Why the Awesome Isle of Lewis and Harris Needs To Be on Your Scottish Itinerary
Lewis and Harris have been on my bucket list for some time.
This island in Scotland somehow captured my attention with its beautiful scenery and ancient sites.
I had really hoped to make the trip over in 2017 after walking the West Highland Way, but it just didn’t work out.
So for the Great Scottish Road Trip I ensured to visit this special place in Scotland.
Let’s dive into where it is and why you should spend some time there.
And why the 2 names?
Why 2 names?
Let’s get this out of the way first.
Lewis and Harris is one land mass so it is one island.
But it has 2 distinctive parts.
The northern two thirds is the Lewis portion which is part of the historic county of Ross-shire in the historic region of Ross and Cromarty.
Lewis is a flatter with peaty moorland and little lochs.
The southern third is Harris and it belongs to the historic county of Inverness-shire.
And it’s more hilly and even mountainous with more than 30 summits over 1000ft/300m.
Both Lewis and Harris are part of the Western Isles council area and are part of the Outer Hebrides chain of islands.
The land here is not fertile but you’ll see cows and sheep grazing in the fields.
And you’ve probably heard of Harris tweed which is a small but important industry on the island.
There is no doubt that tourism is a major money maker here.
Okay.
So that’s a bit about this island with 2 names.
Let’s look at exactly where its located.
Where is Lewis and Harris?
If you look at the map below you’ll see that Lewis and Harris is just off the coast of northwestern Scotland.
And because of the size of it and its proximity to the mainland, this island is one of the most populous of Scotland’s islands.
It’s actually easy enough to get to with a few options for getting there.
We’ll cover the logistics at the end of the post.
But this Lewis and Harris is one of the more northern islands of Scotland’s many islands.
Just keep that in mind.
Okay.
Let’s dive into some of the things to do, see and experience on this incredible Scottish island.
Wander about Stornoway
Stornoway is the main town of the Lewis and the entire island.
It may be where you begin your Lewis and Harris journey and/or end it as this is where one of the ferry ports is located.
As such, it is the hub of all things for the island.
You’ll find a good array (for a small town) of accommodation, restaurants, cafes, shops and banks in Stornoway.
I spent an hour or so wandering around it before ferrying back over to the mainland.
It’s definitely a buzzy place when the ferries come in or go out.
Visit Calanais Standing Stones
The main attraction on Lewis are the Calanais Standing Stones.
That’s the Scottish Gaelic spelling.
You may know them as the Callanish Stones.
This is a very famous site.
And the stones are quite impressive.
There are actually several sites where you’ll find standing stones.
The main site, Calanais I, is where the visitor center is.
Calanais II and Calanais III are off the main road that leads back to the visitor center.
You can drive to them or you can walk from Calanais I to these 2 sites.
The walk is about 1 ½ miles to get to both sites so it’s 3 miles round trip and it’s flat.
The best time to visit Calanais I is early in the day or late in the day.
I got there about 9:20am and wished I had gotten there about half an hour earlier.
It was quiet when I first arrived, but within about half an hour, more people started arriving.
Callanish does get busy as motor coach tours do exist on Lewis and Harris.
While I thought it was a cool site, it’s not my favorite stone circle.
Maybe because it’s so popular.
I’m vowing to go back and see it early in the day or at sunset when there are fewer people.
Maybe I’ll feel more of a connection.
In some ways, I may have enjoyed Calanais II and III more — especially III.
There were only 3 other people at these 2 sites and I ended up alone at both of them at some point.
And personally, I like communing with the ancient spirits on my own.
Meander about Tarbert
Tarbert is the main town of Harris.
Calling it a town feels like a stretch as it has a village feel.
It does have a ferry port so there can be some energy here.
You’ll find some accommodation, a couple of very very small markets, a couple of cafes and restaurants and a few shops including the Harris Tweed shop and Essence of Harris shop which has nice gifts of candles and diffusers.
It’s a nice wee town to check out.
Tour Harris Distillery (and have a taste!)
And one of the star attractions that is located in Tarbert — and that had to have its own section — is the Harris Distillery.
This distillery is located right by the ferry port.
How convenient!
As with many distilleries that first started, they are making whisky — which we often refer to as Scotch but it’s actually whisky that is made in Scotland.
But whisky needs to be aged before you can release it.
So, many distilleries make gin first as it doesn’t need to be aged.
Harris Distillery has been making gin for about 7 years.
And it’s very good!
This is coming from someone who is NOT a gin drinker.
I quite like it!
The big news is that Harris Distillery has officially released their whisky as of late September.
And it promises to be quite tasty.
I haven’t had it yet, but I’ll be looking for a bottle soon!
So if you are a gin and/or whisky lover, you definitely don’t want to miss Harris Distillery on your visit to Lewis and Harris.
