Cnoc na Croich – Stornoway from the Gallows Hill
About 3 miles on foot.
Cnoc na Croich, the gallows hill, is a small wooded summit in the Lews Castle grounds, the 283 hectares of woods and shore the island's owner James Matheson laid out from the 1850s on the edge of Stornoway and now owned by the community.
A loop from the shore climbs it for a wide view over the town and its harbour, then comes back by the Matheson memorial and the castle. It is an easy hour and a half, with Stornoway laid out below you from the top.
- Time
- About an hour and a half for the 3-mile (5 km) loop.
- The path
- Clear tracks of tarmac and dirt, and paths; a climb to the summit.
- Where to start
- The car park at Àird nan Laogh in the Lews Castle grounds.
- When to go
- All year in daylight; from November to February set off by 1.30pm.
- Children
- An easy loop; watch for mountain bikes on the way up.
- Before you set out
- The path past the Matheson memorial has been closed, with an easy diversion inland; the way up the hill shares a mountain bike trail.
The walk
Start at the car park at Àird nan Laogh in the Lews Castle grounds, half a mile north-west of the middle of Stornoway, or join the loop at the castle if you're on foot from town. Go clockwise along the shore by Bàgh Beag, with Stornoway across the water, then turn inland at the track junction near Eilean Grìoda and climb through the woods to the top of Cnoc na Croich. It's only 66 metres high, but on a clear day the view over the town and harbour is exceptional.
The way up shares a mountain bike trail, so keep an eye out for bikes. Come down to the west and back past the Matheson memorial and Lews Castle to the shore. The path past the memorial has been closed, with an easy diversion round its inland side: follow it if the signs still say so.
It's 3 miles (5 km) on clear tracks and paths with about 190 metres of climbing in all: allow about an hour and a half. From November to February set off by 1.30pm.
If it rains
The woods give some shelter, but the view goes in low cloud: on a wet day walk the shore and the castle paths and save the hill for a clear one.
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.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Mark Adams via Google