holiday cottages Lewis holiday cottages

holiday cottages Lewis - The Longhouse - sleeps 4

As we cross from the Scottish mainland we're treated to a stunning aerial view of Lewis, Harris, the Uists and Benbecula and smaller islands beyond, before the plane descends, passing over tiny green islets and convoluted peninsulae fringed with sand - no sign of a runway as we fall lower and lower, until suddenly there's bright strip of tarmac stretching right to the edge of the beach and with a slight bump, we slow to a halt at Stornoway airport.

Called by the Vikings 'Steering Bay', Stornoway is still a lively harbour town, the hub of Lewis and full of pubs, hotels, great restaurants and cafes, live music and shops selling art and handicrafts such as jewellery and Harris Tweed. We are to spend several evenings here, meeting new people and enjoying the music and local delicacies (including the famous black pudding) but for now we gather a few essential supplies and head off in our hired car, arriving at the Longhouse just fifteen minutes later.

Over five generations, two ancient stone, thatched blackhouses and a whitehouse have sat on the croft at 40 Coll and the MacLeod family worked hard to make a living from the land. Now Linda MacLeod Brown and her husband Paul have taken on part of the old family croft (now decrofted) and with vision, patience and perseverance, built a stunning modern version of a longhouse, the first double A rated environmentally friendly home in the Western Isles.

With its neat outline, clean lines and large windows, the Longhouse is bright and modern yet retains a hint of the old longhouses in its shape. I love the double height living area where light floods in and stairs lead up to the mezzanine sitting room/work area, with sunny balcony and gorgeous views over the nearby beach and bright blue sea. All the rooms have lovely views and are light and airy and we are spoilt for choice of places to sit and relax or enjoy a drink or a bite to eat. The south facing dining area opens onto spacious decking and is a favourite spot to linger over a pre or post prandial drink and watch the tide turn, whatever the weather.

I have to admit that sometimes I deliberately choose a holiday home with no WiFi or 'phone reception, forcing myself to relax and have a proper break.This time though I'm with an archaeologist friend and we have some research in mind so when searching for holiday cottages on Lewis, we were looking for all the mod cons. The Longhouse is in a quiet spot and equipped with a neat workstation which has been perfect for recording our findings and up- and downloading at the end of the day.

In between visiting mystical stone circles and ancient cairns, we've found plenty of time to enjoy some of the wonderful sandy beaches and to make some quite strenuous forays into the hinterland, where we felt we'd really earned the marvelous views and our lunch! I can recommend the Heritage Trail from Tolsta to Lionel, which takes in impressive sea stacks, Lord Leverhulme's 'Bridge to Nowhere' and an eighteenth century ruined chapel. And what better place to return to after a long day's walking than our very own luxury longhouse, where hot baths and a warming dram with a wonderful view await us.
holiday cottages Lewis