Not Fast Food?

Last August the Guga Hunters - from among the Men of Ness - were on Sula Sgeir for the annual cull of young gannets. Their catches either repel or appeal to gourmets, but are normally savoured rather than gobbled. However, a BBC website item puts a different slant on the consumption of the 'delicacy' - namely, competition. So either read on ... or turn away now!

Scottish Islands Explorer - for lingering over

Welcome

Here is a Welcome to Pairc sign and so is the news that the Scottish Land Fund has agreed to provide £230,000 to the fund to purchase the Pairc Estate, Isle of Lewis, for residents in a community buy-out. So the 26,775 acres could soon be changing hands. Here are some of the details on the BBC website.

Scottish Islands Explorer - its back office is situated at the heart of the Pairc

Stay in Style

Among the range of places to stay are hotels, hostels, motels, guest-houses and ... lighthouses. The South Light on Fair Isle offers full accommodation and indicates that there is much to do on what is considered by some to be the most remote of Scotland's inhabited islands.

Scottish Islands Explorer - A 'far isle' where this magazine first came to life

To the Rescue

CalMac's MV Hebrides, pictured here at Ullapool, undertook three unscheduled, additional trips this week ... on Christmas Day. To assist (perhaps, rescue) would-be passengers delayed by bad weather, it sailed on Wednesday morning from Lochmaddy (North Uist) to Uig (Skye), back to Lochmaddy and on to Tarbert (Harris). There is an irony that not a train, on the tube or overground, nor a bus moved in London, with some ten million people around, at that time.

Scottish Islands Explorer - sales of its digital issue were recorded then

The Hebridean Way

Here's an expansive Hebridean vista that reflects something of the extensive Hebridean Way which is about to be marked and, in places, constructed between now and March 2015. The footpath will be mainly based on existing tracks and, consequently, remain off-road. The cycle route will depend mainly on the road network and should have signage completed by this coming Spring. The full details are in the Stornoway Gazette, with relevant background information available from Peter Clarke's book, The Timeless Way, and current opportunities for walking experiences presented by Mick Blunt's Hidden Hebrides.

Scottish Islands Explorer - footpaths; part of our national heritage

Ready for Next Year

Many tablet devices will have been opened yesterday and today as presents. They need connections to the internet and, if being used in the Outer Hebrides, this could well be by satellite links. However, BT has just signed contracts to bring more high-speed fibre-optic broadband services to the Western and Northern Isles by subsea cables. The details are available in low-resolution form from the BBC website.

Scottish Islands Explorer - in print and digital form

Go ... Go

Integrity Voyages offers a free trip from Uig, on Skye, to Hirta, in the St Kilda Group. It's in the Readers' Opportunities section of the January / February 2014 issue of Scottish Islands Explorer. Now as well as going on a day-trip to an iconic and somewhat inaccessible island you can purchase and download this special and most accessible magazine today - Christmas Day. It normally retails at £3.95, but the digital version is almost 50% off at £1.99 and a year's subscription is only £9.99 instead of £24.97 for the print version. Go to PocketMags now and pick up a seasonal bargain ... with a chance to go to St Kilda. Put that new tablet to work, today!

Scottish Islands Explorer - wants you to go places

Missed It!

Sorry that the Maeshowe Winter Solstice - of last Saturday - was missed this year, both by us and by the webcam that was temporarily out-of-action. However, the details of this special place are featured above and the live-feed from the webcam is here.

Scottish Islands Explorer - tries to cast light every day

Look Around

This view from the trig point on the Ascrib Islands, off Skye, seems endless and empty. The views of the house there, taken by Neil King, appear interesting from both inside and out. Do pay a visit and look around.

Scottish Islands Explorer - insular accommodation appeals

Declining Numbers

Thinking of attending church this morning? It's unlikely that your first choice will be the Church of Scotland on Papa Stour. It's open, fulfils a role as an interpretative centre for the Shetland isle, has seen its share of attention in the past 20 years, but reflects the decline in the number of residents - now hovering between single and double numbers. Read something of the island's history and background on the Lonely-Isles website.

Scottish Islands Explorer - numbers rising steadily