Touring Scotland with the EV - Day 20

Day 20 (Friday 21st October)


Our last full day on the island and a visit to two different chruches, even taking part in community life. 

First of all a visit to St. Clements Church at Rodel, very near to where we were staying. 
It was built around 1520 by Alexander MacLeod of Dunvegan and Harris. The inside is set up with interesting exibits and information and the graveyard is a fascinating place to explore. We took many photos and here are just a few.

Later in the day at Leverburgh we were looking for somewhere to stop for coffee and saw a sign outside the hall of the Church of Scotland inviting people to tea and coffee. We went inside and were made very welcome by the minister, David Donaldson and three local ladies. They made us coffee and offered a range of home made cakes, for which they refused to let us pay. We sat with them for a while and they talked about life in this beautiful and remote part of the world.

We were told they don't get a lot of snow on the island, but the winds can reach 120 mph, something for which they need to prepare themselves for. They add blankets, shovels and sacks of sand or lumps of concrete to their cars to prevent them being blown off the roads. We have experienced how narrow the single track roads are and how the surrounding tundra drops steeply away from the roads.  In places the land falls away into the sea or rivers, so we can appreciate how travel could become very risky. They also experience power cuts for up to four days at a time.

photo from google

The people of this friendly congregation talked of the great sense of community in the villages and how they help one another out. Something which means they feel less isolated in these remote parts. 

Thanks for looking

Lynn x