2025 has been a very busy year with more foreign visitors than usual although since Covid foreign visitors have been coming back in greater numbers than before. One of my projects for next year will be to translate some information into French and German. 

I've continued trying to upgrade the house every year and projects are always more complicated to undertake in Lewis especially now that I am doing them on my own. With great difficulty this summer I moved an old wardrobe out of the house and down to the gate for a council uplift. The room is much improved with a fresh, white wardrobe. I am also continuing my attempts to  establish a garden - not easy when I am not there all the time and when the winter gales usually destroy what I have planted. However, I now have about 6 healthy bushes growing inside the fence and eventually they will be a good windbreak. I always manage to have a few seasonal plants in the shelter of the house near the bench and near the seating at the front. The bench is a favourite spot as it is so sheltered and I certainly never tire of the changing views over the two lochs. i take for granted the wonderful wild orchids growing in the garden area.. Next year I will leave an area uncup so the wild flowers can be appreciated.  

I also reluctantly took down the old garage this year. It was put up when I was in my twenties and Russ maintained it over the years. We had a very successful year when a  Norwegian trawler dropped its load of wood in a storm. By the time we arrived in Lewis most of the easily accessible wood had been taken but we walked over to more inaccessible inlets with friends, who were staying for a few days. Visitors to Lewis always get given lots of interesting tasks.  That  timber strengthened our  garage and it was re roofed annually, whenever we arrived. There was many a trip to the skip in town taking away years of hoarded croft and loom materials. nothing was ever thrown away. I'm going to do a collage of photos for the house showing all these  projects undertaken over the years. Getting the garage down was quite a task but one very full skip later it was finished.

the new linen and cleaning cupboard is also a bonus and every year it becomes easier for us to maintain high standards. i have been helped in this by the fantastic new community shop in the village, which sells everything you need and gets quality produce from suppliers in Stornoway. It also has a little cafe and most wonderful of all from my point of view - it has a laundrette. I spend hours in there every March getting everything spotless for the beginning of the season.  

Lots more to report but blogs should be short so bye for now while I plan my next project. 

So I hope visitors will keep making suggestions and keep me on my toes. 

#TravellerReviewAwards2022 @bookingcom

It has given us the chance to make some improvements to the house although if I had appreciated the stress involved I might not have started. Several trips to Lewis involved disrupted ferries, overnight stays in Ullapool, being at the mercy of  Cal Mac's dreadful communications. On one occasion -  Sunday - after a 5 hour wait at the ferry we were all herded in to the terminal building, queueing with no social distance being observed and no info being provided.  We eventually got on the freight ferry and the worst crossing ever. Sick bags at the ready. No food or drink supplied all day by Cal Mac. What part of Lewis on a Sunday do they not understand . Eventually, we got into MacDonald's in Inverness at midnight. Delightful meal and home by 3.30am.

I had two trips to Lewis to sort out the broadband and endless telephone calls. Yes we do now have broadband but  at the expense of my mental health. The first engineer installing the telephone line brought it in over the sink. No idea how they thought I could plug in the router as there are understandably no electric points at the sink. The ferry was delayed by a day for the second visit and I almost missed the engineer. However, all is well that ends well and I hope my visitors enjoy the broadband as much a si do.

I also purchased a new couch from the Westside stores, trailing out there on a dark night  but I like to use local businesses and Phil is really helpful and very reasonably priced.

I had one really hectic week decorating the living room. It was a bit too much for Russ due to health issues, so I got up really early in the morning and did it in sections. Really please with the result and it makes the living room much brighter.  We need new curtains but I keep losing the measurements when I return home. Very difficult to decorate from a distance.

The next trip will involve setting up the new fire alarm system and we need a coal bin. Onwards and upwards for 2022. 

Bookings had to be cancelled or I took cancellations or re-bookings.  I was happy to take cancellations without penalty as no one could have predicted the course of events and the main focus became keeping the island safe and respecting our communities. The Association of Self Caterers and Visit Scotland provided excellent advise although decisions by the Government were often at the last minute  - probably unavoidable but stressful for providers and guests.

We re-opened briefly for August and September before a second lockdown and further cancellations. Decisions were slow in the first few months of 2021 and it was  not clear if the island would reopen at the same time as mainland Scotland. We used the time to obtain our good to go certification and ensure all protocols and  regulations were adhered to as we want visitors to feel that the house is a safe environment.  

Eventually we started up at the end of April 2021 and have been busy since then. Thank you to all my regular visitors, who have re-booked. Its great to reconnect.  visitors have come through Airbandb, TripAdvisor and Booking .com. My only difficulties have come through my own website. 

