Uig and the wild west

Excuse the lack of updates: I have been in the far west of Lewis,  without wi-fi or mobile connection.  I did write two updates,  but they seem to be stuck somewhere in rhe ether, so I may not be able to post them till I get home.

Uig is a big, remote territory that not many people visit, as it's off the main tourist route to the Butt of Lewis in the far north.  I loved it. It's got a lot of rocky hills, sandy and rocky beaches, and cliffs, particularly impressive with yesterday's rough seas. 

I stayed overnight at a brand new bunkhouse - otherwise I would have been camping on an exposed beach. The owner was explaining how the population of Uig has dropped feom 3000 to 300 in a couple of generations, with all the young people leaving for the mainland.  It's difficult to see what will become of Uig.

This morning there was a patch of sunshine, like turning up the colour on a TV set, but it waa quickly replaced by drizzle. The wind has reduced though.  On the way back from Uig is the island of Great Bernera, and I spent a couple of hours exploring most of the roads, all with their own delightful views.  At Bosta there is a reconstructed Pictish (iron age) house, one of a recently discovered village on the beach.  Quite a big building, with only the roof above ground. Inside it was dark, with a small peat fire burning and filling the place with smoke.  But after a few minutes you got used to the dark and smoke,  and it was possible to start to imagine what life would have been like.  There's also a useful community centre and café on the island.