Time to complete the Bucket List

For those who follow our travels, you will remember that we were last in Australia in 2020 when COVID struck and we had to cut short our travels and return home as Australia was shutting down.

Therefore, a return visit was always intended which would allow us to finish our aborted trip – we didn’t get to Tasmania and Melbourne – and to add some additional venues such as travelling on The Ghan visiting Alice Springs and Darwin.

We flew to Sydney via Singapore and this time stayed in Darling Harbour rather than ‘The Rocks’ area of Sydney. Darling Harbour is not far from the Rocks and is an equally good place to stay as it is in walking distance to the main attractions such as the Sydney Opera House. It is also where some of the Sydney Harbour cruises leave from. There are many restaurants around the harbour and is a popular area for locals as well as tourists. On the other side of the harbour from our accommodation was the Australian National Maritime Museum which is worth a visit if you have an afternoon to spare.

The March weather that greeted us in Australia was fantastic and for our first visit we went to Ballast Point Park which is situated in the Balmain area of Sydney. As this is a residential area, it is not on many tourists schedules so is quiet but gives some great views towards Sydney Harbour. The reason we went to the Park was the history of this area.

The park area has an industrial history and has been used from the late 18th century. It had been used as a hunting and fishing ground by the European Settlers and was also used as a source of ballast for ships returning unladen to Europe, which gave it its name.

In 1800, the point was part of a grant of land to Dr William Balmain by the then Governor John Hunter. The area of the Point changed hands many times after that until in 1852, merchant Thomas Perkins purchased the five acre site and built the only house thought to be on the site, called Menevia. The land and house was then passed on many times and by 1928 the house had fallen into disrepair and the site was bought by Texaco who demolished the house to make way for a fuel depot. This continued until the 1990s, after which the site became derelict. In 2002 the site was taken into public ownership by the NSW Government as there was apparently significant public support for public ownership rather than the site being developed for housing. The site then became the recreation space it is today.

In addition to the planting, there are some architecture installations that hark back to the industrial usage of the Park which added a different dimension to the Park.

The Park was designed by Sydney firms, McGregor Coxall Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Studio and was opened in July 2009. The project included the demolition and decontamination of the derelict industrial site with the construction of steel stairways, recycled building rubble walls, artworks and an Australian native garden.

As our first day ended it was nice to be back in Sydney, particularly with the beautiful weather. Bring on our second day.

Copyright: Words and photos John Cruse 2025

For our last day before heading home, we had our tour of Dumfries House to look forward to.

Unfortunately, photos were not allowed inside the House but it was spectacular. The gift shop at Dumfries House does sell a book that charts its history and occupants and includes many pictures of the priceless artefacts. If you go to Dumfries House, a guided tour of the interior and its contents is a must. It does get busy so pre-booking is recommended.

After our house tour we looked around the extensive gardens.

The Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden is definitely worth visiting. Prior to its opening in 2014, the garden was transformed from a derelict dumping site to a magnificently restored garden with a mixture of terraces, greenhouses, formal areas and a one and a half acre Education Garden. July was a good time to see the gardens as the displays were stunning.

After exploring the extensive grounds we returned to the Lodge for the last evening meal of our Outer Hebridean holiday. Tomorrow, we again drive south, but this time for home.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2025

After our last day on Barra and Vatersay, we had to catch the 7am ferry from Castlebay to Oban on the Scottish mainland. The voyage last 4 hours and 40 minutes arriving in Oban at 11.40am.

The voyage to Oban goes through some of the islands of the Inner Hebrides so the last hour or so of the voyage is very picturesque.

We passed Duart Castle on the way to Oban. It is situated on the Isle of Mull and is the home of the Clan MacLean.

Oban was busy with tourists when we arrived off the ferry so we moved on to our next overnight destination, Dumfries House.

Dumfries House is set in 2,000 acres of land and the 18th century house boasts an unrivalled collection of original furniture. We had seen it on the television and thought it would be a good place to stop on our long journey home.

It was saved from dereliction with intervention of (the then) Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, in 2007. Dumfries House combines the neoclassical architecture of Robert Adam with the furniture of Thomas Chippendale and leading 18th-century Scottish cabinet makers.

