Lewis (Scotland)

Lewis , in Scottish Leòdhas , or island of Lewis , as a Scot Eilean Leòdhais , is the northern part of the island of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the archipelago of the external Hébrides ( Na h-Eileanan Siar ) in Scotland. The southernmost part of the island is called Harris ( Na Hearadh ). These two parts form only one island but are regarded by the Scot as two distinct islands, “island of Lewis” and “island of Harris”. Lewis is, generally less low part of this island, Harris being more mountainous. The various grounds of Lewis accommodate a rich set of flora and fauna, such as the Golden eagle, of the red stags and the Phoques.

Lewis is tradition presbytérienne with a rich person history, after having once belonged to the kingdom of Man and the Islands (under control of Norway). Today, the life is very different that in the remainder from Scotland with the observation of the Christian Sabbat, the language Gaelic and the exploitation of the peat being more important than elsewhere. Lewis has a rich inheritance as one can see with his myths and legends as well as with his literary and musical traditions.

Geography

The single city of Lewis, only city in Hébrides external, is Stornoway ( Scottish Steòrnabhagh in ), connected by a service of vats to Ullapool on the Scottish continent. According to the census of 2001, Lewis has a population of 16 872 inhabitants.

Close relations of the sea, the villages of the island are particularly concentrated on the north-eastern coast. Interior of the island east covered with Moor S and Peaty S which provided fuel, practical become rarer today. The southernmost part of the island more mountainous and is marked out interior lakes. The island of Great Bernera, in the district of Uig, is connected to Lewis by a bridge since 1953.

The coasts are very cut out, formant of many arms of the sea and peninsulas.

Topography

The landscape of Lewis passes from the Lande with its logs of fresh water in the north of the island to the more mountainous landscapes of the area of Uig. The east coast rock and broken, cliffs alternating with the Machair S or sand beaches gilded. The island is composed mainly of gneiss , but one finds also Granite close to Carloway, of small intrusive veins of Basalte close to Sandstone like in the peninsula of Eye, and the sandstone of Torridonian with Stornoway, Tong, Vatskir and Carloway.

Contrary to Harris, Lewis is an island relatively punt, except for south-east, where Ben More reaches 1874 feet, and of south-west, where Mealasbhal (1885 feet) is the culminating point; however, there are only eleven tops exceeding 1000 feet height.

The principal courses are the headland of Lewis ( Butt off Lewis ), in extreme north, where the cliff rises with nearly 150 feet and whose headlight is visible with more than 30 kilometers; the point of Tolsta and courses of Tiumpan and Cabag in the east; the point of Renish, in the south; and in the west, the Toe courses and Gallon.

Parishes and districts

There are four parishes with Lewis: Barvas ( Barabhas ), Logs ( Na Lochan ), Stornoway ( Steòrnabhagh ), and Uig ( Uig ) according to which one named the districts of the island. The district of Carloway (according to the village of the same name), which was formerly partially in the parish of Logs and partially in the parish of Uig, will become a civil district in 1859.
the districts of Lewis are Ness (Nis), Carloway (Càrlabhagh), Back, Lochs (Na Lochan), Park (A' Phàirc), Point (Year Rubha), Stornoway, and Uig. These names traditional and are used up to date day by people of Lewis.
For the civil statue, Lochs ( Na Lochan ) is from now on separate in Logs of North (Na Lochan has Tuath) and Logs of the South (Na Lochan has Deas).
the " West Side" (West coast) is a term not-official to speak about the ground between (including) the villages of Arnol with Shawbost (Siabost).

It is told that the site of the memorial was selected above Stornoway because its tower could be visible of at least a place in each of the four parishes; therefore, one can say that one can admire all the parishes of Lewis starting from the top of the memorial.

The city and villages of Lewis

A not-thorough list of the villages of each district:

Industry

agriculture lost its historical importance in the island. However, there exist always some large farms (in the neighborhoods of Stornoway) and several small crofts in the villages. The crofts are small farms, especially for the breeding of sheep or cattle. In the villages, almost each house is on a croft, but there is also a larger ground beside the village where all the crofters have the right to graze their animals.

Traditionally, tweed is manufactured in Lewis. Harris Tweed is defined like thread, woven and coloured with the hand by crofters in Hébrides external; although today, tweed is spun by machines and is coloured in large tanks. Only weaving is carried out at the crofter. The definition of tweed is protected by law. The tweed industry regularly undergoes the tops and bottoms of the business cycles, sometimes being in danger to die out.

the industrial park of Arnish was established in the Seventies to manufacture the legs oil dish-forms. To go against the regular crises in oil industry in the the North Sea, Arnish looks towards renewable energy with the manufacture of the turbines with wind.

There is a pharmaceutical factory near to Carloway.
the municipal council is one of the most important employers of the island.
the fishing fleet is much smaller than formerly.

Trade

There are several national department stores present at Stornoway and much of local companies. Apart from Stornoway, much of villages have a small store (often also a post office). In some other villages, in addition to the only store, one finds specialized stores like pharmacies or gas stations.

Climate

Transport

A vat Caledonian Macbrayne (except Sunday) made the voyage between Stornoway and Ullapool daily. On average, there are two return tickets each 2 hours and 50 minutes day between Lewis and the Scottish continent. A second ship makes the voyage early the morning with the majority of the trucks of freight of the island. Other vats, travelling since Harris are easily accessible to go to Skye or Uist.

Stornoway is the center of the grid system in Lewis with roads of bus towards Point, Ness, Back, Tolsta, Uig, West Side, Lochs and Harris. The buses are mainly municipal services, but there exist also private buses.

The airport of Stornoway is with 3km city, beside the village of Melbost. Since the airport, one can vse return to Aberdeen, Benbecula, Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow by Loganair (frankness from British Airways), Eastern Airways and Highland Airways. The airport is also useful for a helicopter HM Coastguard Search & Rescue (coastguard), and was formerly a base of NATO (RAF Stornoway).

History

The play of failure of Lewis was discovered on the island in 1831. It is about a whole of most complete parts of failure dating from the Moyen-âge.

The majority of the place names come from the Vieux norrois, thus Leòdhas (Lewis) comes from Ljóðhús .

Among the historic sites, one can quote the Menhir S of Calanais, the monolith of Clach year Truiseil, the church of Teampull Mholuaidh built at the 13th century, cliffs of Butt off Lewis and his headlight, the church of Saint Colomba in Aignis or the fort of Dun Carloway.

At the beginning of the 20th century, except in the principal city of Stornoway, most of the population always lived in the black houses built out of stones and thatch. In Garenin, one can find a village made up of these black houses who were inhabited until in the Années 1970, of which an inn of youth.

In 1919, Lewis lived the worst drama of sound histoire : of return of the First World War, the Iolaire is cast in the roads of Stornoway making more than 200 victims, mainly sailors turning over in their families.

Population

The main city of the island east Stornoway ( Steòrnabhagh ), of which share a connection by ferry for Ullapool in Scotland.

With the census of 2001 the permanent population of Lewis was of 16 872 inhabitants.

In Lewis, the official language is the English as in the remainder of the the United Kingdom however the majority of the signs are as a Scot and much about inhabitants (60%) still speak this Celtic language. However, the great majority of the inhabitants are bilingual and certain the two languages in the same sentence mix what gives an accent particular to the inhabitants of Lewis.

The majority of the villages are concentrated on the south-eastern coast of the island and the inhabitants live fishing, tourism, manufacture of the tweed and a little agriculture.

The inhabitants are Protestant and observe the Christian Sabbat with closing of all the stores and companies.

Gallery

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