Mul Thàgaraidh of Pairc

In May I was fortunate to go on a boat trip organized by John Humphries of the Gatliff Trust. I was even more fortunate in that it departed from the old jetty at Rhenigidale; possibly the first time in decades that a large group has used the jetty.

As we waited for the boat to arrive, Widget came by. Widget's main home is Taigh a' Phuist, the Postman's House on the coast of Loch Seaforth, a half mile north of Rhenigidale. Widget, the bog-hopping kitty, can often be seen wandering the path between Rhenigidale and Taigh a' Phuist.

The fishing boat that had been hired, the bright red Manranath, appeared right on time. Then the eight of us made our way down the rough stones of the jetty to step onto the tender. In short order we were aboard the boat where we met Finlay and Donald, who are based on Scalpay. Their usual work is fishing, but to take shepherds to the Shiants they'd obtained a license to transport passengers.

Under sunny skies, we motored east to transit Struth nam Fir Ghorma, the stream of the Blue Men: storm kelpies known to devour anyone unlucky enough to fall into the water. If we survived the kelpies, we were going to visit Bhalamas and the Shiants later in the day, but our first stop was Mul Thàgaraidh. In terms of land access, Mul Thàgaraidh may be the most remote place on Lewis. It lies at the base of a vast bowl of hills, 850-foot-high Fiar-Chreag to the north and 400-foot-high Creag Mhor to the south. 

In the 1820s there were four crofts at Mul Thàgaraidh, including a family of MacKays and MacInnes. Only one building remains intact, one that was enlarged over the years when Mul Thàgaraidh was a sheep farm. I'd often thought of hiking to Mul Thàgaraidh: thoughts that were squashed when I realized it would require an extremely difficult 16-mile round trip coastal walk from Eisgean. (Or an even more challenging 12-mile walk across the hills). I was fortunate to get there the easy way. The swell was light, so it was a straightforward landing on the storm beach. 

The crystal-clear waters of Abhainn Mul Thàgaraidh cleave between the hills surrounding Mul Thàgaraidh. In its half-mile journey from Loch Doimhne (Deep Loch) to the sea, the stream drops over 300 feet, then snakes its way past the house before forcing its way through the large stones of the beach.

In the 1860s the house was the home of the shepherd Norman MacDonald. He was here until Pairc became a deer forest in the 1880s. Just past the front door a narrow stairway led to the upper floor. It's a guess, but from the appearance of the rusting bedsteads, rotting mattresses and chairs, the house looks like it has not been occupied for decades.

The bedroom reminded me of my college dormitory. 

After exploring the house, I wandered up the hillside to get some photos of the entire site. It was a seaside paradise, on that sunny day, anyway. 

A look across the glen to the summit of Fiar-Chreag made me recall the story of the Hudson bomber that crashed there in 1942. It was foggy at the time, and the pilots were flying blind when they hit the hillside 10 feet below the summit (NB 3607 0727). I had thought about finding the wreck. But there was no time, as it involves a climb of 700 feet across a distance of a half mile. For more about the wreck and the three crewmen who perished, see this page on the Pairc Historical Society website:  Hudson III plane crash at Mulhagery @ Comunn Eachdraidh Pairc (cepairc.com)

After having the privilege of spending a couple of hours at Mul Thàgaraidh we returned to the boat. Next stop: The Shiants.

A Walk Around Kebock Head - Lewis

Kebock Head, on the east coast of Pairc (Lewis), is one of the least visited parts of the Hebrides. I've only visited it once, on a six-mile, one-way hike from Grabhair to Leumrabhagh. Although Kebock Head is 160 miles from the island of Little Cumbrae, they may be linked in history; for its Gaelic name is A' Chabag, a name that usually refers to a toothless woman; but it may be a dedication to a St Bey. There were several female saints with names similar to Bey, and one was an early saint who called the island of Little Cumbrae her home. (See book 1, chapter 2 for the story of a visit of Little Cumbrae to find the chapel and grave of St Bey.)

I made the walk around Kebock Head in 2012 with John Randall, Chairman of the Islands Book Trust at the time. We started by driving to the end of the road at Tom an Fhuadain, a mile east of Grabhair, on the south shore of Loch Odhairn. From Tom an Fhuadain it was a rough, two miles to Kebock Head, where out in the Minch we could clearly see the Shiants. From there we walked south along the cliff-tops past Gob na Milaid to Cuiriseal. 

Beach at Mol Stiogh a' Chragain 

The settlement at Cuiriseal was famous for its boat building, and looking down from the clifftop we could see the stony beach of Mol Stiogh a' Chragain. It was there that the Smiths of Cuiriseal launched their boats. Although how they got them down the steep slope to the shore is a mystery (to me, anyway). Scattered about the moorland above the beach are several farmsteads, shielings, and large plots of once cultivated land.

Beehive type shieling at Cuiriseal

Old cultivation ridges at Cuiriseal

 House ruin at Cuiriseal

Cuiriseal Shieling

On the shore south of Cuiriseal we could see a large, detached rock, known as Stac a' Chomhraig. I think the name means something like 'Battle Stack'. I have been unable to find any history on the name, or what, if any, battle took place there.

Stac a' Chomhraig - Shiants in the distance

Stac a' Chomhraig

From Stac a' Chomhraig John and I headed due west to 'cut the corner' off the south tip of the peninsula; after passing Lochan Tobhta Ruairidh Dhuibh (the loch of the ruin of black haired Rory) we crossed Gleann Ceann Eastail.  

Looking west over the mouth of Gleann Ceann Eastail

From there it was only a few minutes walk to Leumrabhagh.

Old jetty near Leumrabhagh

Looking north to Leumrabhagh

It was an amazing walk across some historical, but rarely visited country; made all the more interesting by John Randall's extensive knowledge of the area. If you are interested in the boat builders of Cuiriseal, see this link for more information.

Deserted Stiomrabhagh

A great walk on Lewis is a visit to Stiomrabhagh. To get there drive south from Stornaway, and at Baile Ailein turn east on the B8060. Follow the B8060 towards Leumrabhagh, then just before you reach Leumrabhagh turn right on the road to Orasaigh. After about a mile you will see a reader-board high up on the right side of the road that marks the start of the walk to Stiomrabhagh. 

Stiomrabhagh lies a mile to the west and there is no real path. When I visited I made it a longer, and more scenic walk, by driving to the end of the road and then following the coast to the south. The village stands on a beautiful bit of high ground at the head of a small bay called Tob Stiomrabhagh. On its west side is a narrow inlet that looks almost man-made, which leads to a sheltered inland loch called Lodan Stiomrabhagh, the pool of Stiomrabhagh (second photo).

Stiomrabhagh

Before you visit Stiomrabhagh be sure to read the Islands book Trust booklet Life on the Edge: Growing up in Steimreway: The Story of Chirsty Maggie Carmichael by Bob Chambers. It will tell you how the village was occupied until around 1850, when the people were cleared to Leumrabhagh. Then, some 70 years later, four families raided the land. That was in 1922, but by 1939 only two families remained. Shortly after that the village was abandoned. For more info on Stiomrabhagh see this Pairc Historical Society article.

The view north over Lodan Stiomrabhagh