The history of the current house starts when William Crichton-Dalrymple, 5th Earl of Dumfries, resigned his army commission in 1743 and retired to his Ayrshire Estate. He was made a member of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle in 1752, a very prestigious award granted directly by the Sovereign. Desirous of a grander house, the Earl asked the Adam brothers, Robert, John and James, to submit a design. Their completed drawings were presented in 1754 and a contract was agreed to build a new house to be called Leifnorris House. It was only when the foundation stone was laid on the 18th of July 1754 that his lordship decided the name should be changed to Dumfries House in line with his title. The house was completed on time and on budget in 1759.

A year after the build had begun, Lord Dumfries’s wife, Lady Anne Gordon, died but he did not abandon the project. He set out to furnish the house, drawing largely on the Rococo style, with a vision of an elegant interior. He spent considerable sums to realise his plan. In addition to a large commission from the talented Scottish wrights Alexander Peter, Francis Brodie and William Mathie, the Earl hand-picked the finest furniture from the workshop of Thomas Chippendale. He was hopeful that his new, richly furnished, Palladian house may help attract a new wife and produce his much-desired heir. The Earl’s plan appeared to work, as in June 1762 he married Anne Duff, a distant cousin. However, the marriage did not produce an heir. Six years later the 5th Earl died. His widow left Dumfries House for Edinburgh and later remarried.

Following the death of the 5th Earl, the estate passed to his nephew, Patrick Macdouall (1726-1803), who became Lord Dumfries and 6th Earl. In 1771 he married Margaret Crauford and for the next 35 years they lived at Dumfries House. It is Margaret who is credited with making improvements to the productivity of the land on the estate. They demolished the original house and Leifnorris Tower, which still stood nearby, and in November 1772 the couple’s daughter, Lady Elisabeth Penelope, was born; she was the mother of the 2nd Marquess of Bute.

One of the most important figures is John Patrick Crichton-Stuart (1847-1900), 3rd Marquess of Bute, who inherited the estate at the age of six months. In 1889 he became aware of a Scottish architect, Robert Weir Shultz, who was engaged to add sympathetic extensions to the east and west wings of Dumfries House. By building upwards and backwards from the original Georgian pavilion, the extensions sit harmoniously with the original building. The 3rd Marquess died at Dumfries House but never saw the extensions completed.

Dumfries House remained a family home from 1760-1993, when the last full-time occupant, Lady Eileen, Dowager Marchioness of Bute, passed away. The house remained in the hands of the 7th Marquess of Bute, Johnny Dumfries (the racing driver), who ensured that it was maintained, although it was not used as his primary residence.

He subsequently offered it for sale and two auctions dates were set aside in July 2007. However, a consortium led by HRH The Prince of Wales succeeded in purchasing the house and contents and, in doing so, saved Dumfries House and one of the most important collections of Georgian Scottish and English furniture for the nation.

The House employs many local people not least in the 5 star Lodge where there are some very nice rooms and a very good restaurant for breakfast and your evening meal. We stayed for two nights so that we could visit the house on a guided tour the next day and see the marvellous interiors and furniture.

The Lodge built in 1750 is situated very close to the main House and the various buildings have had different uses, such as the Garden Cottage which was the Factor’s House from the 18th Century. The Lodge has some very nice gardens situated between it and the main House.

If you are in the Dumfries area, the Lodge is a lovely place to stay and the food, both breakfast and evening meal, was a delight.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2025

Having arrived to the Isle of Barra the previous day in glorious sunshine, when we woke the next morning the rain was lashing down. Unperturbed, we decided to visit the Isle of Vatersay that is connected to Barra by a causeway.

On Vatersay is the start of the Hebridean Way, the long distance walking and cycling routes, which go through 10 islands of the Outer Hebrides and finishing on the Isle of Lewis.

There are also other islands south of Vatersay, being Sandray, Pabbay and Mingulay, but these are uninhabited. Mingulay was abandoned by its last inhabitants in 1912 after, it is believed, 2,000 or more years of continuous habitation. It is now owned by the National Trust of Scotland and can be accessed by boat tours to see the abundant birdlife.

On Vatersay, we visited the site of the wreck of RAF Catalina that crashed on a training exercise on 12 May 1944.

The above picture shows a memorial that has been erected with the names of the crew of the aircraft. Parts of the aircraft are still on the hill side where it has been since the day of the crash.

