Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ornoway must be the only place in the UK to suffer a Sunday rush hour as people drive to church around
10.30am; it's then a ghost town for an hour and a half until the services are over. But a few cracks have begun to
appear.
There was outrage when British Airways/Loganair introduced Sunday flights from Edinburgh and Inverness to
Stornoway in 2002, with members of the Lord's Day Observance Society spluttering that this was the thin end of
the wedge. They were probably right - in 2003 a Stornoway petrol station began to open on a Sunday, and now
does a roaring trade in Sunday papers and takeaway booze. Then in 2006 the CalMac ferry from Berneray to Le-
verburgh in Harris started a Sunday service, despite strong opposition from the residents of Harris (ironically, they
were unable to protest at the ferry's arrival, as that would have meant breaking the Sabbath).
STORNOWAY (STORNABHAGH)
POP 6000
Stornoway is the bustling 'capital' of the Outer Hebrides and the only real town in the
whole archipelago. It's a surprisingly busy little place, with cars and people swamping the
centre on weekdays. Though set on a beautiful natural harbour, the town isn't going to win
any prizes for beauty or atmosphere, but it's a pleasant enough introduction to this remote
corner of the country. It's a bit of a ghost town on Sundays, especially from 11am to
12.30pm, when almost everyone is at church.
Sights
ARTS CENTRE
An Lanntair Art Centre
(
01851-703307;
www.lanntair.com
;
Kenneth St; 10am-9pm Mon-Wed, to 10pm Thu,
to midnight Fri & Sat)
The modern, purpose-built An Lanntair Art Centre, complete with
art gallery, theatre, cinema and restaurant, is the centre of the town's cultural life; it hosts
changing exhibitions of contemporary art and is a good source of information on cultural
events.
MUSEUM
Museum nan Eilean
(
01851-703773; Francis St; 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat, shorter hours in winter)
This
museum strings together a loose history of the Outer Hebrides from the earliest human
settlements some 9000 years ago to the 20th century, exploring traditional island life and
the changes inflicted by progress and technology.
