Saturday 08/07/06 - West Side and Stornoway

On arrival at Callanish, we head for the restaurant. However, as it's now 4.45, they have stopped serving hot food. We scoop up the 3 quiches, then make our way to the Stones. It promptly starts to rain. Up near the entrance, a local lady is holding forth at a group of gullible tourists. Across the fence, a group of hippies is erecting a tent city. When we reach the centre of the monument, it starts to rain in earnest. Two American ladies ask us to take their picture, which we're more than happy to do. One person hovers around the Stones, wrapped in a cagoule. It stops, and the skylark starts up at once. We glance at some of the hippy tents and their outfits. Next port of call: Tolsta Chaolais, and then the Carloway Broch. Mrs B isn't up to climbing all the steps to the Broch, but I join her son and his friend for the climb. Nothing has changed since the last visit, a few weeks ago. We drive to the end of the Doune Carloway road, then head back to the main A858 road to go through Carloway to Dalbeg. This is a very nice little place with a spectacular beach. The rain returns, and we return to Stornoway via Shawbost and Barvas. In town, we make for the Coop to buy a lottery ticket, but the machine is broken. It's 7.25, lottery sales cease at 7.30 (draw normally takes place just after 8pm), so I hare to the nearby Trading Post shop. The Coop was recently done up, and it looks a lot more spacious than before. Our final excursion leads us to Cuddy Point. There are quite a few yachts in. The uprights have been placed on the lawn outside Lews Castle, in preparation for the musical events of the Hebridean Celtic Festival next week. The canopy is yet to be erected. After this full day, I have a lazy evening, regaling folk to some music on the keyboard. As the day draws to a close, the shower clouds collapse and the moon comes out. It was not very warm today (15C / 60F) and a cool wind blew.