Our final walk in Stornoway was also on the Lews Castle grounds, this time along the Perimeter Trail. Much of the trail follows the River Creed, and gave a sense of what the property might have been like in the mid-1800s when Sir James and Lady Matheson created the castle and grounds. We particularly enjoyed the walk along the river, with its varying terrain and century-old retaining walls.

Below are highlights from March 29th, 2021. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

High Tide Position: 58°12.56’N, -6°23.38’W The tide is very high at Stornoway today and the walkway is almost even with the top of the pier.

Lews Castle Position: 58°12.73’N, -6°23.66’W View to east side of Lews Castle on a walk around the Perimeter trail on the castle grounds.

Trails Position: 58°12.73’N, -6°23.72’W Map of the Lews Castle grounds showing the many mountainbike and walking trails. We’ll be taking the Perimeter Trail from the castle at right, then west (left) towards Marybank Quarry, and then back along the River Creed at bottom.

Strawberry Hill Position: 58°12.63’N, -6°23.95’W The first part of the Perimeter trail leads around Strawberry Hill.

Trees Position: 58°12.55’N, -6°24.26’W Tree-lined path along the Perimeter Trail. Many of the paths were once roads that now are closed to traffic.

River Creed Position: 58°12.24’N, -6°24.69’W Enjoying the view to the River Creed from one of the many benches en route.

Bridge Position: 58°12.14’N, -6°24.30’W Taking in the River Creed from a wooden bridge across.

Pond Position: 58°12.13’N, -6°24.24’W Tranquil pond opposite the River Creed along the perimeter trail, with several picnic tables around it (not visible in picture).

Stone Wall Position: 58°12.12’N, -6°24.01’W Old stone wall where the River Creed bends.

Rapids Position: 58°12.08’N, -6°23.96’W Rapids in the River Creed along the Perimeter Trail. The walk was quite scenic and lovely, particularly the sections along the river.

Cobbler’s Bench Position: 58°12.06’N, -6°23.91’W Smith’s Shoe Shop donated this beautiful wood bench, with the large cobbler’s boot in the foreground.

Stone Hut Position: 58°11.95’N, -6°23.77’W Small stone hut along the River Creed.

Charlie’s Seat Position: 58°11.98’N, -6°23.73’W Another beautiful wooden bench along the Perimeter Trail, this one dedicated to Mr. Charles B. Nicolson for his many years of public service in the area.

River Mouth Position: 58°11.99’N, -6°23.70’W Looking down to the mouth of the River Creed from the trail above after passing along the path visible below. Charlie’s Seat is just out of the picture at right.

Perimeter Trail Position: 58°12.00’N, -6°23.69’W Looking northeast towards the the Perimeter Trail, where we will join our path from a few days ago and return back along the waterfront. We didn’t spend any time on the extended castle grounds on our previous two trips to Stornoway and really enjoyed our several walks through the property this time.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.