Salt Sea Setting

This photo could come from anywhere in the world, but it does have something slightly different. It is, in fact, of a church belonging to the Latter Day Saints - or Mormons as they are usually called. A suburb of Salt Lake City, perhaps? No - it's close to the edge of the natural harbour of Stornoway. One would have thought that this urban area, the largest in the Western Isles with a population of around 9000, has sufficient places of worship - some 15 or so - but in 1999 this American religious organisation 'came to town'.

Scottish Islands Explorer - needs missionary endeavours  

Out Stack; Outsize

From a distance they look like skimming stones. However, the penultimate feature is the Muckle Flugga Lighthouse and the ultimate piece of land is Out Stack, the most northerly piece of the British Isles. Well beyond are ... the Arctic waters ... and just beyond was the the habitat of this record-breaking turbot recently caught by Robert McMillan, who happens to be a local fisheries enforcement officer. The full story of this big catch is in Shetland News

.
Scottish Islands Explorer - looking for record-breaking circulation

Paddling in Harmony

When two parties can paddle together - in this case, close to the Summer Isles - then there's hope for a suggested community buyout of Tanera Mor off the Coigach peninsula beyond Ullapool. There's more on the BBC Website about this and other projects on and off the West Coast.

Scottish Islands Explorer - not looking for a buyer, except in terms of copies

Prices Going Back

A few years ago we would have been astonished to learn that in 2012 the prices of fuel would reach £139.9 and £143.9 per litre anywhere in Britain. Today we are amazed that a petrol station at Back, Isle of Lewis, has set its gauges below that of some petrol stations in British cities and supermarkets. That is what has happened, thanks to the selling techniques of Gordon Maclennan of Gordon Diesel. Will the road to Back, and beyond, be busier as a result? Read what Iain Maciver writes in his blog.

Scottish Islands Explorer - maintains a steady price in the face of increasing costs

iPod from Islay?

We are accustomed to ageing goods - like malt whisky - to come from Islay, but now innovative products are being made there. These include Storm-pods which are comfortable accommodation units at reasonable prices in ways that are customised to suit the needs of both owners and users. Ready for something neat from Lagavulin?

Scottish Islands Explorer - ready to sample anything  

Halo Effect

Maybe the Buddhist monks who reside on Holy Island, off Arran, do not aspire to have the sort of halo that the cloud effects bestow upon their island through this image. Getting there is straightforward - by a regular ferry service - although there are people who prefer a more arduous method, courtesy of the 'Lamlash Splash'. The eleventh holding of this event took place in mid-September and The Arran Banner, the local newspaper with the deepest penetrating circulation in the UK, had a video camera and commentator in attendance. "Read All About It!" as paper-sellers used to shout in the streets or, perhaps, as it should be proclaimed now, "See for Yourself!"

Scottish Islands Explorer - enabling purchasers to see for themselves

Spin and Skim

Here is Easdale, a short ferry-crossing across the Firth of Lorn, an island that had a long tradition of quarrying, but has now hosted the World Stone Skimming Championships since 1997. Yesterday saw this notice in place

and the crowds gather to watch many competitors take part where once stones were hewn on a large scale.

The entrants had plenty of smaller, ideally-shaped stones from which to choose and then to give them

strong spin and surface skim to take them up to 64 metres across to the back wall. Excerpts of the preparations, and from the event itself, appear on the BBC Website and is a must-see for those who like to witness people taking pastimes and making passions. If I recall correctly the narrow channel from Seil to Easdale is less than the distance achieved by some of the stone-skimmers.

Scottish Islands Explorer - plenty of stories to spin

Kilmuir Cow on File

A postman from Uig, Skye, was in nearby Kilmuir some two years ago when he spotted this cow and photographed it. The image he captured will be appearing in next year's BBC Country File Calendar. The details are to be found in the West Highland Free Press and serves as a reminder to consider diaries and calendars for 2013. There are exactly 100 days until it starts.

Scottish Islands Explorer - getting ready for 2013

CalMac's Attraction

The CalMac ferry-ship, the Hebridean Isles, was journeying from Oban to Islay when it attracted the attention of a pod of dolphins. One of the passengers must have had his or her ipod ready for action and took a video that is reproduced here.

Scottish Islands Explorer - sails with and attracted by CalMac

Small Islands in Context

It's appropriate to mark the 500th item on this blog by referring to a piece on ten tiny British isles. Its section on Berneray, however, does not appear to have effective links and so above is an image of the remarkable beach on the west side of the island and below a visitor's photograph of the Gatliff hostel on the east side.

Scottish Islands Explorer - it will reach its 500th edition in 2081