Many people enjoy taking unusual vacations and more and more travelers are finding the usual seaside vacations increasingly tedious. The need to find is forever increasing and vacation planners are constantly searching for new vacation destinations or which feature something unusual. In the article below I examine Stornoway on the remote island of Lewis in the Atlantic ocean off the Scottish west coast and discuss the factors which make this such a fantastic vacation destination.
The Isle of Lewis
The Isle of Lewis, with the Isle of Harris, is the largest land mass in the western Isles/Outer Hebrides. The archipelago is found a fair distance off the west coast of Scotland a little further out from the Isle of Skye, needing a ferry journey or flight to travel to it. Because of the extreme remoteness it is only the most recent generations that have really had access to the islands for a vacation, prior to this it was only the rich who could afford the trip. The only other option to visit the western Isles/Outer Hebrides was to arrive to seek employment.
The Town Of Stornoway
At one time way back in the past Stornoway was a very important fishing port. The main quarry of the multitude of fishing boats was herring and throughout the herring season the town’s population expanded from approximately five or six thousand to more than 30,000. An astonishing quantity of Stornoway Hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses developed to meet the demands for lodging the incredible influx of temporary workers created. Nowadays the population of the town stays at just more than six thousand (excluding tourists).
Unfortunately the herring industry fell into a dramatic decline at the end of World War One with the utter collapse of the markets in Germany and Russia. Stornoway still has a tiny fishing fleet however few buildings remain from those times and the town lost a great deal of its charm during the 1970’s when it was extensively redeveloped.
In recent years the Western Isles Council has enhanced, rather sympathetically, the town centre building a couple of sculptures on the herring industry theme as well as also adding areas of flower beds and even fountains. New architecture are also more beautiful, such as An Lanntair, the local arts centre.
Despite the fact that there are a great deal less Stornoway hotels in existence, just the Royal Hotel can be dated back to the peak of the Herring industry, there remains a large number of bed and breakfasts in Stornoway, plus guest houses, hostels and inns. There is even a camping and caravan site on the outskirts of Stornoway.
If you are planning a vacation in the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides please take a look at our extensive list of Stornoway hotels.
If you are planning a vacation and you are considering Stornoway Hotels please visit our site where you will find our listings of Stornoway Hotels and other accommodation in the town.
Tags: destination, Destinations, Isle of Lewis, scotland, Stornoway, travel tips, united kingdom, vacation, vacations