. We wind our way through Tolstachaolais. No, you can't park in a passing place. I'll explain the layout of the typical Lewis blackhouse later. At Carloway Broch, the visitor centre is officially closed as yet, but two ladies are setting up for the season and let us in. Curious exhibition about life in the broch, which is actually a dwelling house, not a fort. Some brochs were up to 13 m (43 ft) high. The sounds in the exhibition are activated by your passage. Continue to Gearrannan, and the black house village. More time is actually spent on the beach. This is whiffy. No wonder, with a dead seal and a dead sheep. The roofs of the blackhouses at Garenin are held down by stones, suspended on ropes. We carry on east, following the 5 o'clock bus out to Siabost, where I showed them the Norse Mill and Kiln. Discover the millrace there. Finally, it's off to Bragar, where we briefly admire the whalebone arch, and Arnol, with its blackhouse. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day. We arrived there at 5.30, and in the winterperiod it closes at 4.30. I did explain the workings of the blackhouse to F&H, as well as the difference with a 'white' house. Went for dinner at HS1 in Stornoway. Again, my supper was paid for. Had a whisky at the Crown (I'll be an alcoholic if I'm not careful) and an elderflower lemonade at mrs B's. Talking two foreign languages, and the stress of sharing a car with Frederick does take it out on you. Frederick is a nervous driver, who is startled by traffic appearing from behind a blind summit, by wide vehicles coming the other way. He tends to jerk the wheel and visit the kerbs. Disconcerting.