The Western Isles - some observations and pictures

The brand new road across the Clisham pass, completed in the past year makes the going between the cheaper Tarbert ferry and Lewis a lot easier.
In the Isles, many of the services come to you, in a fleet of vans! The bank travels down through its Harris customers. You'll see Libraries, bakers, banks, fuel, deliveries from Ikea... pretty handy.
It's nice to see housing moving away from garish kithouses that clash with the landscape and taking more account of its visual impact.
Looking across dunes from Tuath towards Ceapabhal, Harris
Looking across the golf course to the expanse of Traigh Scarista, Harris
Peat - still very much part of life here.
Thistles, Scarista, Harris

As I visit the Western Isles each year I am always heartened and often surprised by the pace of change here. New Schools, facilities, roads, community and arts centres and services everywhere. There is much progress to be proud of here. I'm sure it will continue to attract new people and help locals to stay and be happy. Jobs are of course the major stumbling block for people looking to relocate here. The range of employers in the isles is small (but that's not to say there aren't some interesting ones - more of this in future posts). Thus the internet entrepreneur (or those thinking of trying to become one) is well placed right now to take advantage of the opportunity to live with a low cost of property and living in an evironment that provides the balance between the rigours of business online and all the other aspects of life that many stresses business people would give their eye teeth for. The Western Isles Council has just launched an initiative to support creative industries, including media in the isles. So the climate has never been better.