GUGA HUNTERS

 We traveled by van today to the “Butt of Lewis” it’s the most Northern point in all UK, and known for its ferocious winds and weather. They have recorded winds up to 161 mph at the lighthouse. The lighthouse is Brick and has 168 steps to the top and is 37 meters tall, so before this was automated…it was a fun climb up and down! The weather did not disappoint. It wasn’t a gale, but it was windy and also started to rain. No one was there but us! 

We traveled to Ness where we met at man at their historical society that was a guga hunter, and he was a wealth of knowledge. He had a slide presentation of the centuries old custom where men, and only men, sail out to a remote uninhabited island called SULS SGEIR. They set up a camp for 10 days by climbing a rock face and hauling all the gear needed to hunt and harvest the guga chicks that are about. 5 months old and fat and oily. guga is what locals call these birds , known as Ganets. They only harvest the chicks which are fat with meat and oil. They salt the meat to keep,it from spoiling. They are allowed 2000 birds each year, and usually get their limit as the birds are not afraid of man, so…….they just take a long pole and slip a noose around the neck of the bird to pull it out of the nest, and another man is ready to kill it with one stroke of a club. It sounds awful, but it’s been the food and a way of life for centuries. Bird flu and “ lazy teens who don’t want to go into the trade” are changing things..Dod, the ol guy who was schooling us was quite a character..typical Scottish man with a fine sense of humor.

We returned to Stornoway on a sideways rainstorm and passed quite a few bikers on the narrow roads. Not ebikers either! We hopped off the Van and said goodbye to Claire, who hast

driven for us a lot. Can’t say enough about her! All good. Steve and I went to Lews Castle and investigated the grounds while waiting for the rain to stop so we could walk back to town and the B&B.

Tomorrow we rise early and catch a 7 am flight to Glasgow….