The Ness Historical Society or Comunn Eachdraidh Nis as it's more commonly known, is a wealth of…read moreinformation. Located on the main road in Ness, you can easily spend a day here pouring over the many many books of croft history, pictures of villagers from years gone by. The archive room has recently been renovated. It is now a private room away from the café where you can sit with in piece looking through your ancestry. Additions to the family trees are always welcomed. There is a museum at the back which homes all of the late great Duncan Morrison's artefacts. As well as many crofting artefacts, an old Hattersley loom and fishing equipment. They also have a display on several times a year. Well worth a visit!

The Royal British Legion in Stornoway is a great 3 story building just across the road from the bus…read morestation. As well as provinding the normal services for the serving and ex-service community the building is available for hire for functions such as fundraising dances, birthday parties and wedding receptions. Unfortunately the building inside is looking very worn and shabby. I've never been in the downstairs bar, but as a younger person feel quite indimidate walking through to get to the stairs as it's mainly older people who visit the downstairs bar. The first floor is the main dance hall with a fairly big bar, a large seating area, a fantastic sized dance floor with a large stage - it's a fantastic area for dances. This room isn't too worn feeling but can feel very empty if there aren't a lot of people at a function The toilets are a bit worn but clean. Up another small set of stairs is a fantastic split level old-school style bar with lots of seeting, a Very small dance floor a small bar, then more seating up the split level with large windows looking out over the harbour. Unfortunately this level - called the Crows Nest - is very worn and in great need of some tlc, but is a fantastic size for smaller parties

Morven Gallery, situated 20 minutes by car from Stornoway, is a great gallery. Open from Easter…read moreuntil October, they showcase several art exhibits by well known artists over the summer months. The gallery is spacious, giving enough room to walk around without bumping into others whilst admiring the many paintings and sculptures. The space is well lit an important factor in a gallery! It's a great place to go for a day out. Not only can you peruse the gallery, they have a gift shop with many items made from local craft producers and also a café which provides fresh tea, coffee and home baking. The owners are very friendly, helpful and welcoming!

This is a small museum, bringing to life one of the traditional 'Black Houses' of the Isle of…read moreLewis. Based on a design which goes back centuries, these were essentially long, stone houses with heavily thatched roofs and very small windows, with living accommodation for the family at one end, and for their animals at the other. Heat from the animals helped maintain the temperature, as did a central, open-hearth fire sustained by burning dried peat. There were no chimneys in the houses, so smoke from peat fire found its way through the thatch to the outside, making the interior sooty black. But the name apparently wasn't coined until the 20th century, when new, white houses with all mod cons were built, and the old houses were renamed to distinguish them. The house in the museum is furnished as it would have been earlier in the 20th century, complete with the fire but no electricity. There are also other farm buildings around, a 1920's croft house, and a more modern house converted into a visitor centre. On my visit, we were told that the last Black House was still inhabited in the traditional way right up to the end of the 1960's. Apparently, many of the elderly people re-housed into modern accommodation found it very hard, since one of the unique features of the traditional houses is how well insulated they are against the almost constant, ferocious wind of the Hebrides: inside, it was almost completely silent. They found their new homes noisy and tinny in comparison. Although the site is reasonably accessible for wheelchairs, there are uneven floors and paths. There are toilets on site (including a disabled one), as well as a shop. The site is also a popular one with local school trips, seeing how their great-grandparents may have lived.

An Lanntair is our Art Centre found in the middle of Stornoway. The new building was opened in 2005…read morehaving previously been located in the town hall. With a new building the centre has been expanded. There is now a great dining area where they serve lunch and dinner Monday Saturday. It can be very busy so booking is advisable. There is a bar/café area with tables and comfy seats great for having a hot chocolate with friends. The only cinema on the island is located in the Lanntair. Details of movies showing and times are on their website. The theatre is quite big and can hold at a guess 100 people if not more. This is the same room where theatre production are performed. You can clearly see the stage and is a great setting. All of this is located upstairs, downstairs is a space where artists show their work. There are displays on throughout the year and attract many people. There is also a small gift shop downstairs where you can buy craft items made by locals.

Super people. Super sound. Not over priced:) The cod was good. Great selections of drinks on tap…read moreand in bottles.

Museum nan Eilean is the only museum on the Island. It is easy to find and get to buy foot or car…read more It is a 5 minute walk from the town centre or there is ample parking around should you drive. It's not a big museum like the ones on the mainland but even so it is still packed with fascinating displays and artefacts. The main display is usually upstairs with one or two members of staff there for help. The displays are always labelled well with lots of information. There is plenty space to move around without bumping into others whilst still being able to see the display. It is usually opened all day during the summer and reduced hours/closed over winter. Opening hours can usually be found on their website.

The Stornoway golf club is a popular attraction for locals and visitors alike. The golf course is…read more18 holes and an ideal course no matter what handicap you have. Unfortunately due to our bad weather the course gets flooded and can be closed for days at a time but a summer evening playing golf is most enjoyable. The golf Club itself is open most days and is a popular venue for youngsters to go to on a Saturday night out, although it's a bit of a walk from the town centre. The course is of course closed on a Sunday.

Comunn Eachdriadh an Taobh Siar is located in Shawbost on the west side of the Island, roughly a 30…read moreminutes drive from Stornoway. Several years ago the Ionad Na Seann Sgoil (The Old School Centre) was renovated and the Comunn Eachdraidh moved in. This homes their huge collection of photographs and archive material for the villages around Shawbost. This is a great historical society with helpful friendly staff. If you have links to Shawbost this is the best place to start tracing your ancestors. I'm not sure of their opening times so I'd recommend e-mailing or phoning in advance just so you don't have a wasted trip. All their details can be found on their website.