Another early morning start so that I can catch the late morning ferry back to the Isle of Skye. I spent last night on the Isle of Harris http://www.visithebrides.com/islands/harris/ in the town of Tarbert. Waking up this morning right on the coast was breath-taking and the weather has been absolutely glorious which adds to views of the idyllic scenery and landscape.
Harris is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris and is
the largest island in the Outer Hebrides. Although not an island itself, Harris
is often referred to as the Isle of Harris. A person from Harris is known as a Hearach.
Harris is most likely to be the island referred to as Adru (meaning
thick, stout or bulky) on Ptolemy’s map of the British Isles. In Old Norse, a Hérað was a type of
administrative district, and the name may derive from that. An alternative origin
is the Norse Haerri, meaning "higher" - a reference to the
high hills, especially in comparison with the much flatter Lewis lying to the
north. Most of the place names on Harris are Gaelicized Old Norse.
Harris divides naturally into northern and southern parts which are
separated by West and East Loch Tarbert. These halves are joined at the main
settlement of Tarbert.
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| Capturing the idylic scenery and life on the Isle of Harris in Tarbert Bay with young Scouts |
Tarbert is the main port and capital village of Harris. The name Tarbert
comes from the Norse tairbeart meaning "draw-boat". Tarbert is a
community of approximately 500 located on a narrow strip of land between Loch
Tarbert and West Loch Tarbert. The village has the main ferry terminal; local
tourist information and a range of small shops are available, including the
Harris Tweed Shop.
Recent media attention has surrounded angling on Harris and Tarbert in
particular. Local fishermen have been targeting large Common Skate in the
area and have had prolific catches, mainly from West Loch Tarbert in autumn
through the winter. These catches have attracted the attention of the local and
national press and sea angling’s leading magazines.
The island of Scalpay is located to the East of Loch Tarbert. It was known
historically for its fishing industry, though little of it remains. The island
was linked to Harris when the Scalpay Bridge was opened in 1997. The bridge
connects Scalpay to Kyles on Harris and makes it part of Harris.
Harris Tweed is world renowned http://www.harristweed.org/ . The definition of Harris Tweed is contained
in the Harris Tweed Act of 1993 which clearly defines Harris Tweed as follows:
"Handwoven by the
islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides,
and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides."
The Act ensures that all cloth
certified with the Harris Tweed Orb symbol complies with this definition and is
genuine Harris Tweed. It is the world’s only commercially produced hand-woven
tweed. The legislation and organisation allows the safeguarding of the Harris
Tweed name, quality and reputation of Harris Tweed ensuring that every metre of
the world famous cloth conforms to the same
exacting standards and gives legal powers to address imitation and
counterfeiting of the cloth worldwide.
Harris is home to every dyer,
blender, carder, spinner, warper, weaver, finisher and inspector of Harris
Tweed. No part of the process takes place elsewhere. The land and people are
woven into the very fabric of the cloth, reflecting as it does the colours of
the landscapes.
It was a pleasure to visit and
walk on Harris. I am sincerely grateful to the Hebrides Hotel for gifting
accommodation and looking after me and to the many people I met during my stay that
made me feel very welcome. I was delighted that Scouts and Adult Scout
volunteers joined me for my walk on Harris and I had the opportunity to talk to
young Scouts about their experiences and activities through the UK Scouting
Association on Harris.
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| A beautiful morning on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides with young Scouts and Adult Volunteers from the UK Scouting Association |
I’m currently writing my blog on
the ferry back to Uig where I’ll be reunited with the BRIT Land Rover and start
my three hour drive across Scotland to Ross and Cromarty.
Tomorrow is
another day with the UK Scouting Association and I’ll be meeting them at the
Fairburn Activity Centre in the Muir of Ord when we will walk six miles
together on Day 203 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk.
Best wishes,
Phil