Napier Commission Report

Over the past few months, I have been transcribing the findings of the Napier Commission into the conditions of the crofters and cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. So far I have covered the Western Isles and Skye; I am now going through the evidence for Shetland. Maybe of interest to Island Bloggers out there?

Returned to post

After a couple of days on the mainland, yours truly is back on post to post, if you'll forgive the twisted grammar. Had the pleasure to travel to Glasgow the scenic route, of which I'll publish a selection of pictures later.

Here in Lewis, the summer has long gone, and now the winter timetable for public transport is set to come into force on Monday, 22 October. The Stornoway to Ullapool ferry does not alter its schedule, but other ferries do. Please check the Calmac timetables before you set off. And don't forget they're printed using the 24 hour clock. I won't easily forget the poor folk from a place that will remain unnamed who were enjoying their picknick on a hillside overlooking a certain ferryport at 2pm (1400 hours) one day. They enjoyed the beautiful vista of the ferry leaving port. Next one due at 4pm. Really? Nope, not until the next morning.

The bus timetable will be slightly reduced, but on the whole not a marked deterioration. I've said in the past that the Lewis buses provide a good service, except if you want to go to Uig (West Lewis).

I hope that outdated timetables are removed from shelters around the area, unlike Uig in Skye where the winter timetables from the previous winter were still posted on the ferry terminal last week. Come on, Skye, you can do a heck of a lot better than that.

Whilst travelling from Uig to Portree, the bus was briefly halted at the Skeabost junction to allow three trailers with massive turbine sections to pass in the opposite direction. These are due to be installed at the Ben Aketil windfarm near Dunvegan.

I also visited the Isle of Rum and Kinloch Castle, which should be renovated with support from the Phoenix Trust (a charity patronised by Prince Charles) at the cost of 10 to 15 million pounds, a three-fold increase as compared to the cost quoted in 2004. I hope this work will actually be carried out. Kinloch Castle is a unique but fading look back in time, set in the most incongruous of settings.

Over the sea to Eilean a'Cheo

Well, that's going to lead to a flurry of new roadsigns around Tarbert, when we all throng to join the ferry to Eilean a'Cheo - no longer Isle of Skye. The name change was announced today, and led to a flurry of concerned residents, worried about ditching an iconic name. Now, I'm a Lewis-based blogger, so cannot comment all that much.

I wouldn't worry, is all I'll say to people in t-Eilean Sgitheanach. We in the Western Isles had a paintjob on the official name a number of years ago, and our MP and MSP now represent Na h-Eileanan an Iar. Everybody else still talks about the Western Isles, or more often about the individual islands by their names.

Anyway, the Storr and Trotternish mountains peeped clearly over the Arnish hills this morning, so Skye wasn't very misty at all today.