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A Trip to Scotland and the Western
Isles July 2000 
dansk
Loch Bhaltois, Lewis, Scotland
© Ole Jacobi July 2000
Wednesday 12 July 2000
Another overcast day with a fairly strong wind, but luckily blowing in
our direction. We start towards the west around a hill, and then the road
goes up a very steep hill, up to 113 mts , and then along a lake and up
again to 189 mts. As we go up and up, it grows more and more wet with a
cold mist all around us. It grows clearer after midday, when we have cleared
the first big rise and come down towards Loch Seaforth. The landscape is
very bare and entirely devoid of houses most of the way. At one point we
pass a rare sight, a wood, but sad to see, a large part of the trees, which
are all conifers, are dead, blown by the wind to a strange silvery colour.
We had intended to stop halfway to Stornoway at Balallan, where there’s
a village with several B&Bs, but it’s only two o’clock as we get there,
so we decide to go all the way to Stornoway today. On the way we stop at
Loch Bhaltois to paint, one among many lakes on the next stretch towards
Stornoway. We arrive there in a drizzle, marvelling at how big the town
is (pop. 6000) compared to the small villages we have passed on the other
islands. But Stornoway is the administrative centre of the islands with
all that that entails. We stop at the first likely looking hotel, "The
Royal" where we get a large room with a view over the water and the Lews
castle grounds, but only for one night. After dinner we go around the city
centre trying to book a room for next night, but all the hotels are fully
booked, as there is a Gaelic music festival in town.
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text and watercolour by Susanne and Ole Jacobi