Previously, I did not take a refundable deposit but have now changed this. I found I was getting bookings, which did not materialise as people may have gone elsewhere and did not respond to my emails etc, People have also brought in extra people to the house over the numbers allowed.

People have also been a little casual about the house. So in future I will take a refundable deposit  - a sign of the times -  Covid does strange things to us, such is our desperation after lockdown. 

These are minor irritations and meanwhile most visitors are great and enjoy the freedom of a holiday, providing all the info I need for Test and Protect etc 

I hope people will manage to  support local business, as they have suffered due to Covid, but a double whammy has been the unreliability of the ferries.

Welcome back everyone and thank you to all friends, family and regular visitors, who have come back. Enjoy your holiday at Garenin and we will continue to comply with all regulations to ensure you enjoy it. 

I like to take friends to Lewis and combine seeing new places with finding new restaurants.this time we headed to UIg, which I wrote about last time but worth knowing that the wonderful Uig Sands restaurant is open for Sunday lunch although booking essential - fantastic fish based dishes. Not cheap but worth the money. it was a glorious day - best of the week as it turned out and we were able to paddle in the sea and walk round the headland.

Next day was very dreich and atmospheric as we walked around the three stone circles at Callansih - a nice walk that takes about an hour. The cafe at the stones is open till 8pm in the summer.

Finally we went to Harris to the Island of Scalpay and back to good weather as Harris had the best of the weather this week. Always worth checking out different parts of the island if it is raining in Carloway as there is such a variation in climate.

I had never been there before but well worth the visit. We walked on a circular route to the lighthouse and had superb views.

 Scalpay also is home to one of the best and smallest restaurants on the island - North Harbour Bistro.  it has a fantastic and well deserved reputation. We also saw a small tearoom  between Scalpay and Harris proper but no time to try it. Instead we visited a new photography gallery on the north side of Tarbert. Again well worth a visit. 

Tarbert of course has a fantastic Harris Tweed shop and we bought some tweed - my purchase was to make arm rests for my chair in Garenin. 

A few photographs of our day and the return journey was calmer. We had a cup of tea when back on board but a tip  - take a picnic and enjoy sitting in the old village reflecting on the bravery of the people who lived here and climbed these cliffs for sea birds. Eventually, The build up of toxicity with the sea birds used to fertilise the crofts, the outside world bringing illnesses and a declining population meant that the inhabitants asked to be re-settled on the mainland and on other islands.

It is a dual heritage site both archeologically and culturally. Quite a special place.

We finished our day with a fabulous meal at the Anchorage in the harbour at Leverburgh. Highly recommended 

From the outset we were in luck and  saw a basking shark in the harbour at Leverburgh. The 3 hour trip was rough but we saw sea birds and views and the crew were attentive at pointing things out.

You have to go into a small dinghy to get into the harbour and this was not as difficult as it sounds  - no wet feet!

We had a short talk from the SNH warden explaining the island and what we could see and do and this was helpful. We visited the church and schoolroom first - very basic and typical of Scottish schoolrooms everywhere when the desire to have a school in every parish became a mission. I found out later that one of the schoolteachers had come from Garenin and his two aunts,came to look after him. He died in the small pox epidemic. My neighbour, who gave me this inof was related to the aunts and said she remembered her mother talking about Na Hirtochain and later they returned to live in Garenin on Lewis. So although for most people the island seems remote and travel must have been dangerous and lengthy, there was contact with the other islands in the Hebrides.

The museum is also worth a visit and the house are very well kept and some used for volunteers to stay  - there seems quite few of them on the island.

The only scar is the work and buildings of the Ministry of Defence but this is being remedied and eco friendly buildings established.

We chose to walk up the spine of the island and it is extremely steep but gives a great view of  the sheltered bay, all the sea cliffs and the amazing birds. they dive bombed us when we got to near their nests and we learned to walk with care or hit the ground if they got too close.  Waving walking sticks is very effective!

St Kilda has a small shop and we all sent postcards home. They took a week to arrive.

i also bought a new cuddle chair,which I though would be larger but it's still a smart but of furniture and in the process met a very friendly and helpful supplier.  I have masses of books in the house and reluctantly dispensed with some to make room for a super new stowaway table giving more options for eating. We moved one bedroom around, bought new lamps,cushions,dishes,towels to ensure all is smartened up for the year ahead. The garden seat was brought up from the garage and we were ready to go.

i am also  planning to run a bespoke week at the end of September as a retreat week, which I will host. As my background is in social work and counselling and as Lewis is such a special and naturally healing environment it would be good to use the house for people looking to escape the pressures of a busy life. It has been my bolt hole for many years and proved a very therapeutic and restoring environment. More of this will follow on the website but I am open for business of anyone wishes to contact me to have a chat about my plans. They are flexible at the moment as i have a number of ideas of whet would work best but need to do some more research and this may involve trying different options. Delighted if people help me shape these weeks in this special place.

