Scotland’s Isle of Lewis: Harris Tweed, Viking Chessmen & The Castle Tour That Really Wasn’t

“Curiouser and curiouser!”

Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

It was 8:30 on a chilly mid-August morning as Herb and I headed out on what we thought was a walking tour to Lews Castle, an impressive structure that looks out over the town of Stornoway on Scotland’s Isle of Lewis. We boarded our ship’s shuttle for the short ride to the center of town, where we joined about a dozen others to begin our walk.

Our guide was an older Scottish gentleman whose mumbled stories were continually interrupted by the sounds of cars and buses reverberating through the streets. When someone in our group asked if he would speak a little louder, he said that he was 82 and that he wouldn’t – and he didn’t!

We walked at the slowest imaginable pace, stopping at various buildings and places that didn’t seem significant or relevant to the castle. To be fair, our guide was extremely knowledgable about the town of 4,800 residents. But as the minutes ticked by, we kept wondering what all this talk had to do with Lews Castle and when we’d actually begin our walk to said castle.

After about an hour, we seemed to be heading away from the castle route. A woman in our group asked when we would be touring the castle. “Oh, not until 10:30,” our guide replied. It turned out that he had been biding his time – and ours – with Stornoway lore while we were assuming that the tour’s description of “walk to the castle along the coast and climb through the grounds” meant we would do just that.

Lews Castle At Last

Hoping to salvage our plans for the morning, Herb and I and another couple decided to leave the group and visit the castle on our own. When I asked the guide where to pick up our tickets, he said, “Oh, you can just walk right in. It’s free.” Free? We had paid for a town tour we hadn’t signed up for and admission to a place that is free? His words were still swirling through my mind as we changed course and set off along the harbor pathway toward the castle.

The Victorian era Lews Castle was built from 1844 to 1851 as a country house for Sir James Matheson, who had purchased the entire island with his fortune from the Chinese opium trade. The name “Lews” was the original spelling of the Isle of Lewis, a reminder of the island’s Norse origins. In 1918, the 69,000-acre estate was bought by soap industrialist Lord Leverhulme, who gifted the castle to the people of Stornoway five years later. The site became an air base called HMS Mentor in World War II. In 2016, the castle was reopened to the public, and in 2017 it was partially converted into a hotel.

A stone wall resembling a parapet lines the castle side of the harbor. We crossed a wooden bridge and walked up a flight of steps that led to a wooded area. Signs pointed the way to the castle grounds, and soon we found ourselves at what appeared to be the entrance, looking back across the harbor.

No There There

Inside, the castle felt surprisingly empty. There was no reception area or place to check in. A long, narrow hallway decorated with a star-filled ceiling lined the first floor, with two unfurnished rooms – except for a grand piano and chairs along one wall – opening on either side. A staircase to the second floor was roped off to non-hotel guests. The other side of the building housed a small café and a museum.

And that was it.

The Lewis Chessmen

If there was a silver lining to this disappointing morning, it was the exhibit of six Lewis Chessmen in the castle’s Museum nan Eilean. The tiny ivory figures are thought to have been carved in the 12th century in Trondheim, Norway, and were in hiding for 500 years. They were discovered in 1831 buried in the Ardroil sand dunes of Uig Bay on the west coast of Lewis. On loan from the British Museum, the chessmen are part of a set of 78 pieces.

The Land of Harris Tweed

The other silver lining of the day was a shopping one. The Isle of Lewis, along with its fellow Outer Hebridean Isle of Harris, is where the handmade wool fabric design called Harris Tweed began in the 1800s. All Harris Tweed is still made by hand in the homes of weavers in the Outer Hebrides. Wool is made specifically for their trade in one of three mills on the Isle of Lewis. The legal trademark on every item insures authenticity.

I was hoping to find a small souvenir and headed to the Harris Tweed Hebrides shop. Stornoway is the center of the Harris Tweed Universe, with the Harris Tweed Authority headquarters and a small museum just around the corner from the store.

A selection of pillow covers caught my eye, each woven with several different colors and patters of Harris Tweed, with one square definitely not made of tweed. “Oh, that was done for us by a local photographer,” the shopkeeper explained to me. “It’s a process called cyanotype, using items like leaves, flowers and feathers to make a blue-colored print.”

I was completely smitten and thought our artistic daughter would love one as well. I texted her a few photos, and since it was too early in California to hear from her, took the shuttle back to the ship with Herb for lunch.

Shopping When Traveling

I’ve learned two things about shopping when traveling:

Rule #1. If you see something you like, pick it up. Unless there are other shops with similar items, don’t wait to compare whatever it is you’ve seen with something that may not exist somewhere else. And most especially, don’t leave to think about it because you may not have the chance to return.

Rule #2. (And this may seem counter to Rule #1.) If you’re buying a gift for someone, make sure it is something they will like and use. Unless it’s a small trinket – and especially if it’s not inexpensive – I’ve found that asking first is always best.

Happily, Emily texted as soon as she was awake and loved the Harris Tweed patterns, even concurring on the blue-tones I had picked for myself and the one with the splash of reddish-pink for her. Herb and I immediately jumped back on the shuttle for the quick return trip to town.

Except that we didn’t seem to be moving. It turned out that Scotland’s First Minister was in town and the road from the port was blocked. I mentioned my mission to a woman in the seat across the aisle who unreassuringly said, “If I see something I like, I always buy it. It’s too risky going back.”

“Yes, I know,” I told her, not wanting to go into detail about Rule #2.

Strange Day, Happy Ending

Soon the shuttle was cleared to leave. We made it back to town… and back to the shop… and back to my special Scottish souvenirs.

Our castle tour may not have worked out very well. And the castle itself did not have the grand old Scottish interior I had imagined. But our day in Stornoway turned out all right. And I hope that whenever I pass by my beautiful Scottish pillow, the memories of that day will come flooding back, reminding me to pay attention to the silver linings.