THATCHED HOUSES IN ARNOL, ISLE OF LEWIS

[blueyed]

just a quick glimpse at another interesting place on isle of lewis - an gearrannan - thatched blackhouses in village of arnol.
in high season the blackhouses are open and available for booking as a hostel niceeeee
in low season the place seemed to be deserted, but still the gate was not locked therefore we had a wee wonder around.
the houses are nearby a small, nice bay, from which you can have a stroll along the coast, as well as climb nearby (rather low) hills to take some pics 'from above'

as i said, hills are rather low, but still give some nice, different perspective











more pics here: http://around-scotland.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/gearrannan-arnol-thatched-blackhouses.html

enjoy!

[Caberfeidh]

You seem to be getting confused between the blackhouse at Arnol and the village of 'thatched' blackhouses at Gearenin, a few miles south of Arnol. I stayed in one of those at Gearenin a few nights, the roof was not really thatched, just a wooden roof with straw piled on and held in place with nets to look good. I guess hiring a real thatcher costs a fortune. I kept bumping my head off the huge granite lintel between the rooms. The insides were cleaned up and made more modern, like a cabin inside the shell of the old house. Nice spot though. The blackhouse at Arnol was very smokey from the peat fire, with original old furniture. I asked the lady who showed visitors around if the peat smoke didn't affect the residents' lungs and health. She replied that no, it didn't harm them at all... then she went into a coughing fit which lasted until I was out of earshot...