Valasay Cottage

06/09/2024

Replica 1500 year-old thatched hut. In 1993, an intriguing discovery surfaced at the northwestern tip of Great Bernera island, located in Scotland's Western Isles. Great Bernera, a small island connected to the Isle of Lewis by a road bridge, harbours the settlement of Bostadh, nestled at its northern edge. The area boasts a quaint beach, a picturesque semi-circle of pristine white sand surrounded by rugged rocks.

During a storm, a section of the dunes bordering the coast was exposed, revealing the presence of stone structures concealed beneath the sand. In response to this exciting revelation, archaeologists conducted a thorough excavation of the site in 1996.

Just below the surface, they unveiled remnants of a Norse settlement, but even more thrilling were the hidden treasures lying deeper beneath the Norse buildings.

Atop the Norse buildings, an astonishing revelation emerged – eight Pictish or Iron Age houses lay hidden beneath. These houses boasted a distinct figure-of-eight shape, comprising a sizable circular structure connected to a smaller circular extension through an internal doorway.

Often referred to as 'jelly-bean' houses due to their unique form, the larger section served as the primary living space, while the smaller end likely served as storage.

Fascinatingly, each hut interconnected with its neighboring structures through tunnels. The discovery at Bostadh bore striking similarities to the renowned stone village of Skara Brae on Orkney, albeit the former dated back to a more recent period, approximately 500-700 AD, with evidence suggesting it was likely closer to the latter end of that timeframe.

What set the Bostadh village apart as truly remarkable was the immaculate preservation of its contents within the sand, extending up to the top of the walls.

The sand acted as a guardian, safeguarding the ancient relics and insights into the lives of its past inhabitants, offering a remarkable window into history. Image Credit: Rob Farrow

Place Names the Danes Left Behind 👇
https://ruralhistoria.com/2023/07/28/place-names-2

28/08/2024

28/07/2024

Avian royalty, accompanied by two local guides.
(aka juv. golden eagle with a satellite tag, mobbed by two hooded crows)

24/07/2024

Had some fun with a 360° camera a few weeks ago, so now you can look foolish while waving your phone around and squinting at the beautiful Valasay Cottage garden. There's an entire tour at https://www.valasay-cottage.co.uk/360.html (those 360° images do take a while to load, though). Please do try this at home.

21/06/2024

I'd like to add a section "Valasay, Bernera and the Isle of Lewis throughout the year" to our website (https://www.valasay-cottage.co.uk/). I'm not sure if guests come to Valasay to then attend cultural events such as HebCelt, or if it's all about wildlife and nature.
What are things you'd add to this list to give an idea of when it's best to visit Valasay Cottage?

31/05/2024

The marsh orchid are now slowly coming up in the lower part of Valasay Cottage garden, one of the many reasons we don't mow that part of the garden.

19/05/2024

Can you spot Valasay Cottage? (No, it's really not very hard, I know).

11/05/2024

You've been wondering how the flowering rhubarb has been doing? It's doing great, thank you for asking.

02/05/2024

Our rhubarb "bolted" this year, and we're letting it flower. Currently very popular with the flies, which will feed the meadow pipits, which ...

26/04/2024

Just like last year, Valasay Cottage garden maintenance will be twofold. The upper part is cut regularly, whereas the lower part will be a wildlife haven again. The nettles support various insects, there'll be a few orchids in the summer, and we're hoping for some nesting birds.

25/04/2024

Valasay has been at its best the last few days, with beautiful weather, great wildlife and the promise of Spring all around. Here's a sunset from two days ago. Paradise.

11/03/2024

At least once a year the Hunter cooker needs firing up, mainly to keep the flue in good shape. Personally I wouldn't dare put anything in the oven section, I have enough iron already, thank you. But the hob did great with the tatties.

I wonder if any of our guests ever dare to fire it up?

08/03/2024

Lovely new garden chairs and table from fitting in nicely. Did we just turn Valasay Cottage into a prosecco kind of place? 😀

25/02/2024

Valasay Cottage garden is slowly awakening, with daffodils getting ready for warmer temperatures, and even a crocus here and there. It seems lots of them are getting more sunshine this year thanks to all the cutting in the winter.

On a somewhat related note... does anyone know where that coconut came from?

15/02/2024

Question for our followers who’ve stayed at Valasay Cottage: there's a gas grill outside, in fairly poor condition. Before we consider fixing or replacing it...has anyone actually ever used that grill?

15/02/2024

The number of mergansers is increasing, as they start courtship and pairing up. These three are flying up Tob Bhalasaigh to meet up with friends further along the lagoon.
Winter is far from over, but there are more and more signs of Spring.

08/02/2024

A bit of snow and changing weather at Valasay these days. This is peak tranquility, when sometimes the only sound is the splash from the merganser as they re-emerge.

01/01/2024

Rainbow over Valasay to start 2024. Happy new year everyone!

26/12/2023

It was a chunk more effort than expected, but I like to think it was worth it. The bathroom is now a warm yellow and the morning sun just makes it glow.
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14/12/2023

Yesterday BBC radio was warning about scams, and how "Christmas shoppers may lose £100m in scams". Also yesterday this landed in our inbox. The first email seemed legit, albeit the rather unusual idea of staying for four weeks in February. The second email felt wrong, and some extensive search revealed that yes, this seems to be what is called an "overpayment scam". I'm curious to see if we receive a cheque in the next few days.

It's cold out there ... stay safe!

02/12/2023

This week it happened, the garden was put in a time machine. Various areas were cut back massively, revealing borders and paths that were probably last visible five or six years ago, if not longer.
It's been a remarkable transformation, and it'll be exciting to see how the garden and its wildlife will look like in the spring.

20/11/2023

For anyone planning a trip to the Hebrides, or maybe wanting to reminisce a bit, the new book "Art & Nature in the Outer Hebrides" from Bruce Kendrick ( https://amzn.eu/d/7ZqgkU2 ) might offer some enjoyable reading moments.

The Outer Hebrides is an island archipelago on the remotest north-western periphery of a bigger island archipelago, itself part of Europe’s Atlantic coastline. And what is Atlantic Europe if not the north-western tip of the vast land mass of Eurasia? Here is an unrivalled sense of place, on the e....

17/11/2023

The golden mornings are back.

05/11/2023

There was some aurora activity last night, nothing exceptional, just your typical winter northern lights.
Magical Valasay.

22/09/2023

What a transformation. Part of the garden wall had tumbled years ago, and since then stones had just been chucked back somewhere when they rolled onto the path.

This week, the marvelous "Stone Waller from Carloway" did his thing, and we have a superb looking stone wall. Kudos, Stuart! (Yes, that's him walking towards the footbridge after a job well done)

https://www.facebook.com/thestonewaller/

19/09/2023

Staying at Valasay Cottage in autumn might mean the weather is a bit more changeable than in summer, but on the plus side you can step outside at 9.30pm and watch the aurora.
Picture taken yesterday evening from Valasay.

13/09/2023

Rut season is a great time to see red deer on the Isle of Lewis (these here were near Earshader this morning). As hormones rage, the stags can be fairly reckless, so drive carefully!

30/08/2023

Sunset over the bay today. Evenings are getting cooler, the midges' days are numbered.

11/08/2023

An update for dog owners considering a stay at Valasay Cottage. We've decided that for all future bookings, no pets are allowed at Valasay Cottage.

To be clear, this does not affect anyone already booked. If you already made a reservation, and have a dog, bring it along as planned.