A quaint little local post office housed in a nicely maintained portakabin in the village of…read moreCrossbot, Lochs. Great wee post office for those in staying in Ranish, Crossbost or Leurbost as it's much closer than heading to town. Luckily unaffected by the recent postal closers and you can get electritity meter money here too. The postmistress is super friendly and if there's no-one in the post office part just give them a bell and they'll be right with you.

South Dell Post Office unfortunately was one of the post offices affected by the closures and at…read morethe end of the summer closed its doors. It was a small cabin on the back roads of Dell in Ness. This is not ideal to get to for those living at the other end of the village but for those who lived close by it was ideal. The post mistress was always helpful and greeted you with a smile. She sold come postage supplies as well. The cabin still stands where it always has, it is extremely sad that it had to close!

This post office is now closed and has been for a while now since the owners moved away. It is…read moremissed by the villagers who now have to travel further just to get to a post office.

The Butt of Lewis Lighthouse is situated at the north-western-most tip of the Isle of Lewis in the…read moreOuter Isles. Access is daily straightforward via vehicle. On Thursday 11 July 2019, I took A857 north along the western coast of the isle (which is a east-heading direction). Taking the main road through the town of Eoropie (Eoropaidh), the lighthouse and surrounding grounds are located at the end of the road. A small to medium parking lot is located outside of the lighthouse grounds and an informational placard not too far off provides some background about the 37-metre tall lighthouse, which was established in 1862. As someone who grew up in Washington State on the west coast of the United States of America, it was fun to contextualize the age and development of the lighthouse compared to Washington becoming a state in 1889. Approximately 27 years before Washington was a state, this lighthouse was established. While the lighthouse was not open to public access on my visit, the land around the lighthouse and grounds were. Rocks both forming tiny isles of their own in the water and outcropping through the grass near the lighthouse showed beautiful banding and internal larger-scale structures. I took a timed out-and-back approach to exploring, exploring for about 20 minutes out before turning back. Andrey was quick on his feet after me practicing tracking my steps. Other visitors were present when I was there, all of whom were non-intrusive during their own exploration.

Càrlabhaigh Broch is free access and is easily visible from the road leading to Garenin village…read more You can entrer the ruins and even walk up the staircase inbetween the walls to get a better view of the sorroundings. Though remote and barren, this place has a unique buty and makes you feel the strong vibes of a turbulent history. Easy to avoid hordes of turists, unlike other British sites, especially if you visit in winter. Highly recommended.

The Western Isles Library in the centre of Stornoway is a fantastic place. If you are visiting the…read moreisland you can get a temporary card which allows you to take out books whilst on holiday. They have a section for children full of books and several computers. At the far end is another section with roughly 11 other computers where you can access the internet or use it for writing. They also allow you to print documents for a small price. 6 tables sit amongst the books where you can study, write or simply read in peace Their café is always busy but offers great tasting soups and sandwiches. As well as teas and bakery. It's very affordable and highly recommended.

The Western Isles Library relocated to the centre of town a number of years ago now and what an…read moreimporvement. A bright, clean building with a vast selecvtion of fiction and non fiction books for all ages. You can get a temporary card if you're on holiday so no need to take those bulky books with you for your down-time reading. There are a selection of papers available at the main reception desk for public reading, along with some books for sale and cd's for borrowing. There's a large Adult fiction selection along with dvds for borrowing, which leads into the adult non-fiction. Down at the other end and in the middle of the library are numerous computers that have free internet access for cardholders, aswell as standard typign programmes etc. You're able to print, photocopy, scan or fax documents for a small fee. The refrence section is at the opposite side from the computers with large table so ideal for doing some research or quiet study. You're able to have a look at issue of the local weekly paper The Stornoway Gazette here from literally over 50 years back to right up to the modern day. The kids section has a nice variety of both non-fiction and fiction books and videos and dvds along with 3 computers for your child to access the internet safely. In the centre of the library is a great big slab of local stone - Lewisian Gneiss and makes for a great focal point. There are toilet facilities available for users of the library or the cafe, one single toilet and one disabled toilet. The cafe serves great sandwiches and cakes but can get really busy, even at times you wouldn't have thought and it has large windows looking onto the main street so you have to choose your tabke wisely if you don't want to get caught snacking! Forgot to add that you're also able to request books for a small fee if they don't have them in. Staff are always friendly and very helpful.

When I visited the Dun Carloway Broch (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Chàrlabhaigh) area on Thursday 11 July…read more2019, the parking lot and main visitor centre were open, however the broch itself was undergoing restoration and hence temporarily closed to visitors. I opted to observe the broch from outside and check out the visitor centre. One aspect I enjoyed, here at the broch and in northern Scotland in general, is the signage being both in English and the native Scottish Gaelic. Inside the visitor centre were a few displays covering different parts of the interior of the broch and the different time periods of importance for their usage. Brochs were a form of residence in Scotland in BC times up to about 800 AD. They were used up until about 800 AD, however their routine construction ended in roughly the first century BC. I thought this was a cool, that ancient (pre-AD times) architecture was at least semi-intact in Scotland. A true testament to human curation and restoration efforts. A variety of items were available for purchase. I went with a guidebook in both the native Scottish Gaelic and foreign English. The interior of the visitor center was well designed for visitor circulation. Worker(s) were kind.

Dun Carloway Broch is an iron-age prehistoric site, about 5 miles north of Callanish on the Isle of…read moreLewis. Brochs are unique to Scotland, and their exact function is still not precisely known. Essentially, a broch is a tower, originally about 10m high, with a double wall with passages in it, and a central area presumed to have been open to the air. The towers taper slightly to the towards the top, giving them a shape akin to power station cooling towers. There was usually a single, low entrance to the tower from the outside, and no windows to the outside, but small openings to the interior. Some of them are isolated, but others form part of iron-age villages, but are nearly always by the sea. The most commonly accepted theory is that they were defensive structures, which could be easily sealed off from attackers: livestock would shelter in the central area, and the inhabitants in the spaces within the walls. As well as protection, their height may have provided a look-out function as well. Locations close to the sea were always vulnerable to pirates and other sea-faring enemies, so the locals would need somewhere to escape to quickly. They generally date from around the first century AD. The one at Dun Carolway is one of the best preserved of all, with one side standing some 5m high. The remains give an excellent insight into the overall structure. As well as the archaeology, the tower has a spectacular position overlooking the sea on Carloway Loch, giving amazing views and as well as a feeling of remoteness.

Nice cafe with excellent lattes and scones. Also had gluten free bread for sandwiches and a soup of…read morethe day that was great and gluten free. Nice places to sit inside and out.