After our epic trip to St Kilda the day before we spent our last day on the Isle of South Harris.
We drove south east for our first visit which was to St Clement’s Church at Rodel which is on a site of an old religious settlement.
The church as it appears today was largely the work of Alasdair Crotach (Alexander VII of Harris) in the 1520s.
Alastair Crotach is buried in the church, as is his son William, both in wall tombs which are recognised as the most impressive in the Western Isles. After a period of neglect, the church was rebuilt in 1784 by Captain Alexander Macleod of Berneray and Harris and repaired by him after a fire in 1787. The church was again restored by the Countess of Dunmore in 1873. Since then it has been maintained by the Historic Buildings section of the Scottish Development Department. The church is no longer used for regular religious services but is open to visitors.
The surrounding graveyard has several Caibeil – private burial enclosures. Some of these are for local families, and enclose memorial tablets for Sir Norman MacLeod of Berneray, his son William of Luskentyre and his grandson Donald, nicknamed the Old Trojan.
Burials were carried out in Rodel Churchyard until recent times and give the visitor an insight into the history of the families of this part of Harris.
After our visit to St Clement’s Church, for our second visit of the day, we drove north to Tarbert as this was where the shops selling authentic Harris Tweed were situated. Harris Tweed can only be produced on the Isle of Harris – often by individuals using looms in their own houses. It is a very old tradition. Sue bought some Harris Tweed from the extensive range on display. Her intention is to make a jacket from it. (Shhh, it’s still in the cupboard.)
The next day we went south to catch the ferry from Leverburgh to the Isle of Berneray and then on to the Isle of North Uist for our next accommodation.
Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024