After the aircraft crash site we moved on to another monument on Vatersay, the Annie Jane Monument.

The Annie Jane was an emigrant ship with more than 450 people on board that had sailed from Liverpool in 1853 on a voyage to Quebec, Canada. Apparently, the ship was de-masted three days out of Liverpool but still attempted to carry on with the voyage, which was against the wishes of many on board. The ship was caught in a number of storms and was eventually wrecked on Vatersay.

The casualties amounted to more than 350 people and the bodies were interned in two mass graves somewhere in the sand dunes on the island. The location of the graves has since been lost. The circa 102 survivors did not meet with much hospitality from the locals of Vatersay as the resources available to the locals were limited. It is reported that it took some survivors a month to return to their homes.

The weather had not improved much after our first two visits but the views on Vatersay were still spectacular.

As the weather had not improved we decided to drive back to Barra. The road on Barra is a loop with a couple of spurs, one going to Vatersay. The loop circumnavigates the island. We drove around the loop and stopped at Northbay. Northbay has been Barra’s second most important harbour and had small fishing boats moored when we visited. An information board says that fishing has always been an important part of the lives of the local people of Northbay.

What Northbay did have in addition to fishing boats was a cafe so, after a day of bad weather, we ended our last day on Barra with some sustenance before returning to our accommodation in Castlebay.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2025

Our journey south continued and we were scheduled to catch a ferry from the Isle of Eriskay, which is the last island in the chain of islands called “the Uists”, to the Isle of Barra.

Before we headed south we revisited Kildonan Museum to see the restoration project that was being carried out on a model Viking Long Boat as this was not open the previous day.

Since our visit we understand that the Long Boat is now displayed outside the Museum.

The island of Eriskay is connected to South Uist by a causeway. The island is known by many due to the ship, the SS Politician, floundering off its shores in 1941. This caused its local seafaring community to set sail to salvage the precious cargo of whisky, which was in short supply on the islands during the war years. They reportedly brought ashore thousands of bottles of whisky. The incident became the basis of Compton Mackenzie’s book “Whisky Galore” which was later brought to the big screen by Ealing Studios.

The ferry takes roughly 45 minutes to reach Barra and on the way there were some fantastic views. The port on Barra is close to Barra’s airport which is worth visiting as the runway is the beach.

It is interesting to note that the Scottish Government in 2024 published figures stating that the population of the Uists and connected islands that we had just visited was 4,846, whereas the population of Barra and Vatersay was only 1,264 but Barra and Vatersay are smaller so this is not unexpected.

The airport on Barra is located at the northern tip of the island and is a short takeoff and landing airport (STOL). An aircraft was arriving as we left the ferry port so we made the short trip to the airport to see the aircraft arrive. The airport opened in 1936 and its only route is to Glasgow on the Scottish mainland. It is apparently the only scheduled airline route in the world that lands on a beach.

The Hebridean weather was playing ball and it was a beautiful sunny day so we went on to visit another of the historic sites on Barra.

Cille Bharra is the remains of a medieval church that lie on the eastern slopes of Ben Eoligarry about a mile north-east of Barra Airport. The medieval church is dedicated to Saint Barr after whom, it is said, the island of Barra is named, and is set within the Eoligarry burial ground.

The church, also referred to by its anglicised name of Kilbarr Church, comprises the substantial remains of its north and south walls. The gables no longer exist. The upper parts of a doorway and its arch can be seen in the north wall. The fragments that remain suggest that the church was built in the 1100s, probably on the site of an earlier chapel dating back to the 600s and dedicated to St Finbarr of Cork. 

South east of the standing walls of the church are the more fragmentary remains of a chapel, known as the South Chapel. What little remains – part of the west gable – is the only really identifiable feature. It is thought this may have been built in the 1400s. 

The surviving walls of the church and the South Chapel have been shored up in recent years with cement-filled sandbags as a temporary measure. The eventual aim is to remove these as part of a programme to properly consolidate the ruins that remain. 

North east of the ruined church is the only standing building on the site, the North Chapel, probably built in the 1500s. Whether this was originally built as a chapel or as a burial aisle or a mausoleum is open to debate, but it certainly serves as a chapel today, as well as providing a home for a number of medieval grave slabs that have been found on the site.

