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.
Stornoway is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland.
Portnaguran is a settlement situated within Point, on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Portnaguran is the township at the north-easternmost point of the peninsula. It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Tiumpan Head and just south of the headland called Geòdha 'ic Sheòrais or sometimes Small Head amongst locals. Portnaguran is situated at the north-eastern end of the A866, within the parish of Stornoway.
Shawbost is a large village in the West Side of the Isle of Lewis. The village of Shawbost has a population of around 500 and lies around 20 miles west of Lewis's capital Stornoway. Shawbost is within the parish of Barvas. A recent development in the village was the renovation of the old school into the new community centre. The scattered settlement is split into three sections: North Shawbost, South Shawbost and New Shawbost. There is a small museum of folk life and nearby is a small stone circle. The village is overlooked by a small hill named Beinn Bhragair, 261 m high.
Aird is a village in the Scottish council area of Eileanan Siar. It is located on the Eye Peninsula on the east coast of the Isle of Lewis. Aird is within the parish of Stornoway, and is situated on the A866 near the northern end of the road.
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.
Broker is a small hamlet next to the village of Portvoller and Portnaguran on the Eye Peninsula located on the east side of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Brocair is situated on the A866, between Stornoway and Portnaguran, and is within the parish of Stornoway.
Melbost is a traditionally Gaelic-speaking village in Point on the east coast of the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland's north-west. It is largely a crofting township and is about 2+1⁄2 miles east of Stornoway at the head of an isthmus connecting with the Eye Peninsula. Melbost is technically in the district of Point, however it is not located on the eye peninsula itself, RAF Stornoway war memorial is located in the village.
Gress, a hamlet on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, is adjacent to the larger village of Back. Gress is within the parish of Stornoway. Between 1919 and 1921, Gress – along with nearby Coll and Tong – was the scene of several land raids.
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.
Cape Wrath Lighthouse at Cape Wrath was built in 1828 by Robert Stevenson and was manned until 1998, when it was converted to automatic operation by the Northern Lighthouse Board. It is located at the most North-Westerly point on the British mainland, in the traditional county of Sutherland within Highland Region. Durness is the closest village, 10 miles (16 km) to the south-east with Inverness around 120 miles (190 km) to the south.
The Hebrides were settled early on in the settlement of the British Isles, perhaps as early as the Mesolithic era, around 8500–8250 BC, after the climatic conditions improved enough to sustain human settlement. There are examples of structures possibly dating from up to 3000 BC, the finest example being the standing stones at Callanish, but some archaeologists date the site as Bronze Age. Little is known of the people who settled in the Hebrides but they were likely of the same Celtic stock that had settled in the rest of Scotland. Settlements at Northton, Harris, have both Beaker & Neolithic dwelling houses, the oldest in the Western Isles, attesting to the settlement.
North Tolsta is a village in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, on the east side of the Isle of Lewis. North Tolsta is within the parish of Stornoway. Tolsta is notable for its long sandy beach, which is popular with surfers. The village of Bail' Ùr Tholastaidh is to the north and Gleann Tholastaidh to the south. At the end of Tolsta's long sandy beach there are five caves, only visitable during low tide. They are known locally as "The Caves of Life."
Sandwick is a village in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, on the Isle of Lewis and a quasi-suburb of Stornoway. Sandwick is situated within the parish of Stornoway.
Parkend is a hamlet in the Sandwick region of the Isle of Lewis, although like Melbost, it is not a part of the Eye Peninsula. Many people erroneously believe it to be a suburb of Stornoway, on the island of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Parkend is within the parish of Stornoway. Parkend is situated on the A866, and the adjoining Holm Road allows access to the nearby Holm Village. The Parkend Industrial Estate is adjacent to the small housing estate.
Steinish is a village in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, on the Isle of Lewis, near Plasterfield and Stornoway Airport. Steinish is situated within the parish of Stornoway, and is also situated adjacent to the Laxdale estuary. A treasure trove was discovered in Steinish, in 1876, containing coins from the era of Francis and Mary, Mary, and James VI.
Port of Ness is a village on the Isle of Lewis in the community of Ness, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Port of Ness is within the parish of Barvas. Port of Ness is situated at the end of the A857, which runs from Stornoway.
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.
