Afternoon at Gress

Gress is a small village some 8 miles north of Stornoway on the east coast. It looks out over Broad Bay, towards Point and Tiumpan Head lighthouse. It also plays host to a beach and a cemetery. Primary objective for my visit there this afternoon was to collect pictures of war graves, and I found 9. Others, related to the Iolaire Disaster, I had already photographed back in April. It was a cold afternoon, but there was no wind, which took the edge off. Nonetheless, sheltered puddles still had ice on them.

As I went on the bus at 1.50pm, a shower loomed over the spine of the island, and actually rained on me as I travelled to Gress. On alighting at the beach, the shower had moved away. Another one was hanging to the north, over Tolsta, but only brought a spit or two. Barnacle geese were cackling in fields adjoining the river. The Gress River noisily ran down to the sea, but it had slightly longer to go, as the tide was out. I wandered to the tideline, but on my return to the shore I had to wade through a river. Although the temperature of the air was barely +2C / 36F, the temperature of the water was higher. Walking barefoot across the beach did not feel cold at all. I was reluctant to put my boots back on, but it was necessary to return to the busstop.

Strictly speaking, there are no formal busstops in Lewis. You can wave down a bus at any point along the road, but it is appreciated if you seek out a place where the bus can pull up safely. You should put your arm out and generally attract the attention of the driver. Conversely, they'll let you off virtually anywhere; many people are dropped off outside their door if the busroute runs past. My outing cost £2.20 return; if I were to go on a 45 mile round trip to places like Callanish, Carloway and Barvas, it would only cost me £4.

One thing that did strike me: the price of petrol at the pumps. £1.19 per litre. That equates to nearly $11 per gallon, for those in the US. I think I'll happily stick to travelling by bus.