The Western Isles - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 299

straightforward exhibition on the history of the castle and the island upstairs, and a
decent café serving soup, salads and cakes downstairs.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE STORNOWAY

By plane Stornoway Airport ( T 01851 707400, W hial
.co.uk) is 4 miles east of the town centre: the hourly bus
takes 15min (Mon-Sat only), or it's a £5 taxi ride into town.
By ferry Ferries between Stornoway and Ullapool (Mon-
Sat 2-3 daily, Sun 1 daily; 2hr 45min; T 01851 702361) run
from the octagonal CalMac ferry terminal on South Beach,
near the bus station.
By bus The bus station ( T 01851 704327) is on South
Beach in the town centre.

Destinations Arnol (Mon-Sat 6-8 daily; 35min); Barvas
(Mon-Sat 6-9 daily; 25min); Callanish (Mon-Sat 4-6
daily; 40min); Carloway (Mon-Sat 5-6 daily; 45min);
Garenin (Mon-Sat 3-4 daily; 1hr); Great Bernera (Mon-
Sat 4 daily; 1hr); Leverburgh (Mon-Sat 4-5 daily; 2hr);
Port of Ness (Mon-Sat 6-8 daily; 1hr); Shawbost (Mon-
Sat 6-9 daily; 45min); Tarbert (Mon-Sat 5 daily; 1hr);
Tolsta (Mon-Sat hourly; 40min); Uig (Mon-Sat 4 daily;
1hr-1hr 30min).

6

GETTING AROUND AND INFORMATION
By car Car rental is available from Mackinnon Self-Drive,
18 Inaclete Rd ( T 01851 702984, W mackinnonselfdrive
.co.uk), from around £25/day - they're based in Stornoway
but will deliver locally for free.
By bike Alex Dan's Cycle Centre, 67 Kenneth St ( T 01851
704025, W stornowaycyclehire.co.uk; closed Sun), offers

bike rental from £20/day to £60/week; panniers and car
racks are also available.
Tourist o ce 26 Cromwell St (April-Sept Mon-Sat
9am-6pm; Oct Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Nov-March Mon-Fri
9am-5pm; T 01851 703088, W visithebrides.com).

ACCOMMODATION
Cairn Dhu 18a Matheson Rd T 01851 701611, W lewis
apartments.co.uk. Superbly equipped contemporary apart-
ment, with leather upholstery, a fully equipped modern
kitchen and free w i-fi, in a Victorian villa on the town's nicest
leafy street. £140
Heb Hostel 25 Kenneth St T 01851 709889, W heb
hostel.co.uk. A clean, centrally located terrace house in
salmon pink, converted into a simple hostel, with free
wi-fi, laundry an d ki tchen facilities and run by a friendly
resident warden. £16 /person
Hebridean Guest House 61 Bayhead St T 01851
702268, W hebrideanguesthouse.co.uk. Whitewashed
property containing a whole range of en-suite rooms

with attractive wood furnishings, including an annexe
with a cou ple of self-catering apartments. Free wi-fi avail-
able. £90
Jannel 5 Stewart Drive T 0800 634 3270, W jannel
-stornoway.co.uk. A short walk from the town centre,
this B&B is run by a delightful landlady, a nd o ffers five
spacious, immaculate rooms, with free wi-fi. £75
Laxdale Holiday Park Laxdale Lane T 01851 703234,
W laxdaleholidaypark.com. The well-equipped campsite
has caravans, a self-catering bungalow and a purpose-
built bunkhouse, as well as a sheltered spot for tents.
It lie s a mile or so al ong the road to Barvas. Bunkhouse
£16 /person; camping £24 /pitch

EATING AND DRINKING
CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS
Ì An Lanntair Kenneth St T 01851 703307,
W lanntair.com. Stylish café-restaurant in the An Lanntair
arts centre which does decent sandwiches and lighter
dishes during the day, as well as more imaginative stuff,
like black pudding-stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon,
in the evening (mains £8-18). Free wi-fi. Mon-Sat food
served 10am-noon, 12.30-2.30pm & 5.30-8.30pm.
Digby Chick 5 Bank St T 01851 700026, W digbychick
.co.uk. Smart, modern, buzzy little bistro with a real
emphasis on using local produce, such as the famous
Stornoway black pudding. Sandwiches available at lunch-
times or two courses for around £13; three-course dinners
for under £30. Mon-Sat noon-2pm & 5.30-9pm.
Stornoway Balti House 24 South Beach T 01851
706116. Family-run restaurant that's been in Stornoway

for over 25 years. The curries are the real thing and the
service great, but the real boon is that it's open on Sundays.
Daily noon-2pm & 5-11pm.
Thai Café 27 Church St T 01851 307181, W thai-cafe
-stornoway.co.uk. Despite the name, this is actually a
restaurant, serving authentic Thai food (mains around £8).
No licence so bring your own bottle (50p corkage). Mon-
Sat noon-2.30pm & 5-11pm.

PUBS
The Criterion 32 Point St T 01851 701990 . A tiny, wee,
authentic no-frills Stornoway pub, where they have
regular informal (music) sessions - if nothing's going
down, try nearby MacNeill's . Mon-Thurs 11am-11pm,
Fri & Sat 11-1am.