 I have a Facebook page and am trying to be proactive on this to let visitors know everything happening locally so check it out . i will also give Instagram a go this year so it would be great to receive all your photographs.

 Our big project for next season is a completely new bathroom. Lots of trips to Stornoway to choose all the items  and arrange for the installation in February.We will take lots of photographs then but we were too busy with repairs and upgrading to take any this time.

The last morning was very still and calm leading to us arriving at the ferry and realising we had forgotten to turn off the water. Aaah.…. mad dash back to Garenin to turn it off just making the ferry. 

Our old garage, which we spend hours maintaining needed re-felting. This is a labour of love as we do now have the new shed.

So back up after Christmas to finish our bathroom project. 

There have been some great TV programmes and videos of cycling in the Outer Hebrides but this one is interesting as it shows the new cycling Hub in Stornoway, road biking, mountain biking and the delights of the new trails in the castle grounds. there is something for everyone. The Hebridean Way is proving the most popular but you can miss out on many small coastal places if you just wizz down the island.

I would recommend the new cycling hub in Stornoway. I popped in and was impressed with the equipment in the shop. Good cafe as well. I spoke to the guy there on a previous visit and he is willing to come across to the house to repair bikes for cyclists. Cyclists are welcome at our house and we have storage facilities for bikes.  As there are so many historical place near to our house, not to mention beaches and art galleries,it could make a nice cycling trip and the longer routes are also righ on your doorstep. i am quite happy to help with info on cycle hire.I cycle myself and still have a lot of exploring to do in the islands. I have done the Hebridean Way long before it was classified as such. 3 weeks of sunshine absolutely brilliant  - but that was on our second attempt.

This spurred me on to look around the property and make a few changes. I bought new lamps and a new carpet for the living room. I also dismantled the bookcase and I should have taken photographs of me struggling to remove the old bookcase and put in a smaller one. I also sorted all the books and have another smaller bookcase in a bedroom. There is still lots of reading material but I also took 100 books to the charity shop. Sometimes when you rent a house a fresh eye is required to keep things interesting and relevant.

I also do like to listen and act on visitors comments and there have been a few about the bathroom recently - mainly because there had been a leak from the bath to one of the bedrooms. Two plumbers and a few discussions later I realised there is a fault in the plumbing. Rather than patching it up we are moving plans ahead a year and intend having a completely new modernised bathroom. Plans are ready to be approved so all very exciting. I often wonder what my family would make of this renovated house but for me its been an interesting project and great to see it still going strong. I should have photo record of all these changes but am usually too busy to take photographs.

The summer is stilll with us and I was still able to enjoy sitting outside in the early evening for a short time. I also had to schedule in dog walking so some lovely times on Dalbeag and Dalmore beaches with the dog. For the first time I noticed signs asking people to keep there dogs on a leash near livestock and I think there has been a problem with unsupervised dogs. I welcome dogs to the house but would ask all visitors to ensure they are properly under control in this fragile crofting area. The ground around the house is enclosed and I spend some time checking areas where dogs could get under the fence. I'll keep improving this.

My other project is starting to develop a garden. I have tried this unsuccessfully previously but I am defeated by the fact that I am not there enough in winter, However, I have now planted some sturdy and resilient bushes so will continue with this next year and look forward to developing some  sheltered areas.  

Another trip to Lewis to spring clean the house and organise the new parking and the new shed . it is a great improvement to have the shed to accommodate the barbecue and beach items and to allow storage for walking boots, cycles, surf boards and dog equipment. We even bought a new dog crate. We are very keen on outdoor visitors as the area is perfect for activities and we are very much outdoor people ourselves.

We had great weather for the first few days of our visit, which was a bonus - very still with little wind. The end of the week was less favourable but still let us work outside to sow grass to improve the ground after the digger being in and to build up the ground around the new fence to ensure that dogs can not escape! Our regular visitors will appreciate the new parking as it makes access to the house much easier and better for those with disability issues. We have also moved the bins to the new parking area to assist visitors and to help with re-cycling, which is taken seriously on the island.

