Harris Tweed

Every now and then something unusual or quirky crops up adorned or made from the unique and glorious Harris Tweed.  The only fabric to have its own Act of Parliament!  There is virtually nothing which can't be improved or made a bit special by this fantastic fabric which is still an important part of the islands.  This very day it is Harris Tweed Headphones http://www.urbanears.com/headphones/plattan/plattan-harris-tweed which look fantastic although they are a bit more expensive than the normal ones on the website.  I can't promise that there will be a pair in the house for guest use as I covet them for myself!

Buying a piece of tweed to have made into something just for you is still part of many a Harris Holiday.  There is something really special about taking the wonderful, hand woven and precious fabric home with you, it feels completely different to other momentos like photographs as it is real and tangible and you can use it every day.  More often than not the colours, texture and pattern of the tweed will be inspired by the landscape it came from and it is individual to you because you picked it - with dye lots being what they are no 2 bolts of tweed are exactly alike.  Every time you wear that bit of cloth, in whatever guise, or sit next to the cushion or draw the curtain it transports you back to the island.  A lovely feeling indeed.

The curtains in the main living area at àilean are made from Harris Tweed designed and made for us by our good friend Donald John MacKay from Luskentyre.  You may remember him from the Nike shoe a few years ago although he also supplies to Saville Row and many others and is on TV and in the press regularly, recently for his MBE.

The huge windows in the lounge at Borve and dining room frame amazing views from Ceapabhal in the south over the Atlantic to Taransay and the North Harris hills beyond and often it can seem like you are outside which is an exciting feeling.  I sometimes have to pinch myself that the house is really ours.  We wanted to use a tweed which added to this experience and also to give some privacy and cuddliness in the winter.  DJ has a fantastic eye for colour and we think the tweed tones perfectly with the floor tiles and wall colours whilst at the same time blending with the environment and looking stunning.  No mean feat.  I have attached a picture of said tweed above, it's hard to see all the colours but you'll get the idea.  These things really come alive when you look at them under a magnifier and then you understand what your eye is seeing.  More pics of the finished article in due course.

This winter I will be working on the curtains for the dining room to complete the look.  It's a big job as the windows are so large even though I have chosen a simple treatment and hanging system.  Lots of pinning, checking and adjusting is required as well as a large space to lay it all out.  A labour of love in Harris Tweed.

Aurora Borealis over Harris and the Dark Skies

A most fantastic aspect of spending time in Harris, especially early and late in the year, is the dark night skies.  When you get a clear night you can see a million points of light as well as moving bodies.  As Rick Lee mentions in There Is A Place it is a most mesmerising experience.  Borve is one of those locations where there are no street lights and limited light polution from dwellings.  Being near the sea there is a special darkness which makes àilean an ideal place to enjoy the sky.

There are a few people lucky enough to also experience the amazing Aurora Borealis too (aka the Merry Dancers).  One of these days I look forward to that experience myself.  These things must be pretty difficult to record on camera.  I recently shared a wonderful set of photographs on our facebook page - Harris Holiday - showing the wonder of the night sky and a range of Aurora effects.  These pictures were taken at Seilebost just a few miles to the north of the house.  Have a look at this link to one after reading Rick's poem and it will give you an idea of the show.    The Dark Skies of Harris

The full show can be seen on our facebook page here:    Harris Holiday on facebook

Quite amazing.  When will you visit Harris and experience the elemental?

There is a place

Rick Lee, wrote about his Harris Holiday whilst staying at àilean in Borve, South Harris.  His new book “A Ripple of Lies” will be published in late November 2012.

There is a place.

            At the edge.  The outer edge.  It’s a long haul.  You have to want to go there.

            It may be grey when you arrive with just the semblance of hills disappearing into the huddling gloom. Or you may have been treated to racing white clouds in a blue sky, the Sutherland peaks standing erect above the glacier scarred landscape like petrified dinosaurs.

            There is a place as you cross to the west where you come over a slight rise having negotiated your first few single track passing places.  On a sunny day with the tide high it will take your breath away.  In a gentle v-shaped view you’ll be offered a first sight of the myriad greens and blues and purples and browns you’ll come to love - your first glimpse of the white sand stretching into the distance on both sides and the island of Taransay lounging in the bay.

            But there’s more.

            There is more than one beach of satin sand stretching to the glittering sea.  There are millions of shells to be searched and treasures to be collected.

            You may find yourself lost in wonder in the buffeting rain as the waves rush towards you, the power of their thousand mile journey dashed in splendour at your feet.

Within minutes the sun will break through, the gannets flashing like black and white axes into the wallowing azure and emerald clarity not fifty yards away.  Perhaps a seal will appear and bob along, its mournful eyes watching you before it slips into the green depths.  Or busy dunlins will pickle back and forth across the wet sand in front of you.  Or you might raise your eyes to the humpbacked hills, where you can run with the deer and fly with the eagles.

Or you may wake in the night and stand in the cold air wondering at the enormity of a darkness filled with far more sparks of light than you’re used to seeing.

You may be befriended by a gaggle of wagtails fluttering at your windows or smile at the road gang of eleven very white sheep and three grizzly black ones as they hustle back and forth mowing the edges of the road.

You will need to return – because there is this place:  a terrible beauty which hangs at the edge of your minds when you’re not here, waiting for you to come back.



Rick Lee  www.attheedge.eu