Lewis Harris

Lewis and Harris (Leòdhas agus Na Hearadh, Lewis an Harris), or Lewis with Harris, is a single Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides, divided by mountains.

It is the largest island in Scotland and the third largest in the British Isles, after Great Britain and the island of Ireland, with an area of 841 sqmi, which is approximately 1% of the area of Great Britain.

The northern two-thirds is called [the Isle of] Lewis and the southern third [the Isle of] Harris; each is referred to as if it were a separate island and there are many cultural and linguistic differences between the two.

The island does not have a one-word name in either English or Scottish Gaelic, and is referred to as "Lewis and Harris", "Harris and Lewis", "Lewis with Harris", "Harris with Lewis" etc. Rarely used is the collective name of "the Long Island" (an t-Eilean Fada), although that epithet is sometimes applied to the entire archipelago of the Outer Hebrides, including the Uist group of islands and Barra.

The boundary between Lewis and Harris runs for about 6 mi, where the island narrows between Loch Resort (Loch Reasort, opposite Scarp) on the west and Loch Seaforth (Loch Shìophoirt) on the east This is north of the more obvious isthmus at Tarbert, which looks like it should separate North Harris from South Harris but in fact, the North Harris Estate extends much further south.

In 1607, Stornoway became a burgh of barony.

The Lewis chessmen is a famous collection of 12th-century chess pieces, carved from walrus ivory and mostly in the form of human figures, which were discovered in Uig in 1831.

According to the Scottish government, "tourism is by far and away the mainstay industry" of the Outer Hebrides, "generating £65m in economic value for the islands, sustaining around 1000 jobs" The report adds that the "islands receive 219,000 visitors per year".

In 1844, Sir James Matheson purchased the Island and built Lews Castle between 1847 and 1857.

By 1863, the town had become a police burgh; the last remains of the Old Castle were removed.

The island is the ancestral homeland of the Highland Clan MacLeod, with those individuals on Harris being referred to as from the Clan MacLeod of Harris or MacLeod of MacLeod, and those on Lewis being referred to as from the Clan MacLeod of Lewis.

Lewis is also the ancestral home of Clan Morrison.

Lewis is comparatively flat, save in the south-east, where Ben More reaches 1874 ft, and in the south-west, where Mealasbhal 1885 ft is the highest point.

Lewis contains the deepest lake on any offshore island in the British Isles, Loch Suaineabhat, which has a maximum depth of 66.7 m and an overall mean depth of 32 m.

Other nearby inhabited islands in the Lewis and Harris group are Beàrnaraigh (Great Bernera) and Sgalpaigh (Scalpay).

Tarasaigh (Taransay) and An Sgarp (Scarp), now uninhabited, are islands close to the shore of Harris.

The Western Isles (or Outer Hebrides) also include the islands of North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist (they are three distinct islands but connected by a causeway) and Barra, just to the south of South Uist.

Until 1975, Lewis belonged to the county of Ross and Cromarty and Harris to Inverness-shire.

In practical terms, the dividing line is more clear-cut, according to National Geographic.

"In a sense, the boundary line runs from Loch Resort in the west to Loch Seaforth in the east. The road between the two dips down past the shoulder of Clisham ... until the A859 hits the coast".

The entire island group is now administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Western Isles Council.

The boundary was originally between the lands of Clan MacLeod of Harris and Clan MacLeod of Lewis, the latter selling to Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth.

A dispute over 3000 ha between Alexander Hume Macleod and Francis, Lord Seaforth (respective proprietors of Harris and Lewis) led to Court of Session inquiries in 1805 and 1850 and ended with Lord Chief Justice Campbell traversing the boundary on foot.

As thus determined, it runs southeast from Loch Resort up Clàr Beag to Loch Chleistir, then east along Bealach na h-Uamha to the River Langdale, then northeast through the peaks of Tom Ruisg, Mullach a' Ruisg, and Mullach Bhìogadail, east to Amhuinn a Mhuil, and downstream to where it enters Loch Seaforth at Ath Linne under the A859, the only road connecting Lewis and Harris.

Seaforth Island was considered part of both Harris and Lewis; for statistical purposes half its area was assigned to each.

Most of Harris is very hilly, with more than thirty peaks above 1000 ft; the highest peak, Clisham, is a Corbett.

It is 24 mi from the nearest point of the mainland, from which it is separated by the Minch.

Lewis and Harris is the most populous of the Scottish islands: It had just over 21,000 residents in 2011, a rise of 5.6% from the 2001 census total of 19,918.

Stornoway is the main town of the island, and the civil parish of Stornoway, including the town and various nearby villages, has a population of about 12,000.

Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh) has ferry links to Ullapool and air services to Benbecula, Inverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

An Tairbeart (Tarbert) is the ferry terminal in Harris with connections to Skye and North Uist.

However the main ferry to North Uist uses the terminal at Leverburgh (An t-Òb).

The lands around Stornoway were probably settled since 6000 BC and there are many monuments which show prehistoric man's presence.

A Neolithic burial cairn and some evidence of Bronze Age occupation were found here.

The Callanish Stones in the Loch Ròg area were erected roughly 5,000 years ago, thus dating from the late Neolithic or the early Bronze Age.

In the 9th century, Norsemen dominated the Isle; they eventually converted to Christianity.

In the early 13th Century, the Nicholson family, or MacNicols, built Castle Lewis at Stornoway harbour.

Tourism accounted for 10–15% of economic activity on the Outer Hebrides islands in 2017, according to the tourism bureau.

The agency states that the "exact split between islands is not possible" when calculating the number of visits, but "the approximate split is Lewis (45%), Uist (25%), Harris (20%), Barra (10%)".

Some visitors to Lewis and Harris are attracted by the beaches, particularly the spectacular Luskentyre, but also Seilebost, Horgabost, Scarasta and Borve.