Friday 27/04/07

Brilliant morning, and I decide for a jaunt over to Ness, at 1 o’clock. Bus is full of folk from up and down the Westside. After reaching Barvas, we stop at regular intervals to drop people and their shopping off outside their homes along the road. I get off outside the shop at Swainbost, and walk down the road into the machair. Pass fields, but only past Swainbost Farm do sheep and lambs pop up. It’s a very pastoral scene. Reach the dunes to enter Old Ness cemetery. This is heavily overgrown, and affected by sandblow. Snails sit on the stones. Birds and bees flit about, whilst the Atlantic surf roars continuously in the background. Find 14 graves of Iolaire victims, then head north to Eoropie across the machair, high above the cliffs. People are surfboarding at Eoropie beach, a bit too cold for my liking. Have some tea sitting in the dunes, before carrying on to Eoropie village. I walk past the tearoom to St Moluag’s chapel – which is locked. Peep through the windows and take some pics of its interior. Walk back to the junction, where I chat to a chap from Worcestershire, who is on holiday to the islands. Bus arrives at 3.40pm full of kiddies from Lionel primary school. As we wind our way through the townships, they are all dropped outside their homes. We return to Lionel school to pick up some more teenagers. Proceed back to Stornoway through sunsplashed countryside. Arrive in town at 4.40pm. Buy some papers then return to mrs B’s. Dinner is a stew, which is also ready for our guest, who arrives by 7.30. He is hard going. Go out for an amble at 11.30pm with him and mrs B.