Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Isle of Lewis

The Blackhouse, Arnol

A thatched Lewis blackhouse with its peat fire still burning, kept almost as its family left it in 1965, with a 1920s white house beside it.

Visit websiteCall
Welcome

At Arnol, on the west side of Lewis, a thatched blackhouse stands almost exactly as its family left it when they moved out in 1965.

It was built between 1852 and 1895, a long, low house of thick stone walls, and like the old blackhouses of the islands it has no chimney and no windows. A peat fire still burns in the middle of the floor and is never allowed to go out, so the rooms are dim and smoky the moment you duck in through the low doorway, with a kettle hanging on its chain over the hearth. Across the yard stand the ruins of a second blackhouse and the white house built in the 1920s, which was lived in until 1976, a glimpse of how island life changed within a lifetime. There's a small exhibition and a shop at the entrance, the car park is a few steps from the door, and tickets are cheaper if you book online.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
A short drive awayWhalebone ArchAn arch made of the jawbones of a blue whale that came ashore in 1920, in a garden by the road at Bragar.5 min by roadSee itThe top of the Whalebone Arch, the harpoon hanging from the bones against a blue sky.
Before you go

Open Tuesday to Saturday in winter and Monday to Saturday in summer, closed for an hour at lunch.

Tickets are cheaper online.

Where
42 Arnol, on the west side of Lewis, HS2 9DB.
Open
October to March, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm, closed 12.30pm to 1.30pm. April to September, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm, closed 12pm to 1pm. Last entry half an hour before closing. Closed 25 December to 5 January.
Price
Adults £7.50 online or £8.50 at the door, children aged 7 to 15 £3.50 online. Historic Environment Scotland members free.
Parking
A small car park at the property, about 25 metres from the entrance.
Dogs
Welcome on a lead, but not inside the roofed buildings.
Access
The blackhouse is on one level, but the doorways and ceilings are very low, the floors uneven and the rooms dark and smoky. The shop and exhibition have ramps, and there is an adapted toilet.
Getting there
The W2 bus from Stornoway stops in Arnol, about ten minutes' walk away.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10am–12.30pm, 1.30pm–3pm
Wednesday
10am–12.30pm, 1.30pm–3pm
Thursday
10am–12.30pm, 1.30pm–3pm
Friday
10am–12.30pm, 1.30pm–3pm
Saturday
10am–12.30pm, 1.30pm–3pm
Sunday
Closed

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review
Where it is

In the village of Arnol on the west side of Lewis, off the A858 between Barvas and Bragar, HS2 9DB.

Close bythe west side of Lewis.
  1. Golden sand and dark rocks at Dalmore Beach below rugged cliffs.Dalmore BeachA sandy surf beach between cliffs on the west coast of Lewis, with sea stacks and an old cemetery above.9 miles 17 min by road
  2. The thatched blackhouses of Gearrannan from above, by a small bay under a grey sky.Gearrannan Blackhouse VillageA village of nine restored thatched blackhouses by the sea at Garenin, lived in until 1974.11 miles 21 min by road
  3. Dun Carloway on its rocky knoll above a loch, the sun behind cloud.Dun Carloway BrochA 2,000-year-old broch tower on a rocky knoll near Carloway, still standing nine metres tall.11 miles 18 min by road
  4. Callanish StonesCallanish StonesA cross-shaped setting of standing stones on a ridge above Loch Roag, raised 5,000 years ago, before Stonehenge.17 miles 28 min by road
  5. Red-banded lighthouse and white keepers' cottages atop rugged cliffs above the seaButt of Lewis LighthouseThe unpainted red-brick lighthouse on the cliffs at the northern tip of Lewis, built by David Stevenson and finished in 1862, with seabirds and wild seas.20 miles 38 min by road
Directions
The top of the Whalebone Arch, the harpoon hanging from the bones against a blue sky.AttractionsWhalebone Arch2.1 miles
Galson Farm, a long white farmhouse with tall chimneys among green crofts and wildflowers, the sea beyond.HotelGalson Farm Guest House12 miles

Recommend to a friend

Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .