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11 September 2023

Following the coast road round from the Valtos peninsula we come to the small island of Great Bernera, with its rich history of Iron Age settlements and Viking presence. A newly rebuilt bridge connects the island to the Isle of Lewis and it’s a pleasant drive to the top of the island to reach Bosta Beach (Traigh Bhostadh), a small but popular beach alongside an Iron Age house, uncovered by storms in the 1990s and now one of the island’s top tourist attractions.  Bosta Beach is one of only 12 locations around the UK chosen as a permanent installation of a Time & Tide bell, which rings when the sea is at high tide (not during my visit). After leaving Bosta, and when back on Lewis, I stopped off at the famous Calanais Standing Stones, the beautiful and mysterious arrangement of neolithic stones dating back more than 5,000 years. I even caught a rainbow to add to the mystery.