Standing at the east end of the North Chapel is a replica of the Kilbar Stone, a unique Christian-Nordic Runic Stone dating back to the 900s. This carries a decorated cross on the front and a runic inscription on the reverse: “This cross has been raised in memory of Thorgeth, daughter of Steinar”. An explanatory sign notes that the original stone is held by the National Museum of Scotland and explains that efforts to return it to Cille Bharra have been under way since 1980 “the centenary year of its abduction”.

Cille Bharra has some superb views to the north and east from the upper parts of the surrounding burial ground. These extend to Eriskay and South Uist but your attention is drawn mostly to the magnificent array of white shell-sand beaches at this end of Barra and on the nearby island of Fuday.

Amongst those whose graves enjoy these remarkable views is Sir Compton Mackenzie author of, amongst other works, “Whisky Galore”, based on real events on Eriskay.

We then drove to Castlebay, where our accommodation was located, and is the main town in Barra. In the middle of the bay at Castlebay is Kisimul Castle.

Kisimul Castle was the seat of the chiefs of the Macneils of Barra who were Gaelic lordships in the Middle Ages.

It is believed that the Macneils settled in Barra in the 11th century, but it was only in 1427 that Gilleonan Macneil was recorded as the first lord. He probably built the castle that dominates the rocky islet, and in its shadow a crew house for his personal galley and crew.

The Macneils were a seafaring clan. A descendant, ‘Ruari the Turbulent’, was arrested for piracy of an English ship during James VI’s reign in the later 1500s.

The Macneils of Barra claimed Irish descent from the legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages, high king of Ireland in the 5th century and great-grandfather of St Columba.

By the 1400s, their clan chief was part of an elite group of lesser lords who were members of the Council of the Isles. This body advised the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles, usually meeting at Finlaggan, on Islay.

The Macneils didn’t emerge as lords of Barra until Lord Alexander MacDonald granted the island to Gilleonan Macneil in 1427 – but they may have had some control over it in earlier medieval times.

It is thought that heavy debts forced the Macneil chiefs to sell Barra in 1838. But a descendant, Robert Lister Macneil, the 45th Chief, bought the estate in 1937, and set about restoring his ancestral seat. It passed into state care in 2000.

Unfortunately the castle was closed for restoration so we were unable to visit.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2025

Our first visit of the day was to Bornais Machair which is one of the largest and most important Norse settlements in Scotland.

The settlement of Bornais consists of a complex of mounds which protrude from the relatively flat machair plain. The sandy plain has proved an attractive settlement from the Beaker period (around 2,500 B.C.E) onwards. It appears to have been intensely occupied from the late Bronze Age (1600-1200 B.C.E.) to the end of the Norse Period (1266).

Excavation has revealed structures dating from at least the second century AD and the settlement appears to have been continuously occupied up to the fourteenth or fifteenth century AD. Three substantial and two relatively insubstantial mounds are visible.

The principal focus in the Norse period was mound 2 where a large house or hall was found. This represents the home of an important Viking Lord and would have housed his family and large retinue of dependents. The principal features of the house were a large central area, where the hearths were lit, and a raised bench which surrounded it. Large quantities of tools, cooking vessels and ornaments were found scattered across the floor and these included a bone cylinder in the distinctive Norse Ringerike style.

It is thought that the other mounds were occupied between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries and were the location for families of lower status who lived in smaller dwellings. The large size of this settlement is unusual and suggests that it was an important centre for the communities of South Uist.

Large quantities of finds have been recovered and included many iron and bone tools and the remains of hundreds of broken pots. Important materials include coins and ceramics from southern England, a distinctive green marble from Greece, bronze pins from Ireland, soapstone from Shetland, ivory from Greenland, bone combs and other objects from Norway. Clearly the community was connected to other areas and was likely regularly visited by people moving along the west coast of Britain.

We then moved on to the cairn at Milton in remembrance of Flora MacDonald that has been erected by the Clan Macdonald.

Flora Macdonald is one of the most romantic characters in Scottish history due to her helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape Scotland after the defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The grandson of James II of England, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, had led the second Jacobite Uprising of 1745 to overthrow King George II.