Explore Luskentyre Beach
The beaches of Lewis and Harris are legendary.
Especially those on Harris.
And Luskentyre is the star — the glamor girl!
I can’t seem to find any details on how long this beach is but it curves around some sand dunes and is a long beach — at least at low tide.
It’s a lengthy stretch of sandy gorgeousness.
And it’s quite popular!
But because it takes some time and effort to get here, and because it’s so expansive, you aren’t necessarily on top of each other.
I was fortunate to stay right by it and to have a few really nice days to enjoy the beach.
I walked it, watched the sunset from it and sat and read a book while soaking up some scarce Scottish sun.
One day, I walked on it despite the drizzly weather.
Luskentyre is simply stunning!
And there is no doubt that it is one of the best things to do on the Isle of Harris.
Stroll on some other beaches
While Luskentyre is the star of the beaches, there are more beaches on Lewis and Harris.
Most of the beaches are located on the west coast.
Lewis has some nice beaches in Shawbost, Dailbeag, Dalmore and Reef.
Harris has Seilebost which is just across from Luskentyre, Nisabost — which I walked on and Sgarasta Mhòr.
And the color of the sea by these beaches is just gorgeous!
You’ll swear you’re in the Caribbean — except for the air temperature which won’t be very warm.
I highly recommend simply putting your layers on and enjoying these amazing beaches.
Who knows — you may get lucky and be able to sit in shorts and t-shirt!
Discover St Clement’s Church
If you take the wee road to Rodel you’ll find yourself at St Clement’s Church.
I highly recommend a visit to this little church on the Isle of Harris.
You are pretty much at the end of the road, sitting close to the most southerly point of Lewis and Harris.
Anyway…
St Clement’s Church sits a short walk up on a hill.
And it’s a remarkable Medieval church dating back to the early 1500’s.
It was built as the burial place for the MacLeod clan so some of them are buried there.
There are a lot of carvings inside so, while it’s small, take your time and really look.
I also recommend taking a wander about the outside to notice some interesting sculptures and carvings on the exterior of the building as well as to note the gravestones.
The drive is very scenic as well, taking you by water, through moorland and some small settlements.
One piece of advice, try to to on a good weather day as it will be a more enjoyable drive.
Hike on one of the trails
One of the things I didn’t get to during my time on Lewis and Harris was a good proper hike.
There are loads of trails.
I just walked on Luskentyre instead!
You can find easy trails to more difficult paths to walk and hike.
There are walks along the water as well as trails that take you into the hills and mountains.
And you can also walk part of the Hebridean Way which is a long distance trail that encompasses the Hebridean islands.
This website is a good resource for those who want to tackle a trail or 2.
The Isle of Lewis and Harris is spectacular
As I said, it’s been on my list for over 6 years.
I was so happy to finally get there as I road tripped around Scotland.
I highly recommend a visit especially if you are the type of person who wants more outdoor time and less town/city time.
You won’t be disappointed!
Logistics for your visit to Lewis and Harris
Getting there
Airplane:
There is an airport at Stornoway so you can actually fly to Lewis and Harris.
Loganair has nonstop flights from both Glasgow and Edinburgh and there looks to be at least one flight from Inverness.
Ferry:
Most folks will ferry to Lewis and Harris.
There are 3 ferry ports — Stornoway, Tarbert and Leverburgh.
It will depend on where you are going from and to.
From mainland Scotland, you’ll ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway.
This trip is 2:40.
From the Isle of Skye, you’ll ferry from Uig to Tarbert.
This trip is 1:40
You can also ferry between the Isle of North Uist at Berneray and Leverburgh on the Isle of Harris which is on the southern part of the island.
This trip is one hour.
Please make reservations in advance especially if you are taking a car, campervan or RV.
CalMac is the ferry company for all the islands.
Getting around
It really is best to have a car.
While there are local buses, you will be limited by times and where you can get to.
And Lewis and Harris is really best if you can get into the nooks and crannies and take some amazing drives as well.
Do note that it will take time to get around by car.
There are many places where you’ll have single lane roads so driving is much slower.
Don’t go by Google maps as they think you can go 60 miles per hour on some of these roads.
I guarantee that you will be driving slower than that.
So be prepared for it to take a longer to get from Point A to Point B.
Enjoy the drive!
Towns
I will reiterate this — there is no large city on Lewis and Harris.
Stornoway is a town.
Tarbert is a village.
And the other places are villages and settlements.
This island is a place to come to enjoy the nature of the sea, beaches, peaty moorland, hills and mountains.
It’s a place to enjoy the peace and tranquility.
While there are some cultural sites such as Calanais and St Clement’s church, it really is about nature and slowing down.
So…get off the grid and go to Lewis and Harris!
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