We also arranged for Tighean Innse Gall to visit to undertake the energy Performance certificate. Obviously a house built in 1951 has a big programme of suggested improvement to meet modern standards but we will keep developing our projects and making improvements to meet standards.

Great to find that the shop and café at Shawbost have re-opened and the Carloway Association is making great strides in developing the new school complex. We try to keep up to speed with all developments so that our folders of information are up to date for guests - another early season task.

Here are the photographs to show our progress.

Lovely eye catching blog on eating in Lewis and Harris. People don't always expect the island to offer such good culinary experiences but I have noticed over the years that standards are rising. There are lots of other places not mentioned in this blog ,which I might review to tell you about. Hard work but someone has to do it. We spend so much time working on improvements for the house that we sometimes don't have time to sample everything the island has to offer.

My next trip is coming up shortly as we organise the house for the coming season. All the new towels and bedding are ready to go and a new picnic basket for trips to the beach. The car is always loaded up for these trips although we use local suppliers as much as possible.  

in January. We had hoped to travel on the 11th but the ferry did not run. The next day we arrived about 2pm and we found that AMK Tipper Hire from Callanish had already knocked down the old oil structure and had the re-enforced concrete ready to lay as foundations for the parking.

This was despite very severe weather, which worsened throughout the afternoon. The enormous digger certainly flattened the ground  but the driver was very skilled and dug new drainage as well. By 4.30pm in the afternoon the foundations were dug out.

The weather worsened the next day and the digger could work for only one and a half hours. Unfortunately we had to leave for a family event but much to my delight I received these pictures of work in progress and by the beginning of the next week " job done"

Even with stormy weather Lewis is a magic place and we managed to walk into the shore and see the crashing waves and  hardy sea birds.

On our next visit we will lay paving stones, mend the washing line and generally tidy up ready for our visitors.

The work is a big improvement on the parking and the new shed will be great for picnic ,barbecue and sports equipment. I'm sure our regular visitors will see a difference.

wE are very excited and look forward to welcoming you all this year.

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it is well worth trip to the new Harris Gin distillery in Harris and the video will give you a flavour of the product.You can bring some back to Garenin and enjoy it by the fire in the evening.

I have just been up for another visit and to organise a few changes as ever and make sure everything is in its place. Quite a few returning guests this year and especially in the autumn weeks so we must be doing something right.

It always strikes me how bright the skye is in Lewis even with the weather becoming more autumnal. We managed out for walks every day and saw dolphins from the boat on the way back, so a relaxing trip although too short.

https://monkeyandmouse.co.uk/a-family-friendly-cottage-stay-isle-of-lewis/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sT2m6LiSp0

Simultaneously another travel blogger shared her experiences and this gives a different view of the island as it is all about excitement and activity showing Lewis can offer many different experiences

http://www.challengesophie.com/blog/category/10-hidden-treasures-of-the-outer-hebrides

I am just back from a visit and realised how bright the house is for most of the day with the wide open Lewis skies. It certainly wakes you up early in the morning. All the rooms are bright but the back bedroom catches the first of the early morning light and the kitchen in the evening.

The outdoor furniture is in position to enjoy this great weather we are having and there is a barbecue( in the garage) for those who want to catch the last of the sun. Let's hope it lasts.

I have also left a nature diary along with the binoculars this year as so many people come to enjoy the natural beauty of the place. Last year a friend and I spotted a golden eagle on the Carloway/Dalmore boundary and it hovered just above the car and then again several times on the Carloway side of the Pentland road. She is very "eagle eyed" and a great spotter of birds/animals etc

The cows have moved on from my croft  - off to pastures in Skye. They were a great entertainment for visitors last year. Once the ground has recovered from being churned up by the cows the sheep will be back to graze there.

I took my friends around quite extensively on this visit, and especially to Harris where there is a new restaurant and community facility overlooking Luskentyre beach, which must have one of the best views in the world and the food and service were good.

We also visited the new Harris Gin distillery in Tarbert - also worth a visit. Harris is really opening up  -lots of galleries and crafts to visit on a wet day - we sampled a few and they were worth a visit. The Seallam genealogy centre is quite unique and very informative. 

We also walked over from Bosta beach in Lewis - where the cows have free rein. There is a signposted house from the iron age broch. It is about 2 miles at most and not hard walking. Bosta is a lovely sheltered beach with one of the bells which are on 12 beaches around the UK. It's a sheltered beach and worth a visit. En route you pass the community hall where there is a superb museum, which gives a great history of Bernara and you can get a good cup of tea and home baking.

On our next trip we plan to continue with the saga of the shed....for my next blog