The part that Flora played in the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie ‘over the sea to Skye’ is immortalised in the “Skye Boat Song” published in 1884. After his defeat at the battle of Culloden Moor, Bonnie Prince Charlie was forced to flee for his life. After two months on the run, he arrived at South Uist where he met 24-year-old Flora. As both her stepfather and her fiancee, Allan Macdonald, were in the Hanovarian army of King George II, she would have seemed an unlikely ally. However after some initial hesitation, she agreed to help the Prince escape.

She managed to get permission from her stepfather, the commander of the local militia, to travel from Uist to the mainland accompanied by two servants and a crew of six boatman. The Prince was disguised as Betty Burke, an Irish spinning maid. They set sail in a small boat from Benbecula on 27 June 1746, not to the mainland but to Skye, landing at Kilmuir at what is today called Rudha Phrionnsa (Prince’s Point).

After hiding overnight in a cottage they made their way overland to Portree where the Prince was able to get a boat to the island of Raasy and from there to France. The Prince was said to have presented Flora with a locket containing his portrait. They never met again and the Prince died in Rome in 1788.

When news of the escape broke, Flora was arrested and imprisoned at Dunstaffnage Castle, Oban and then briefly in the Tower of London. She was released in 1747 and returned to Scotland.

But this was not the end of Flora’s adventures. In 1750 she married Allan MacDonald. Her fame was already spreading; in 1773 she was visited by the celebrated poet and critic Samuel Johnson. However, with her husband in debt, in 1774 the family emigrated to North Carolina with their elder children, leaving the younger ones behind in Scotland.

The MacDonalds arrived in the New World just as the American Revolution was brewing. Flora and her family, like many Highlanders, took the side of the British. Flora’s husband Allan joined a regiment of Royal Highland Emigrants but was captured at the battle of Moore’s Creek. Flora was forced into hiding while the American rebels destroyed the family plantation and she lost everything.

In 1779 Flora was persuaded to return with her daughter to Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye. But her adventures continued. The ship she was travelling on was attacked by French privateers. This remarkable lady is said to have refused to go below during the fighting and was wounded in the arm.

On his release in 1783, her husband Allan followed her back to Scotland. Flora MacDonald died on 5 March 1790 and is buried at Kilmuir on Skye, her body supposedly wrapped in a sheet in which Bonnie Prince Charlie had slept.

South Uist was living up to the “four seasons in one day” reputation of the Outer Hebrides but, as we arrived at our accommodation, we did get a rainbow to end our day.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2025

Today we were again moving south so made our last visit on North Uist to the Trinity Temple (Teampull Na Trionaid in Gaelic). Trinity Temple is situated on the south of the island and on the way to the Isles of Grimsay and Benbecula, and ultimately, our next accommodation on the Isle of South Uist.

It should be noted that ‘The Uists’ are made up of six islands being Berneray, North Uist, Grimsay, Benbecula, South Uists and Eriksay, in that order north to south. Gaelic is still widely spoken on the islands of The Uists by its population of 4,846 (2024 figures from the Scottish Government).

The photo above is Trinity Temple as it is today. It is an historic ruin of a medieval monastery and college, believed to be founded by Beathag, a Black Nun and daughter of Somerled, a Norse-Gaelic Lord. It was also thought to be an important centre of learning in the Middle Ages, and possibly until well beyond the Reformation.

It is believed that Trinity Temple was subsequently enlarged in the second half of the 1300s by Amy MacRuan, the first wife of John, Lord of the Isles, before being reconstructed in the 1500s. After the Reformation, the church fell out of use, and despite stories of a continuing role as a school in the 1700s and presence of sculpture within the church in the early 1800s, the church was in a ruinous state by the time it was visited by MacGibbon and Ross while compiling their Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland, published in 1896.

Close to the Trinity Temple is a sign marking the Battle of Carinish.

The Battle of Carinish is said to have been the last battle fought in Scotland using only traditional weapons. The resident clan at the time was the MacDonalds. A dispute arose when one of them decided to divorce his wife, a MacLeod from Harris. The result was the arrival of a strong raiding party of the MacLeods, and the battle seems to have taken place here because the MacDonalds were seeking sanctuary for themselves and their belongings within the precincts of the Trinity Temple. The battle was a victory for the resident MacDonalds and the subsequent naming of part of the battlefield as the ‘ditch of blood’ is an indication that few, if any, of the raiding party survived to see Harris again.

