Brenish
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![]() Brenish coastline | |
Location within the Outer Hebrides | |
Population | 25 |
Language | Scottish Gaelic English |
OS grid reference | NA991261 |
Civil parish | |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ISLE OF LEWIS |
Postcode district | HS2 |
Dialling code | 01851 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Brenish (Scottish Gaelic : Brèinis) is a small village situated on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, which is part of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Brenish is within the parish of Uig. [1] The name of the village is sometimes spelt Breanish [2] (which is generally the spelling used locally), however maps normally refer to Brenish.
Brenish is commonly regarded as one of the more scenic areas on the island, although its remote location at the end of the winding and decaying C39 makes it one of the less visited. The village itself runs parallel to the Atlantic coastline and is overlooked by Mealisval, the tallest mountain on the island. It is located next to the village of Mealista which is an uninhabited village known best for its selection of virginal sandy beaches. Mealista is where the road ends, making Brenish the last populated village on the C39.
Brenish can be reached by taking the A859 from Stornoway or Tarbert, Harris, then turning on to the A858 towards Garynahine. This route then travels along the B8011, which then becomes the C39 at Timsgarry. [3] The journey takes between 60 and 90 minutes from Stornoway and 90 to 120 minutes from Tarbert (depending on driving experience on the Lewis roads).
One of the more interesting features of Brenish is the Blowhole. This is a deep hole in the ground which is roughly 20 metres inland. It has a sea cave which funnels sea water into the hole, sometimes with such ferocity that the sea water blows out the top of the hole. The hole is situated to the north of the village and although it is large it can easily be missed because it is situated in a dip in the ground. There is no fencing around the hole making it a hazard to the unsuspecting walker.
The terrain is mainly heather covered moorland which is peppered with lochs of varying size, which are kept full by the plentiful supply of rain. This land contains high quantities of peat, which is still used by many in the village as a fuel source for heating and cooking. The land between Brenish and Islivig is peat cutting land which has supplied the village with fuel for decades. Due to the wild, damp, salty climate only hardy vegetation is able to survive.
There are still a large number of sheep roaming freely and there is an increasing number of deer which can be seen coming into villagers gardens in the evening. Other natives include rabbit, hare, rat, and feral cat. There have also been sightings of frogs in recent years which is a new addition to the area. There are regular sightings of seal fishing for salmon and sea trout in the Brenish bay.
Lewis provides a good stop off point for migrating birds which can be seen along with the hardy native seabirds. Golden eagles have also been known to make an occasional visit to the village.
The oceanic climate means that Brenish experiences high volumes of rain, with temperatures struggling to reach double figures for a large part of the year. However, Brenish is far enough north to benefit from long summer days where there is daylight for over 20 hours. It is also a good place to view the Aurora Borealis (otherwise known as the Northern Lights).
Brenish was once a highly populated village but has suffered a drastic decline in its numbers during the 1900s, brought about by a combination of the younger generation opting to move to the mainland and the demise of the ageing residents. There is very little employment in the local area and the traditional occupation of crofting has itself been in rapid decline since the 1980s. However, since the late 1990s the village has experienced a relative population boom. Over 50% of the population have migrated to Brenish from the UK mainland which has brought with it a feeling of revival.
The architecture in the area is fairly typical for the island. Generally the houses are built beside the road, at the top of a croft which itself leads down to the sea. There have been several new houses built since the late 1990s which are changing the face of the village.
Brenish, like all parts of the Hebrides, has a strong religious (Presbyterian) population. To this end there is normally very little activity in the village on Sunday. Until relatively recent years even the act of watching television on Sunday would have been frowned upon.
The Outer Hebrides or Western Isles, sometimes known as Na h-Innse Gall or the Long Isle/Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. The islands are geographically coextensive with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. They form part of the archipelago of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch, and the Sea of the Hebrides. Scottish Gaelic is the predominant spoken language, although in a few areas English speakers form a majority.
The Isle of Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Leòdhais or simply Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The total area of Lewis is 683 square miles.
Harris is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Although not an island itself, Harris is often referred to as the Isle of Harris, which is the former postal county and the current post town for Royal Mail postcodes starting HS3 or HS5.
Callanish is a village (township) on the west side of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Callanish is within the parish of Uig. A linear settlement with a jetty, it is on a headland jutting into Loch Roag, a sea loch 13 miles west of Stornoway. Callanish is situated alongside the A858, between Breasclete and Garynahine.
