Weaving Through Scot Isle

If you’ve ever had the desire to go crofting in the Outer Hebrides, the region of Harris on the Isle of Lewis is just the place to have a go at sheep-shearing, birthing lambs, hay-making or cutting and storing peat.

Hardscrabble farming has been a way of life for island crofters since anyone can remember, so much so that many have taken to weaving the famous Harris tweed or fishing as a second source of income.

Whatever the economic vagaries of life here, islanders remain in Harris for its rolling landscape of spring wildflowers, summer blanket of mauve heather, beautiful lochs and great beaches.

The air is alpine in its purity, crowds are unheard of and, even if you’re out in the boondocks, a mobile bank, butcher, baker and grocer call at your croft regularly. There’s also a play bus loaded with goodies to help keep the children happy.

Getting here: Fly Northwest, British Airways, Air Canada or American to Glasgow, then British Airways or Loganair to Stornoway on the Hebrides’ Isle of Lewis. From there it’s an hour’s drive down to Tarbert. The Los Angeles-Glasgow leg will cost between $827 and $1,002 round trip, based on advance purchase, month and day of week flown. Glasgow-Stornoway round trip is about $148.

How long/how much? You need at least three days here to begin to appreciate the rugged beauty of the island and adjust to its leisurely pace. We found lodging and dining costs very reasonable.

A few fast facts: The British pound recently sold for $1.64. Come here any time from May through August, with May-June getting the least rain. Still, it rains two out of three days on a yearly basis, so bring waterproof clothing and foot gear for mucking about on the island.

Getting settled in: MacLeod Farm (Hillhead, Scadabay; $38 B&B; double, shared bath) is one of the farms participating in Scotland’s “Crofting Life Holidays” program. It’s about 10 minutes south of Tarbert on the east side of the island, and has three bedrooms and two baths, with hot and cold water in each room. An evening meal, which could be Scotch broth, lamb or cod, lots of vegetables and dessert is about $9.

The Harris Hotel (Tarbert; $83 B&B; double, $73 without bath) is family owned and a very typical country hotel with a good measure of charm. Bedrooms differ in amenities--some are modest, others have velvet draperies and antiques.

Most rooms have views of Loch Tarbert or a small waterfall and kitchen garden. A “residents’ wee bar” off the lobby has the best selection of single-malt Scotch whiskys in these parts, 50 by our count.

One of the few B&Bs; within town is Dunard House (main street; $41 B&B; double, shared bath), a simple but comfortable place. There’s hot-and-cold in each room, self-catering coffee- and tea-making equipment, and only breakfast is served.

Regional food and drink: Breakfasts are always hearty and generous affairs in Scotland, and usually include a selection of juices, hot porridge (oatmeal), eggs, bacon, ham, black pudding (don’t ask about the offal ingredients), oatcakes, toast, coffee and tea. It should hold you until lunch.

You’ll find plenty of lamb and mutton on menus, perhaps venison in the fall, but the island’s tables come into their own with marvelous seafood. Try the poached salmon, herring with oatmeal, delicious lemon sole, lobster, mussels or broiled scallops.

Whiskey is spelled this way in Britain and it always means Scotch. Local lager is the nearest thing to what Americans call beer, but it’s much stronger.

Good local dining: The Harris Hotel sounds the gong before dinner (about 7:30), and the dining room is a cheerful place with a gas fireplace and fresh flowers on the tables. A four-course menu for about $20 may include smoked salmon, trout or mussels; delightful turnip-and-almond soup or Scots haggis with neeps (turnips); roast haunch of venison with red currant jelly or chicken Balmoral (chicken breasts pan-fried with a sauce of whiskey, cream and mushrooms). Dessert could be homemade shortcake or oatcakes with cheese.

Rosevilla Tearoom (main street) is a good spot for a crofter’s lunch (about $4), high tea or a plethora of pastries.

An Clachen Restaurant and Crafts Center (Leverburgh) is on the west side of the island, above a grocery store and beside a crafts shop. It’s a real chips-with-everything place, simple and devoid of frills. The menu gives you a wide choice of such items as fish and chips, chicken and chips, shrimp and chips, sausage and chips and, no joke, pizza and chips. Or you can just have the chips. The craft shop is interesting but terribly overpriced.

On your own: Crofting Life Holidays are offered by regional tourist boards on the mainland of Scotland and in the Hebrides for periods of three, five or seven days. You live in the croft house with the owners and can participate in chores or local activities if you choose.

In addition to those mentioned above, you might also help sow crops, make cheese, gather shellfish on beaches, fish for trout and lobster, make bread or just relax with a little key bird watching.

A typical cost, for MacLeod Farm above, would be $88 per person for three nights, $134 for five and $174 for the week, which includes lodging, breakfast and the evening meal.

Harris Tweed has been woven here for more than four centuries, with very strict rules governing its spinning, dying and weaving. Due to the tautness of the loom and weight of the cloth, the weaving is usually done by men and always in their own croft, then left by the house gate for pickup.

A five-minute boat ride takes you to the Isle of Scalpay, where a knitters cooperative provides an outlet for sweaters, scarfs, socks and such, knitted by ladies of the island from the Blackface sheep wool used in the tweed. A rich and heavy hand-knit sweater should cost about $57.

If perchance you feel that your forebears may have sprung from the Outer Hebrides, pop over to the Genealogy Research Service at Northton and let Bill Lawson, its director, do a rundown on your Gaelic heritage. Lawson is all charm and good cheer, and his old-schoolhouse home is a true oasis of fine books and paintings.

For more information: Call the British Tourist Authority at (213) 628-3525, or write (350 S. Figueroa St., Suite 450, Los Angeles 90071) for the Highlands and Islands brochure, another on the Outer Hebrides, plus one on Scottish Farmhouse Holidays.

For the Crofting Life Holidays booklet (giving locations and costs), write to the Highlands and Islands Development Board, 20 Bridge St., Inverness IV1 1QR, Scotland.