An Lanntair – Harbour Supper and a Night at the Arts Centre
A few hours.
The route
An Lanntair, Gaelic for the lantern, is the arts centre on Stornoway's seafront: a gallery, a cinema and a 200-seat theatre, with films, plays and concerts on its stage.
Start with supper at the Boatshed, the Royal Hotel's restaurant over the harbour, then walk round in time for the show. On a wet evening all of it but a short stroll is under a roof.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
None of ours is close by: the nearest is Harris Hideaway, 27 miles away. Sleeps 2.
Book a table at The Boatshed for about 5.30pm on 01851 702109 or on the Royal Hotel's website: dinner is served every day from 5pm to 9pm, and the hotel always advises booking.
Book seats for the night's film, play or concert at An Lanntair on its What's On page or on 01851 708480: the dates and times are listed there, and the centre is open late Thursday to Saturday.
The day
Stornoway
Supper by the harbour, a short walk along the front as the lights come on, and a film, a play or a concert at the island's arts centre.
About four hours
The Boatshed
Supper
The Boatshed is the Royal Hotel's restaurant at 81 Cromwell Street, looking out over Stornoway's inner harbour. Park once for the evening in the large public car park on South Beach Street, beside An Lanntair, and check the signs for how long you can stay. Dinner is served every day from 5pm to 9pm, and the hotel always advises booking: ring 01851 702109 or book on its website. The kitchen leans on the sea, with local scallops, mussels and langoustines, and it holds an AA Rosette. If it's full, HS-1, the hotel's café bar, serves dinner every day from 5pm to 9pm, walk-in only.
4 min on foot
An Lanntair
Walk 4 minutes along the front to An Lanntair on Kenneth Street. Pick the night on its What's On page, which lists the films, plays and concerts with their dates and times, and book there or on 01851 708480. This autumn that includes The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with a live score by Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman on Saturday 31 October, and Chris Stout and Catriona MacKay on Saturday 28 November. The centre stays open until 11pm Thursday to Saturday; earlier in the week it opens in the evening only when something is on. The auditorium, gallery and shop are on the ground floor, step-free from the main entrance, with wheelchair seats in the front row, two disabled spaces outside, and a lift up to the café bar.
If it rains
All of it is under a roof but the 4-minute walk along the front from the Royal Hotel to An Lanntair.
Where to stay
Photographs by Nicola G and The Boatshed Restaurant via Google