Outsmarting Voltaire in the Hebrides

When French intellectual Voltaire first heard his friend and fellow writer, Dr. Samuel Johnson, talk of visiting the Hebrides, Voltaire asked Johnson if he were expected to accompany him. When assured he was not, Voltaire said: “Then I am very willing you should go.”

The 212 years that have passed since Johnson’s journey have made surprisingly little change in the group of islands off northwest Scotland. The common dwelling has gone from black house (so called because the peat fire blackened the ceiling and walls of the chimney-less dwelling) to modern, though modest, homes of wood, stone and concrete. Roads have stepped up from country trails to mostly two-lane highways.

But between the fury of the seas and the misty skies, the years have done nothing to dim the often starkly barren but always rugged beauty of the Hebrides.

Outer Islands

The island of Lewis and Harris (the northern part is Lewis; the southern, Harris) is the most northerly and largest of the Outer Hebrides. For an adequate view of the outer islands, one need go no farther than this one.

Many of the attractions were ancient when Johnson made his trip.

The island’s largest town, Stornoway (pop. 5,000), was settled as a Norse stronghold in the 11th Century. Since then the beautiful natural harbor has offered shelter and facilities to the island’s fishing fleet.

Across the harbor stands a monument to the memory of Prince Charles Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie). Legend says it was at Stornoway that the prince’s plan to buy a boat for his escape from Scotland to France was frustrated.

On the opposite side, another monument pays tribute to the more than 200 servicemen who lost their lives on New Year’s Day, 1919, when the Admiralty yacht Lolaire, bringing them home from World War I, sank within sight of the town.

Woods and Paths

Near the ferry terminal is Lewis Castle. The surrounding wooded grounds, known as Lady Lever Park, are open to the public. The grounds are lovely to walk in, with little paths jutting in all directions among the trees and along the seafront.

From the top of Gallows Hill one has a full view of the harbor and town. The castle, built in 1818, functions as part of a technical college.

Sixteen miles from Stornoway, the austere megaliths of Callanish triumphantly defy the ravages of time. After Stonehenge, these standing stones are the most important in Britain and, in their untamed setting on a peninsula jutting out into East Loch Roag, are far more impressive than the Salisbury Plain monument--fenced in, labeled and thronged by tourists. The Callanish Stones probably date from between 2000 and 1500 BC and constitute the largest temple of the sun in Scotland.

The stones can be visited day or night; the best time to appreciate their impact is at daybreak with a mist rising, or at moonrise of a summer evening.

The stones were once known as na fir breige (Gaelic for the false men), an apt description; when viewed from a distance, some of the megaliths bear an uncanny resemblance to human figures with tiny heads, like Henry Moore sculptures.

Ancient Fortification

A few miles north of Callanish stands another ancient edifice, the Doune Broch. A broch was a fortification built by villages in ancient time. The Doune Broch, partially standing, is the best-preserved broch in the Western Isles.

Legend maintains that the broch’s strength was penetrated when centuries ago a warrior from the Uig district climbed the outer wall with a dirk in each hand. He then lit bundles of heather his comrades sent up by a rope and dropped them through the flagstones on the roof to suffocate those sleeping inside.

The invasion must have taken place in fall, after the heather that covers the island in August and September had gone to seed.

When not covered by heather, the most common vegetation is peat moss and gorse.

Plenty of Peat

Some call Lewis a large peat bog and they’re not far wrong. Before the Ice Age the island was a forest, but with the changing climatic conditions all the vegetation decomposed to form peat, a basic fossil fuel like coal. All across the island, families cut, dig and pile the peat to dry, to use as fuel during the hard winters.

The supply seems endless; the inhabitants have dug it for centuries. Until World War II most citizens still lived in black houses. These homes had thatched roofs that remained light in weight because they were constantly dried by the open peat fires in the middle of the floor. They were simple dwellings, often with one end reserved for animals.

The black houses have been abandoned now, though their remains are scattered over the island. The walls still stand straight but the roofs have caved in because of heavy storms that soaked the thatch.

One of the few preserved black houses is in Arnol, open to the public. The inside is displayed with the kind of furniture and utensils the resident family would have used in their daily life, and the constant peat fire glows in the center of the home.

