The British Isles & Ireland, aboard Cunard's Queen Anne:
185th Anniversary Voyage
May/June 2025
(continued)
The excursion's itinerary is a circular route around the northern part of the Isle of Lewis, including the famous Callanish Standing
Stones, However, our guide informs us that "for the first time in 6,000 years, the stones are closed". Instead, we are taken to a
broch - a fascinating circular, dry-stone, double-walled, tower at Dun Carloway. Our journey continues across peat-covered, mostly
flat land to the secluded coastal crofting village of Blackhouse. The houses, abandoned in the 1950s to 1970s, have been restored
to recreate the original settlement.
At Bragar, on the northern tip of the island, a much restored whalebone arch is the remains of a whale that beached locally in 1920.
Returning to the ship we discover that we are to receive a 20% refund due to not being able to visit the standing stones - "site
closed for major redevopment".
We catch the locally provided courtesy bus into Stornoway, but find little of interest. Returning,
we sample the afternoon tea provided in the Artisans' Foodhall.
May 24th: a day at sea, sailing from Stornoway to Greenock. We pass Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, but like much of the day, the poor
visibility prevents us being able to admire the scenery that we are passing.
May 25th: from the port of Greenock, we take the Loch Lomond & Inverary Castle excursion, which transpires to be an excellent
8-hour exploration of this part of Scotland.
First stop on the tour is at the small village of Luss, located on the west bank of Loch Lomond, within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs
National Park. A pleasant stroll amongst the village's neat houses takes us down to the side of the Loch.