Hebrides 28: A Wee Dram and Lunch

We could have been forgiven for missing the distillery first time round, as  we discovered later that the location was originally the hatchery for a fish farm (and with all the charm which this entails).  We talked to a chap who was cutting holes in a huge up-turned hatching tank so that the cows could use it for shelter in the winter.  Waste not, want not, I suppose.

An enthusiastic lady showed us around the distillery, which had only been going for 6 years or so.  It was all shut down owing to the low water levels in the river (used for the distillation and the cooling), but we were allowed to taste the wares.  Only a 3 year old was on offer, and it tasted rather raw.  Pleasant enough, but not very refined yet.  Apparently the next whisky to be released will be a 10 year old, so at least another 4 years to wait for that.  At £35 for 50cl, I'm afraid I declined to buy a bottle.

By the way, Abhainn Dearg is pronounced Ar-vain Jee-ag, and means "Red River" in the Gaelic.

One of the Lewis Chessmen, which feature as the eponymous bystanders in Peter May's book.

All the charm of a cattle shed or a fish farm.  But wait - it was a fish farm!

We then headed back towards the island of Great Bernera, knowing that we'd seen a "home cooking" cafe on the road.  We found it - an old schoolroom - and the food was worth waiting for.  Anywhere that has a sign reading Please help yourself to our home-baking is alright with me!

Suitably fortified, we then headed for Great Bernera itself - a fine place for an afternoon's sojourn.