Stornoway Water Wheel

The Stornoway Corn Mill was constructed in 1816 and was fitted with the best equipment available at that time, according to contemporary reports. It seems to have been one of three mills built by the Mackenzie owners of Lewis in the early 19th Century. According to the New Statistical Account of Ross and Cromarty, compiled about 1830, there was also a wool carding mill and a sawmill with "an excellent kiln appended to it."

All were "perfectly complete in their kind" says the New Statistical Account. Also brand new at that time was a distillery which is believed to have stood where the Woodlands Centre now is.

The current building is a modern reproduction of the mill.

I love the look of mill wheels and machinery so long as no one expects me to do anything about mending it!

Odds and Ends

Pat and I took Briagha for a brief walk in the Castle grounds on Friday. She (Briagha not Pat) thought it was a day for paddling. She couldn't understand why we wouldn't join her. Instead we joined GB in The Woodlands for a coffee (and, in my case, the irresistible Florentine).


On the way back from town we pass this old mill.


Even though I have taken this view many times over the last 15 years I still cannot resist getting the camera out when the sun is shining.



We went out for a meal in the evening, stopping briefly on the Briagh where I got some shots of Oystercatchers.


We also passed the pottery which GB used to own. Sad to say, it has now closed down.


It is approaching the longest day and up here in The Hebrides the nights are getting very short. At 11.30 at night it was still light enough to see for miles and four hours later the sun was rising again.