Blogs from Stornoway, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

I arrived in Stornoway on the Tuesday evening sailing. The crossing was memorable for the number of auks feeding on the sea around the ship. There were an impressive number of puffins in particular. Many of the guillemots were accompanied by a little juvenile, a recent jumpling. Each was staying very close to its father as they learned how to fend for themselves It was great to see dozens of dolphins and a minke whale too. I was going to Stornoway to join the Green Team at the HebCelt Festival for a second year running, having enjoyed it so much in 2022. On Wednesday morning I met many of my colleagues for the next few days. It was good to see familiar faces from last year amongst the volunteers including Christina and Vicky who lead the ... read more

It was another night of wind and rain, so we were not sure if it would be worth it when we got up early to head out for the sunrise. Our plan today was to go back to the Eilean Glas Lighthouse on Scalpay Island. There was a break in the rain as we were driving, but it started pouring again as soon as we got there, so we waited in the minibus for a while until it stopped. We knew that once we got to the lighthouse, there would be no shelter and it would be too far to pop back to the minibus for shelter. There were intermittent rain showers and, again, the constant wind, which kept blowing our tripods over. It’s a rooky mistake turning away from your tripod in the wind, particularly ... read more

As is normal with these photography workshops, we were up early and were planning on heading back to the same beach at Seliebost, which we had gone to previously for the sunrise (see ) as it can look very different depending on the sky. As we were on the way, however, we changed our plans and got diverted as the water in a bay on the way was dead still and we thought would make better photographs due to the potential reflections. We parked, climbed over a fence (being careful of the barbed-wire) and headed down towards the bay. It soon became clear that this was a huge mistake as the ground was beyond uneven. The long grass that we could see was bad enough, but the ground underneath, which we couldn't see, was even more ... read more

As with all these photography workshops, it was an early start as sunrise is almost always the best time of the day for striking photographs. It wasn’t too antisocial though as we met at 6.20 to head off to the nearby Seliebost Beach. Sadly, it was pouring with rain, so we left in a cloud of pessimism concerning what it would be like when we got there. As we headed there, however, that pessimism turned to optimism as the weather started to clear and there were some gaps in the cloud. Stormy weather actually makes great, dramatic photography, but rain is an absolute pain as all those dramatic pictures are ruined by the spots of rain on the camera lens, no matter how often you try and wipe it. We got there and got set-up and ... read more

It is amazing how many place names have been copied here from the ones in Canada .... OK ..... just kidding :-) Oct11 ...Two days...three sleeps in Stornaway.... such a nice neat town. A castle dominates the opposite shore and a comfortable walk thru the park leads to it. In the cafeteria... a Starbucks....Pumpkin Latte. REALLY!?...in Scotland ...off the Mainland. Passed right by. Had been to the Woodland Cafe where many people were enjoying lunch, snack, or tea and I had had lentil soup. The morning of the first day had been spent on the bus riding to Port Ness. What a difference from the landscape inTarbert on Harris. Towards Port Ness at the tip of Lewis, the scene was one of undulating hills covered in rusty grass and interspersed with peat banks. Some of these ... read more