Five Climbs, Five Islands - BBC2 Tonight

[pollyh33]

I had to turn it over because of the second's constant irritating "encouragement". If a second did that to me I'd drop a rock on his face...

Yeah, I'd give him a kiss... of the Glaswegian variety!!!

[rambler]

But surely Harris and Lewis are the same island, really

[mountain coward]

Hmmm a record, five new climbs on five different islands in 5 days eh? But surely Harris and Lewis are the same island, really

well the locals class it as two... not sure why really. But are there any climbs on Lewis? Must have been sea-stacks or something for that one...

[FloozySuzie]

I said that to my friend who's from Stornoway. She went all funny with me, it was strange. 100% correct though. She then said 'That's like saying Scotland and England are the same country'. I was like eeeeeh Sarah, it blatantly isn't.

[rambler]

I was like eeeeeh Sarah, it blatantly isn't.

Why?

[FloozySuzie]

Well an island is land with water all the way round it is it not? There isn't water between Harris and Lewis.
You can't compare it to Scotland and England, as no-one classes them as separate islands, because they aren't. Just different countries, obviously.

[mountain coward]

Geographically, I found it really confusing that they had Harris which nearly does split in two around Tarbert and gets classed as North & South Harris and then Lewis just continued on from North Harris without any kind of obvious line or division. I wonder they didn't just call Lewis the bit above Tarbert, i.e. North Harris and Lewis, and just called the bit south of Tarbert Harris if they had to have a split at all.

[rambler]

Prior to the road being built the hills of North Harris and South West Lewis along with Lochs Resort in the west and Seaforth in the east and other numerous inland lochs in that area would have pretty effectively divided the land mass into two distinct parts.

Maybe not the conventional meaning of the word 'island' but must have been pretty logical to the first inhabitants and since that is part of their history and culture it probably means as much to them as being Scottish, English or Welsh.

Until the Western Isles Council was established in 1975 Lewis was part of Ross-shire and Harris was part of Inverness-shire.

[mountain coward]

And the Uists had a Paisley, Renfrewshire postcode! (PA88) - possibly that was only because the mail had to fly out from Glasgow Airport though?

[Caberfeidh]

Until the Western Isles Council was established in 1975 Lewis was part of Ross-shire and Harris was part of Inverness-shire.

Ross-shire ??!! Ross-shire ??!! Lets not get all unpleasant . It was, and can still be if we all say it and thus cock a snook at petty-officialdom, Wester Ross and Easter Ross. Thus my no-good hoodlum climbing buddy The Pyromaniac was described as "The most dangerous man in all the Rosses..."

[mountain coward]

That's a grand title - bet he was proud of it!

[MacCookie]

And the Uists had a Paisley, Renfrewshire postcode! (PA88) - possibly that was only because the mail had to fly out from Glasgow Airport though?

PA covers Argyle and much of the Inner Hebrides as well.

Ewan

[mountain coward]

But the Outer Hebrides finally got a Harris postcode (probably about 15 years ago now) of HS...