Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OUTER HEBRIDES
POP 26,500
A professor of Spanish and a professor of Gaelic met at a conference and began discussing
the relative merits of their respective languages. 'Tell me, ' said the Spanish professor, 'do
you have a Gaelic equivalent for the Spanish phrase
mañana, mañana?
' The Hebridean
professor thought for a while, then replied, 'No, I do not think that we have in the Gaelic a
word that conveys such a pressing sense of urgency'.
An old joke perhaps, but one that hints at the slower pace of life you can expect to find
in the Gaelic-speaking communities of the Western Isles, a place where the morning papers
arrive in the afternoon and almost everything - in Lewis and Harris at least - closes down
on Sunday.
The Western Isles, or Na h-Eileanan an Iar in Gaelic - also known as the Outer Hebrides
- are a 130-mile-long string of islands lying off the northwest coast of Scotland. There are
119 islands in total, of which the five main inhabited islands are Lewis and Harris (two
parts of a single island, although often described as if they are separate islands), North Uist,
Benbecula, South Uist and Barra. The middle three (often referred to simply as 'the Uists')
are connected by road-bearing causeways.
The ferry crossing from Ullapool or Uig to the Western Isles marks an important cultural
divide - more than a third of Scotland's registered crofts are in the Outer Hebrides, and no
less than 60% of the population are Gaelic speakers. The rigours of life in the old island
blackhouses are still within living memory.
Religion still plays a prominent part in public and private life, especially in the Protest-
ant north, where shops and pubs close their doors on Sundays and some accommodation
providers prefer guests not to arrive or depart on the Sabbath. The Roman Catholic south is
a little more relaxed about these things.
The name Hebrides is not Gaelic, and is probably a corruption of Ebudae, the Roman
name for the islands. But the alternative derivation from the Norse
havbredey
('isles at the
edge of the sea') has a much more poetic ring, alluding to the broad vistas of sky and sea
that characterise the islands' often bleak and treeless landscapes. But there is beauty here
too, in the machair (grassy, wildflower-speckled dunes) and dazzling white-sand beaches,
majesty in the rugged hills and sprawling lochs, and mystery in the islands' fascinating
past. It's a past evidenced by neolithic standing stones, Viking place names, deserted crofts
and folk memories of the Clearances.
If your time is limited, head straight for the west coast of Lewis with its prehistoric sites,
preserved blackhouses and beautiful beaches. As with Skye, the islands are dotted with arts
and crafts studios - the tourist offices can provide a list.