Yellow Blossoms

Gorse, the other abundant vegetation, is a shrub or small tree covered with yellow blossoms. Even the thrifty Scots have not been able to find a use for it. The best they’ve thought of is adding a couple of blossoms in boiling water during Easter time to dye eggs bright yellow.

After peat and gorse, the island’s most numerous item is sheep. Probably five sheep to every human, the animals are everywhere--in fields, front yards and even stalking down the center of the two-lane streets. They’re a special breed called blackface, hardy enough to be left outdoors during winter.

The even moors of Lewis give way with dramatic suddenness to the mountains of Harris as one travels south. The largest mountain, Clisham at 2,600 feet, and its neighboring peaks proved a formidable frontier barrier in the days when roads were non-existent.

A word on cuisine: In the Hebrides the sea and lakes provide salmon, trout and lobster, while special breeds of cattle and sheep yield good meat.

Above all, don’t leave the Hebrides without trying Scotch broth, a delicious and nourishing soup. James Boswell’s diary of 1773 describes Johnson’s introduction to it: “Mr. Johnson eat several platefuls of Scotch broth with pease in them, and was very fond of the dish.

“His host asked: ‘You never eat it before?’

“ ‘No sir,’ replied Dr. Johnson, ‘but I don’t care how soon I eat it again.’ ”

Good food is standard and inexpensive at the dozens of little inns and pubs on the island.

In Harris, the largest town is Tarbert, population 3,000. It has shops, a bank, post office, hotel, restaurant and tourist information center.

Fine Crafts for Sale

Those with a love for fine crafts can hardly choose a better place than this island, both north and south.

In the rugged terrain, when isolated crofts (dwellings) and tiny villages are hemmed in by cold winters, the women pass the time and clothe their families by knitting and weaving garments from wool. They meet their families’ needs and supplement their incomes by selling extra items.

Designs and knitting techniques are handed down from mother to daughter, with each knitter producing her distinctive style while keeping essentially close to traditional motifs.

Prices are incredibly low, with such bargains as ski caps for $3 and hand-knit sweaters for $16. Finding the petite craft shops is easy--they’re scattered along most main roads, with small signs pointing the way.

Of all the island’s products, however, the best known is Harris tweed, made only in Lewis and Harris and shipped all over the world. Records on the making of this cloth go back to the 1500s and the weaving is still done in the same way it was then, on foot-treadle looms in the weavers’ homes.

The spinning and dyeing of the yarn has been somewhat mechanized to facilitate volume shipment to world markets. Wool from the sheep is spun and dyed in mills, then delivered to the homes of the 700 weavers here. Upon completion it’s picked up and taken back to the Harris Tweed Assn. where, after close inspection, the perfect cloth is stamped with the Orb and Maltese Cross, the symbol of authentic Harris tweed.

Unstamped Bargains

There are no seconds. If the cloth is imperfect, it can’t be stamped “Harris Tweed.” End lots, however, can be bought from the mills at great discounts for as little as $4 a yard.

The Hebrides have changed little since Johnson’s voyage without his friend Voltaire. Voltaire, in most cases, was an open-minded man far ahead of his time, but his snub of the Hebrides was his loss.

He missed the beautiful, rugged land shaped and dominated by the forces of nature. He didn’t see the many lochs, moors, mountains or jagged coastline. He didn’t marvel at ancient edifices, and he didn’t even enjoy good Scotch broth. Voltaire never knew what he missed.

A car provides the best way to explore the island’s numerous attractions.

To get to Lewis, either fly British Airways to Stornoway from Glasgow, Scotland, $92, and rent a car from one of several agencies at the airport for about $30 daily plus gas, or rent a car in Ullapool for $35 daily plus gas and bring it over on the Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway for $35.

Reservations for ferry or plane and car should be made well in advance.

The small hotels on Lewis and Harris are not fancy, but they’re clean, comfortable enough and usually have good restaurants. Harris Hotel, Tarbert, Isle of Harris, has 14 bedrooms with private baths; doubles about $15. Crown Hotel, Castle Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, 17 bedrooms, doubles about $25. Hebridean Guest House, Bayhead Street, Stornoway, 10 bedrooms, doubles about $23.

The island has more than 75 bed-and-breakfast places. For a listing of facilities with prices and addresses, write for “Outer Hebrides ‘86, Where to Stay, What to Do,” to Outer Hebrides Tourist Board, Tourist Information Center, South Beach Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, PA87 2XY Scotland.