Stornoway Golf Club – Nine Holes in the Castle Woods
A few hours.
The route
Stornoway Golf Club, founded in 1890, plays in the woods of the Lews Castle grounds, on Lewis's only 18-hole course, which climbs out of the trees towards the moor west of the town.
It's undulating and asks for a canny judgement of distance, and visitors are made very welcome, with clubs to hire. Nine holes make a fine couple of hours on Lewis for golfers of any standard, with coffee and cake in the club's own café after.
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 and pay for a tee time on Stornoway Golf Club's website before you go, for any day but Sunday, when the course and club are closed: nine holes £30 (juniors £10) at the time of writing; clubs to hire at £20 a day.
The day
Stornoway
Nine holes through the castle woods and up towards the moor, then a coffee looking back over the course.
About two and a half hours
Stornoway Golf Club
Stornoway Golf Club's clubhouse is at Lady Lever Park, on the edge of the Lews Castle grounds, with parking beside it. The course and the club are closed on Sundays. Book and pay for a tee time on the club's website before you go, or ring 01851 702240 if in doubt; on weekdays it's mostly a walk-on course. Nine holes cost £30 for an adult and £10 for a junior at the time of writing. Clubs can be hired from the golf shop for £20 a day, including a £3 deposit you get back, and a trolley for £5. In summer, club competitions take the first tee at set times on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The course rises out of the castle woods towards the moor, so expect some climbing: allow about two hours for nine. Over the winter, ring ahead to check how the course is playing, and from November to February tee off by 1pm. After the round, the club's Treetops Café looks out over the course, open Tuesday to Saturday with breakfasts, bakes and lunches from 10am to 2.30pm, then coffee and cake until 4pm.
If it rains
Golf goes on in the rain; the Treetops Café is the place to wait out a shower, Tuesday to Saturday.
Where to stay
Photograph by susan murray via Google