Easter Saturday, 8th April, W6D2

 

Still at Laxdale, too good a site to move on. 

Another lovely camp sunrise for my last day at Laxdale Campsite. A very lazy start before my tour of the sites of interest moving north along the west coast, allowing for the fact that though the actual antiquities were available, hardly any of the helpful visitor centres would be, on Easter Saturday. 

First stop was the biggest standing stone on the islands, the Trushel stone. It's not known why it stands alone, with no associated burial site. It's next to a cottage, and I had a long chat with the owner, a Sassenach who's lived there for 6 years. (Perhaps it's not known why he's there either?) He said some believe there used to be a full stone circle, but the builders of the Calanais Stones were jealous and removed most of these rivals, but couldn't shift the biggest one, as it is truly enormous. Or maybe he just made that up - another mystery? 

The next stones were Steinacleit, and are also an enigma, tucked away a wee hike from the long potholed track, with a sign advising the use of serious boots, which for once I followed, and was duly grateful. It has never been scientifically investigated or dated, but is a  very wide ring of small stones surrounding a rather random central collection of bigger ones. So that's all we know. (Footnote on potholes: they are ubiquitous, and horribly deep, and even careful slow weaving can't avoid them all. I've been in perpetual fear of a damaged tyre and the unimaginable horror of trying to get help out here from the RAC) 

My final target was the Butt of Lewis (shut up, Paul) with a structure that's not a mystery, but a fine example from a ring of great lighthouses around the North and West Scottish coasts. At the most northerly point of the islands, the Lighthouse is a Stevenson design, like most of the British lights. It was erected in 1865, used to be manned by 3 men, keeping the fish oil lamps going, but went electric in 1976. The Tower is 37 metres high, giving an elevation of 52metres. {For the real light geeks, its characteristic is FlW(5)} There was a time those matters would have been hugely important to me: changed days. 

For now I walked as far up the headland as necessary to inspect the dramatic cliffs and deep crevasses, the trekked back to the van, made a cup of tea and pate sandwich and sat out at the picnic table 

Next stop, Cross Inn, run by Deal writing friend Lucy's sister Alice and husband Duncan, to camp in their car park. I had a good dinner and couple of ales before retiring, but that's all for another day.