The Lewis/Harris Bridge

I have driven across the Lewis/Harris bridge many times over the past 30 years. The bridge, on the A859, links the two islands as it crosses over Abhainn a' Mhuil. Next to the highway bridge is the old bridge, which is no longer used for vehicle traffic. The last time I passed this way, I did something different. I parked at the pullout 300 feet south of the bridge, then walked along a stretch of the old highway to the two bridges.

Once there, I scrambled down to the bank of the stream. It had been a dry summer, so the stream was low; its turbid waters cascaded under the new bridge, then under the old one, before tumbling down to Loch Seaforth.

Why, you ask, did I come here? The reason was to see the two inscriptions beneath the bridge. The first, on the southern (Harris side), was very worn, and read:

Eilean na Hearadh, eilean cùbhraidh nam beannaibh: The island of Harris, the scented isle of hills

The inscription on the Lewis side was in better shape, probably because it is farther from the stream. It read:

Eilean Leoòhais, eilean bàigheil an fhraoch: The Island of Lewis, the friendly heather isle

Some of the history of how the Lewis/Harris border was established can be found in the March 22, 2018 post. You can see a video of someone visiting the inscriptions under the bridge at this YouTube link.