Port of Ness (Port Nis) is a tiny village on the Isle of Lewis, one of the Outer Hebrides in western Scotland. It lays at the end of the road across the island from Stornoway, by northern tip of The Minch, between the island and the Scottish coast.
The village is little more than a row of scattered houses along 3 km of the road to the harbour, extending westwards to Eoropie.
The harbour and the village both date from the 19th century.
Port of Ness (Port Nis)
Coordinates: 58° 29′ N,
6° 13′ W
Population: less than 1000
At the ending of road A857, coming from Stornoway.
Port of Ness is well cared for, a pretty sequence of one or two storey houses with side gables and chimneys, presenting some harmony as a whole.
In 1880, a Post Office opened on the A857 to grant service to a population of just a few hundred; it was essential for small businesses and contacting with the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, at the time by telegraph.
Further along, in the 'centre', there is a tiny art gallery, where the road starts descendIng to the harbour:
Harbour View Gallery, a cabin where local artist Anthony J. Barber shows and sells his watercolours. (www.abarber.co.uk)
After the Gallery, on the cliff overlooking the harbour, there is this café and restaurant Breakwater with great views, a place where you can recover strength.
The best of The Breakwater is the wide views over the harbour and the beach.
The construction of the small harbour was completed in 1940, during WWII.
An intriguing walled harbour, next to a quite attractive beach.
In low tide, the sandy beach is extended into within the walls.
When the sea is rough - and storms are frequent here - the walls put on a show as giant waves break.
You should keep inside The Breakwater to watch.
The fishing fleet in Port Nis reached 50 boats in the mid-20th century, built locally according to a traditional model - the Sgoth.
The 'Sgoth' is a fishing boat with a lateen sail and a yard longer than the mast. The first known was launched in the 19th century; the oldest in service is the 'Jubilee' (SY33), launched at Port of Ness beach em 1935, when the fleet had decreased to 27 boats. More recent are the Sgoth 'Oigh Niseach' (SY56) from 1980 and the 'Sulaire' (SY456), built for the making of a film.
The 'Jubilee' leaving Port Nis.
Sgoth 'Sulaire'
In 2014 a memorial to Ness Fishery and the almost hundred lives lost at sea was erected at the top of the cliff. It is proudly the only 'monument' of Ness.
I shall now mention two local companies, a tweed wool hand manufacturer, and a wool accessories store.
Breanish Tweed , Macleod cottage
A family-run business, they produce luxurious tweed fabrics, but also lambswool or cashmere scarves.
Sewing Room With a View shop sells handmade and made-to-measure accessories in Harris or Breamish tweed. It's a nice little shop painted in strong navy blue.
https://sewing-room-with-a-view.myshopify.com
Eoropie (Eoropaidh, Traigh Shanndaigh)
beach and dunes
West of Port of Ness, it's an awsome sandy beach, offering a scenery to dream about - but temperature is very cold, often below freezing!
Butt of Lewis
The northernmost lighthouse in the Hebrides was erected in 1862, under a plan designed by David and Thomas Stevenson. It is on a promontory frequently hit by violent tides and storms.
I have published sometime ago
here an account of the surprising medieval
chapel of St. Moluag, located between Eoropie and the Butt of Lewis:
St. Moluag, golden at the late afternoon sun.
The Isle of Lewis, like all of the Outer Hebrides, is known as a near-perfect location for observing the starry night sky. Even in Port of Ness, the scarce light on land and the clarity of the air can offer a Milky Way like this:
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