I live in the Outer Hebrides AMA

[WeeFreeWhiskyGalore]

We chain up the play park swings on a Sunday

No Waitrose/Asda/Amazon Prime/deliveroo

On a clear day you can see Canada (if you squint...)

A four bedroom house sells for £130k

No one locks their doors

There's definitely no heatwave here

Yep OP my DM was from Harris and DF from the land beneath the waves.
The religious aspect was always respected to some extens on the mainland.
However

1. are you "allowed" a TV
2. Can you hang your washing out on a Sunday???

I am so jealous of where you live and hope to move to "the land beneath the waves" one day,, (don't want to totally out myself)

I guess, re spending time with your family on Sunday, it depends very much on who they are.

Do you have many facilities for disabled people?

(noted comment about supply teacher and dusts of CV)

Oh I had no idea there were catholic islands. How do the people from either Protestant or catholic islands get on?

I'm not sure about disabled facilities. There's all the usual things like parking spaces and buses and such. There's a hydrotherapy pool. I suppose it depends on the disability. There's quite a bit for people with special needs I think. It's quite wild country though so some of the beaches might be difficult to access for people with physical disabilities. One of dd's pals is in a wheelchair and he seems to do ok.

I don't talk about religion to people here so I imagine if you were Catholic you just wouldn't discuss it with a Protestant neighbour. It's not like Glasgow or Belfast. People just wouldn't mention it.

I'm guessing you live on Lewis (in Stornoway) but it's ok if you don't want to say!

Where do you go on holiday? I live on the mainland but somewhere fairly rural and it's a real treat/change for me to go to a city . Though if you are in Stornoway I guess there are still shops, parks etc within walking distance which we don't have here!

If you want to go to different shops or need a hospital do you go to Inverness? Or Glasgow? How long does it take to get to those places?

Do people do big shops a few times a year to fill their freezers etc or just rely on what's in the shop?

We usually go on holiday to friends or relatives. Know plenty people in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and so on. There're several flights every day and ferries of course.

The supermarkets are good. You can get pretty much everything. There's some excellent delis with all the spices and cheese and rices, grains. Amazon for everything else! The other islands are less well served but it's not like it was thirty years ago. When I was a kid I remember my mum getting excited by finding red peppers in the shop!

I've always wanted to go to that part of the world but never got further than Skye.

1. If you were recommend to time to go there, what time of year would you recommend?

1. How long would you recommend spending there in order to travel across a few of the islands?

1. I assume I'd need to rent a car (public transport probably very limited?)

1. Do people actually speak Gaelic in real life :) I was in Skye a few years ago for a few days, never heard a word spoken, just only saw signs (very different from North West Wales where it is really the major community language)

May/June is the best time of year.

There is pretty good public transport. It is easier with a car though because you can visit some of the best beaches more easily. A huge number of cyclists visit. Thousands every year. It's very popular to do Barra to the Butt (of Lewis).

Most people in Lewis have some Gaelic. Older people will generally all speak in Gaelic to each other. There are lots of children in Gaelic Medium education now so there's a real resurgence among young people. There was an enormous stigma attached to speaking Gaelic (meant you were very unsophisticated and a bit thick) so people born in the 70s and 80s weren't really encouraged in case it hurt their education. I can't read very well in Gaelic even though I speak it and I can't write it at all.

I was on the island in June. Played with the kids at Europie dunes park (best park ever) on the Sunday plus hung out my washing Setting the trend I hope.

The locals I know up there do not attend church. Minister knows me by name and doesn't banish me to hell for not attending church (always pop in to say hello).

I believe there should be a camper van tax and the co op should open on a Sunday!

I'm not sure if I locked the front door when I left to catch the ferry home. I'll find out when I pop up in September.

That's really interesting about the stigma against Gaelic and how it's now had a resurgence. What do you think has shaped the change in attitude?

How realistic is the programme Katie Morag?

I assume everyone goes to the same local school (no private/home school/special school)?

Do they get split into Gaelic medium and English medium?

What are the wee planes like?

Have you ever landed on the beach?

Do most houses still have coal fires?

Is fashion/ beauty a ‘thing’?

Do the teen girls still have caterpillar eyebrows?

This is a lovely thread, OP. I haven't been to the Hebrides in many years, and this has inspired me to go back and take my family.

Fascinating thread. Thank you. I spent two weeks on Barra a long time ago but otherwise have not been on the other islands. I am also inspired to go back!

Actually been to Mull and Iona , saw Jura from a boat. Saw St Kilda from a boat!

The wee planes are noisy. They have to spread you out to balance the plane which can be annoying. You get a drink though so that's nice.

Plenty crazy eyebrows around but I'd say there isn't quite the slavish devotion to fashion. Even teenagers have to be practical sometimes! A lot of kids are involved in the trad music scene too so maybe a wee bit more diverse in terms of style.

What made you go back after 29 years away?

Houses don't have coal fires they have peat fires. Most people have oil central heating but keep a peat fire too. We go out to cut peat in the spring and then back again to dry it and then we lift it in July or so depending on the weather. Families have an area on the moor where they have a peat bank to cut from. We cut the peat with a special tool called a tarasgeir.

English and Gaelic medium streams. My (younger) sister was one of the first at our local school. There were four in her stream and 10 in the English. My dd is going this year and there are 10 in the Gaelic and 4 in the English. What a difference 30 years makes!

I came home for lots of reasons. Housing - we want to build - was a big factor. But also I feel there's an appreciation of art and culture here that I struggled to find on the mainland. I know lots of musicians, artists and writers here. I also came home for the ocean. I missed it.

Is it true there a narrow minded minority who don’t like and make life difficult for “ in comers “, people not born and bred there?

Do you think there is a lack of respect and diversity for other cultures and religions if people can’t,or feel pressured not,to use play parks on a Sunday ?

If you could change one thing what would it be (the wind?).
I went to Barra and Benbecula years ago and would love to go back.

Is there any concern about the environmental impact of burning peat?

Dh is working on Lewis this week. Wish he got more notice for these trips because me and the dc could have gone for a few days.

How do you find the winter months, with the very short days?