We then went south to the Isle of Benbecula crossing the North Ford Causeway (built in 1960) which also connects to the Isle of Grimsay.

Our next visit of the day was to the medieval graveyard and chapel of Baile Nan Cailleach on the Isle of Benbecula.

In the late 12th century with the end of Norse colonisation and settlement, the first outlines of church history on Benbecula emerge. From Somerled (died 1164) descended the leading dynasties that were to rule the Hebrides and the territory of the Lordship of the Isles until the late 15th century. A key aspect of their power was patronage of the church and in particular their support of Iona.

A new Benedictine community of monks was established on Iona in 1203 by Reginald, son of Somerled, which gained control over all the churches in the Hebrides. Over time it also acquired lands in the Uists, including Baile a’ Mhanaich, ‘the township belonging to the monks’. Reginald also founded a convent of Augustinian canonesses on Iona with his sister, Behoc, as the first prioress. His son, Donald, was one of its earliest benefactors. Having travelled to Rome to repent to the Pope for a wild and violent life, Donald returned to Scotland to make amends through church patronage. This included granting the island of Heisgeir to the nuns of Iona. The other portion of land in the Uists granted to the Iona convent was Baile nan Cailleach, hence its name, meaning the ‘township belonging to the nuns’. The dedication of the chapel – Teampull Mhuire – to the Virgin Mary, underlines this link.

Patronage enabled the church to fulfil its core function of spiritual and pastoral care, through a resident-ordained clergy and access to Mass and the sacraments. It is unclear how this operated within the islands at a local level but the burial ground of Cladh Mhuire, situated at Baile Nan Cailleach, would have been integral to it.

We then went south again, leaving the Isle of Benbecula to cross to the Isle of South Uist. Just off the main road on Isle of South Uist is a sculpture of the Madonna and Child called “Our Lady of the Isles”.

The sculpture was commissioned shortly after the Ministry of Defence proposed a missile testing range be constructed. This caused much concern that it would destroy much of the island’s way of life, culture and language. Resistance to the proposal was led by Canon John Morrison, the local parish priest. The sculpture was intended to be both an expression of the devotion of the people of South Uist to the Blessed Virgin Mary but was also intended to be a public and permanent reminder to “strangers” that they were entering a different world. People of all denominations supported the project through fundraising and the giving of their labour to construct the road and the foundations for the 40 tonne sculpture.

Guided missiles are test fired from South Uist and tracked by a station at St Kilda. It allows the Armed Forces to test the capabilities, accuracy and reliability of its air and sea weapons before they are used in combat.

The missile range was going to be closed and, surprisingly, the plans were greeted with howls of disapproval from the locals with claims that the island’s economy would be ruined as a result. This was very different to when it was proposed in 1957. It seems that the future of the range has been secured and it will remain in service until at least 2028.

After this visit, we moved on south to our next accommodation.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2025

Our first visit of the day was to Barpa Langais which is the best preserved Neolithic chambered cairn in the Outer Hebrides. It is typical of tombs built all over the islands by Neolithic farming communities and, in this case, is about 25 metres in diameter.

It contains a great mass of stones which would have dominated the surrounding landscape and would have had a relatively small burial chamber. It may have been a communal tribal resting place not just for a single leader. Many such tombs have passages which face midwinter sunrise or sunset but the entrance of the Langais cairn does not follow that pattern.

Barpa Langais has never been investigated by modern archaeologists but more than a century ago, pottery, charcoal and cremated human bones were found scattered on the floor with fragments of Beaker pottery also being found there.

This part of Uist has produced some of the earliest evidence for the presence of Man in the Outer Hebrides so far. In the Middle Stone Age, or Mesolithic period, a small band of hunters and gatherers set up seasonal camp here on the slopes of Langais. They built shelters which left traces of small post-holes in the ground and lit fires, the ashes of which survived to this day under the engulfing peat. They made stone tools which were strong enough to hunt seal and salmon and delicate enough to scrape the skins and make clothing.

In time, these harvesters of the island’s wild resources began to take their first steps to becoming farmers. Adopting a more settled lifestyle meant that new luxuries like pottery became possible.

Our next visit was to the Iron Age Broch of Dun an Sticir.

In this tidal loch are two islands connected by stone-built causeways. The outer islet has been used as a secure stronghold since prehistoric times. During the Iron Age, more than 2,000 years ago, a massive galleried dun or broch was built. which would nave been occupied by the local tribal chieftain.

