Stornoway Cruise Terminal – New! --[Reported by Umva mag]

Today we woke up early, as we docked at the brand new Stornoway Cruise Terminal. Island Princess is the first ship ever to dock there, which is pretty cool, although the locals decided not to lay on a marching band.

The main body of the new dock is complete, but work is ongoing to finish the surface. We would also expect to see some more ‘permanent’ Stornoway Cruise Terminal buildings at some point in the future.

One thing to note is that the terminal is really close to Stornoway town centre – as the crow flies. But actually getting there means skirting the old inner harbour. Walking through the nearby Lews Castle estate will take around 45 minutes each way.

The good news is that the local tourism association has laid on free transfer buses into town – a 15 minute journey from the Stornoway Cruise Terminal into the town centre. There’s also a special ‘space’ on board for mobility scooters and wheelchairs – and Linda is invited to jump the line to take advantage of it.

Lovely Lews Castle

Once off the bus, we head north towards Lews Castle. The terrain is bumpy and steep, but the estate is pretty. Much of the castle is apparently a luxury hotel, although the ground floor is open to the public – for free. 

It’s a nice enough stately home, but Lews Castle appears to be missing many of its original features. The roof beams in the ballroom retain mere fragments of the original gold paintwork for instance. There’s a café if you want to stop for a coffee, and the sloping lawns behind the castle provide a great view across the town – and the new Stornoway Cruise Terminal at Cuddy Point.

Trundling in town

Heading back down the hill, we decide to take a loop of the town centre, grabbing a few geocaches (GC3H8NW, GC36HF6, GC3H8PQ) on the way. Stornoway has several sculptures commemorating the fishing trade and most have an accompanying geocache. Thankfully none of them are too difficult to find.

Top tip: The pavements (sidewalks) are uniformly rough, making for a very uncomfortable ride around town. It may be worth packing a spare cushion for your trip.

Shops-wise, Stornoway is an odd mix. Banks, estate agents and charity shops rub shoulders with high-end gift shops and lower-tier tourist tat shops touting Harris Tweed knick knacks and highland cow toys. There’s something for everyone – and every budget.

Back on board Island Princess, we notice three seals lazing on a rock just beyond our balcony. None of them seem remotely bothered by our enormous cruise ship.

The sail out of Stornaway Cruise Terminal is impressive, allowing us to admire the Isle of Lewis coastline. The landscape can easily rival any of the other countries we have visited in the last three weeks and I feel maybe I have underrated Scotland in the past…

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The post Stornoway Cruise Terminal – New! appeared first on Journey into Darkness.

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