Stornoway is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland.
Bragar is a village on the west side of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, 14 miles from the island's only town, Stornoway. Bragar is within the parish of Barvas, and is situated on the A858 between Carloway and Barvas.
Carloway is a crofting township and a district on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The district has a population of around 500. Carloway township is within the parish of Uig, and is situated on the A858.
Tarbert is the main community on Harris in the Western Isles of Scotland. The name means "isthmus", "crossing point" or "portage", in Gaelic. The isthmus, between the sea lochs West Loch Tarbert and East Loch Tarbert, joins south Harris to north Harris and Lewis. In 1981 it had a population of 503.
Breasclete is a village and community on the west side of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Breasclete is within the parish of Uig, and is situated adjacent to the A858.
Shulishader is a small village with a population of around 120 people in Point, Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Located on the north-western side of the Eye Peninsula, it overlooks Broad Bay. Most of the village is over 60m above sea level, affording excellent views across the bay and northern Lewis, though the land falls gently towards the sea before ending in small cliffs. There are several small, difficult to access, sandy beaches, and a small cove on the coastline. The cove is accessible via 88 dilapidated steps, and contains a pebble peach, some natural caves and a concrete structure once used for boat moorings above the high tide line.
Garynahine is a settlement on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Garynahine is situated at a T-junction where roads from Stornoway, Uig and the west side of Lewis all meet. The roads are the A858 and the B8011. Garynahine is within the parish of Uig.
MV Isle of Lewis is a Scottish ro-ro ferry, owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne between Oban and Castlebay, Barra. Built in 1995, she remains one of only two ships in the CalMac fleet over 100 metres (328 ft) in length; the other, Loch Seaforth, being longer by almost 15 metres.
Ardroil is a village on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Ardroil is within the parish of Uig.
Borrowston, with a population of about 50, is a crofting township situated on the Isle of Lewis, on the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It lies at the northern end of Loch Carloway 1⁄2 mile west of Carloway. Borrowston is within the parish of Uig, and is situated near to the A858, which runs through Carloway. The hill Ben Borriston lies to the west.
MV Hebrides is a ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne from Uig to Lochmaddy and Tarbert, the main settlements of North Uist and Harris respectively.
Breacleit is the central village on Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Breaclete is within the parish of Uig. Although the village name comes from a geographical feature rather than a steading it is generally believed to be an ancient settlement. The oldest building in the village is the thatched water mill by the shore of Loch Risay which was restored in the 1990s. It was formerly a tiny crofting and fishing settlement of just 12 crofts surrounding the natural harbour of Loch Beag but crofting has now ceased and holiday homes have taken over. The earliest clearly mapped reference is on Murdoch MacKenzie's first Admiralty chart surveyed in 1748. In 1851 J.M. MacKenzie, the Chamberlain to the estate owner Sir James Matheson, proposed that all the tenants of the village were to be evicted and sent to North America on the emigrant ship the SS Marquis of Stafford. This plan was not fully carried through however but it still had a great effect on the village leaving it with a population of just three families. This population was later supplemented through evictions elsewhere notably the clearances of Hacklete and Barragloum villages in the south of Great Bernera.
Aird Uig is a village on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Aird Uig is within the parish of Uig, and is situated on the C40 minor road which joins to the B8011 at Timsgarry.
Timsgarry is a village on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Timsgarry is home to the Baile na Cille Church and the Uig Museum, noted for its giant Chessmen, discovered in the sands in 1831.
Newmarket is a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, on the Isle of Lewis near Stornoway. It is part of the Leodsoch countryside and a peat site is not far away. Its nearest town is Stornoway and the nearest council headquarters is Na h-Eileanan Siar in Stornoway. Newmarket is within the parish of Stornoway. Newmarket is situated on the A857 at the junction with the B895. The remains of a stone circle exist to the west of the villages in a croft.
Lewis and Harris, or Lewis with Harris, is a single Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides, divided by mountains. It is the largest island in Scotland and the third largest in the British Isles, after Great Britain and the island of Ireland, with an area of 841 square miles (2,178 km2), which is approximately 1% of the area of Great Britain. The northern two-thirds is called [the Isle of] Lewis and the southern third [the Isle of] Harris; each is frequently referred to as if it were a separate island.
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