Make Sunday Special

If you have ever heard hymns sung in Gaelic you may well want to purchase a CD for £10 (with £1.50 post and packing) through this Church of Scotland website. They have been produced by members of the Kilmuir and Stenscholl Parish in North Skye. Buy now and your future Sundays will have a different dimension.

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Hitting the Hundreds

Here's a satellite view of Storm Gertrude bringing fierce conditions to the North coast of mainland Scotland and the southern parts of Orkney. According to the information on various news channels, there were gusts of up to 110 mph in Shetland and 144 mph on the east Cairngorms. The highest ever recorded, but classified as 'unofficial', was of 177 mph in 1962 at RAF Saxa Vord, Unst. The photograph of a rugby match here at Saxa Vord, with the most northerly recreation ground in the UK, was taken in 1972 when the players obviously found it just a breeze.

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Cold War to Storm Force

RAF Aird Uig, north-west Lewis, is to be transformed from a Cold War spy base to a listening station for whales. It's part of a development to attract visitors by the Gallan Head Community Trust. The details are on the STV website and the official handover of the former installation takes place today. There will probably be no need to listen out for the signs of weather as Storm Gertrude is forecast to impact imminently with this exposed headland. At least the gates will not be closed.

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The Outrun

The Outrun by Amy Liptrot is a compelling series of autobiographical insights concerning addiction and recovery. Much of the former took place in London; the latter in Orkney and on Papa Westray, in particular. Consider looking more into the book through Amazon.

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Thirsty Work

The Up Helly Aa Fire Festival is underway in Shetland with the burning of replica Viking boats

to herald the re-appearance of the sun after the winter interval. So much marching and intense

heat means that the need refreshment and re-hydration has to be heeded. Read the BBC item.

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Design for Centre

Plans continue for the building of the St Kilda Visitor Centre / Ionad Hiort - at Mangersta, Isle of Lewis. The specialist design company, Metaphor, has been appointed to undertake the work. Read more about the arrangements in the Stornoway Gazette and see more of Metaphor, in general, and their Aston Martin Visitor Centre, in particular. When were the words 'St Kilda' and 'Aston Martin' last used in the same sentence?

Scottish Islands Explorer - design features are on-going

Georges Dif (1946 - 2015)

Do take a look at the obituary of Georges Dif, naturalist, ornithologist and photographer (aged 69) in Shetland News. His passion for the island group gives us something to dwell on.

Scottish Islands Explorer - aware of The Land of Winds

The Sketch

Study the profiles of Stac Lee (above) and of Boreray and Stac Armin (below) in the St Kilda Archipelago. The pinnacles could well have inspired a hand-drawn sketch which became the motivating feature in a short (seven-minute) film The Sketch. Just click on and view. This YouTube presentation should be looked at in conjunction with a visit to GotoStKilda. You will not be disappointed and, at least, part of a Sunday could be well spent.

Scottish Islands Explorer - motivates adventures and expeditions

Killer Whales Off Lewis

This Orcinas orca or killer whale is a particularly lively member of an orca pod to be found off Lewis and which, last Monday, was photographed by Martin Ramsay, a fisherman from Shetland. A number of the dramatic images he captured appears on the BBC website.

Scottish Islands Explorer - jumps for joy about such shots

Be a Monach for a Day

In the late 16th Century, the population of the Monachs could, apparently, raise 20 men of military age. Then soon after the new century opened, in 1607, the five-mile stretch of sand linking these 'islands' with North Uist, was washed away by a tsunami. Some residents survived and settlement was evident for over 300 years into the 1930s, when the island lifestyles failed to appeal to a new generation and numbers suddenly dwindled.

The once-abandoned Shillay lighthouse operates again, the house (top) once occupied by Lady Grange is still evident and the old schoolhouse on Ceann Ear, the main island, remains intact, although the village is a ruin. The Old Norse name for this group is Heisker, the bright skerry. Your opportunities to visit are bright, if you move swiftly.

Some enthusiasts for islands have chartered a boat leaving Leverburgh, South Harris, for a day-trip on Thursday 5 May. There is a limited number of spaces available. Contact Alan Holmes without delay for details or for securing a place.

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