One thing that can't help but strike you about the Western isles - Lewis in particular - is the importance that most of the locals place on religion. Sundays are strictly a day of rest as this fishing gear lying idle at Stornoway harbour indicates, and visitors must take care to avoid causing offence by behaving inappropriately. What this means to us is that on arriving on Lewis
on the Saturday afternoon we must make sure that we have the shopping we require at very least for the next day - no shops will be open - and also that the car is full of fuel - no petrol stations either and petrol stations around Stornoway are noticeably busier last thing on a Saturday than at other times!
Perhaps the strangest thing is how fast we have forgotten what it was like to have Sunday as a more classic "day of rest". Regardless of your religious leanings (or non-leanings!) there is something very peaceful about not having "business as usual" for just one day out of seven.
Robyn
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