The site of Dun an Sticir has never been investigated so the picture above is conjecture. That said, it is though that in the turbulent later Middle Ages a rectangular hall was inserted into the pre-existing circular dun, and the islands once again served as the residence and refuge of the local magnates.

It is not known how far back the islands were inhabited or even if they are artificial. Other islets in North Uist have been found to go back more than 5,500 years to the Neolithic period. Access may have only been by boat before the causeway was built.

It is thought that between the 9th and 13th centuries AD the Outer Hebrides were under the overlordship of the Norsemen who abandoned the old centres of power in favour of new sites. By the 16th century it is thought that Dun an Sticir had again become the centre of an important lordship. A new hall was built inside and around the old broch, and the larger island, the ‘Island of Bad Council’ also contained as least one substantial building. This apparently echoes Finlaggan on Islay where the Lords of the Isles held council.

In 1601, Dun an Sticir was the scene of dramatic events when Hugh MacDonald was seized by his enemies and taken to his death on Skye. Apparently Hugh MacDonald was regarded as a powerful and treacherous man and plotted against his uncle, Donald Gorm Mor, the Clan Chief, who did not have children. The title of Clan Chief would pass to Hugh’s older brother, so Hugh resolved to usurp the title. Unfortunately for Hugh, when he sent two letters, one to his hired assassins, and the other to the Clan Chief, each letter was sent to the wrong person. Donald Gorm Mor was now aware of his nephew’s treachery and sent a party led by clansman Donald MacDonald to arrest Hugh. Hugh had taken refuge at Dun an Sticir, disguised as a woman. He was taken to Duntulm Castle on Skye and thrown into a dungeon with a meal of salt beef. Without any water it is reported he died of thirst.

The history behind many of these ruins is fascinating and brings the ruins to life when it is sometimes difficult to see what a pile of stones represented.

Word and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

Our first stop was Leverburgh where we caught the 8.15am ferry to Ardmaree on the Isle of Berneray. The Isle of Berneray is a small island (roughly 2 miles by 3 miles) and is joined to North Uist by a causeway. The island has approximately 130 inhabitants with crofting and fishing as the mainstays of the economy.

The ferries between the islands of the Outer Hebrides are smaller than the one from the Scottish mainland across the Minch to Stornoway. If you have good weather, and we got lucky as the sun was shining on the day of our crossing to Berneray, the views are spectacular. As we went south though, we were to experience the legendary Outer Hebrides four seasons in a day.

We drove from the pier on Berneray across the causeway to the Isle of North Uist where our next accommodation was situated in an area called Langass.

The Lodge we were staying in had extensive grounds so we decided to take a walk. Near to the Lodge was a tower sitting in the middle of a loch so we went to investigate.

The Loch was Loch Scolpaig and we were not able to get too close as much of the ground around the Loch was boggy. The tower was erected in 1830 by Dr Alexander MacLeod who was the factor of the North Uist Estate. The reason for its construction was to provide employment for local people to help them during a period of famine. The North Uist Estate was granted to the MacDonald family of Sleat, Isle of Skye in 1495 and in 1855 it was sold to Sir John Powlett Ord. The current owners are the Granville family who own and manage the estate through a factor and the North Uist Trust. The estate supports more than 400 crofters and provides stalking, shooting and fishing as well as providing guided walks and boat trips.

After the Loch we walked to higher ground to enjoy the views. It is said that on a good weather day one can see St Kilda from this area even though it is 40 miles. Maybe that is possible but we couldn’t on the day we visited even though the weather was pretty good.

We hiked up the hills on our way back to the Lodge where we were staying and the ground underfoot was generally wet which was fine until the sole completely ripped off one of my Berghaus hiking boots. We were probably 30-40 minutes hike from the Lodge, so with it being wet underfoot we headed for the road which would lead us back to the Lodge.

Once on the road the inevitable happened and the other sole ripped off. The boots were 18 years old and I hadn’t worn them for about a year. The rubber soles and the welding holding them together had got hard and perished. We managed to get back to the Lodge although walking even on a road with no soles was uncomfortable and not a pretty sight.

This curtailed our exploring for the day but gave us time to plan for the next day’s visits.

Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024

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