Our Day on the Isle of Lewis

About a week ago, we rented a car and drove around the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. It was nice to be in a car, even if it was a bit cramped in the back seat. That day was highly enjoyable. We visited some cool sights, learned a few interesting things, and cherished our fun time with Uncle Kevin.

Our first stop: a collection of ancient standing stones. The Picts, who ruled this land millennia ago, assembled, or stood many groups of mysterious tall stones. Nobody knows with certainty the purpose of these stones or the reason that they were erected. Lots of other placements of standing stones stood not far away. All of these collections make up Callanish, one of the most complete stone circles in Britain.

You probably cannot see the pattern of the stones in these photos, but they are in the shape of the Celtic cross. In the middle of the cross is the tallest and largest stone, as you can see.

These mysterious stones on the stunning green landscape of Scotland, make the whole thing a beautiful, memorable place.

It was interesting to examine the shapes, lines and patterns of the unique granite. This rock is the oldest type of rock in Britain and is only found in northern Scotland.

Everything about this place made me marvel and wonder. It certainly was an ancient creation...  

Being a mysterious, interesting, and pretty experience, I filed it in the "Extremely Cool and Amazing" section of my memories.

Next, we drove out to a large flat sand beach and enjoyed a nice stroll.

 Daddy enjoys the view.

I walk along the beach with Uncle Kevin, Mama, and Porter. The sand looks like wind ripples on water in a gust, but it is actually the patterns the water made as the tide went out. 

It was a lovely walk as far as beach walks go...

As we drove away from the beach, we encountered this. It was apparently an enlarged replica of an ancient chess piece, presumably the king. He is either a grouch, or just sad. Either way, his expression and posture were contagious.

Next, we came to this cute little collection of buildings, called The Gearrannan Blackhouse Village. It is a village of nine restored, thatch roofed buildings. Here, we learned a lot about Harris Tweed, a cloth made only in the outer Hebrides.

 This is the loom that weaved the cloth. I was fascinated by the treadle machine and eventually figured out how it worked. I marveled at the idea.

The man doing the weaving was nice, and told us about the history and trade mark of Harris Tweed. We learned that to qualify as Harris Tweed, it has to be made in the outer Hebrides and made by a human powered machine. Furthermore, it has to be woven using only virgin wool.

Daddy lookin' good in a Harris Tweed hat. 

This was our last full day of exploration in Scotland. What a fantastic finish to our time in this marvelous place. - JackRabbit