Gearrannan Blackhouse Village — Attraction in Lewis and Harris

The roof thatched houses nestled along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean at Gearrannan Blackhouse Village, reflected a primitive, middle-earth vibe of how a Scottish family once lived. What used to be a familiar sight in Scotland back in the mid to late 1800s, these stone-stacked structures called “Blackhouses” haven’t served as dwelling places against the cold harsh climate of Scotland for almost 50 years. There aren’t many left. The few remaining Blackhouses at Gearrannan are preserved for public viewing.

Inside a Blackhouse, a typical Scottish family lived under the same roof with their live stock...we’re talking sheep and cows not dogs and cats. 😳

These earthen houses were divided into family living quarters on one side (like the room pictured above) and animal quarters/storage on the other. The thatched roof, stone walls, and peat moss with mud mortar were materials easily obtained from the area’s natural elements.

Because peat moss was so plentiful and wood so scarce, peat moss not wood was burned in an open fire at the center of the Blackhouse. According to our tour guide, one-cubit foot of “peat” gathered would weigh 55 lbs; however, when dried for burning, it would weigh 2/3 of that weight.

If you have never smelled peat moss burning, I’ll save you the trouble; it’s not a pleasant smell. Plus it is very smokey. It’s hard to believe up to 30 years ago, a lot of houses in Scotland were...

Great place to go to see people actually making Harris Tweed in a blackhouse, with the smell of burning peat and the loud but efficient sounds of the machine in between lovely stories from the man working it.

4 stars because honestly it's a tad underwhelming, insofar as the museum portion can be completed quite quickly. The tweed demonstration is the coolest part.

They have a nice looking cafe and clean washrooms, as well as a cute bay sort of thing if you're keen on that.

Not a fan of the fact that it's also a sort of cabin/hostel situation in a place that's also a sort of tourist/historical attraction. Most of the blackhouses are for accomodations and not historical reasons. I understand they have to make money and all, but it diminishes the historical aspects a bit.

Overall worth a visit, but you'd likely get through it in half an hour unless you stop...

Reconstructed black houses (taighean dubha) like the one in Glencoe are all very well but these ones were actually lived in until relatively recently. There is a small entrance fee to be paid as you go through the gift shop and in return you get to wander through this little hamlet if traditional Hebridean black houses. More interestingly you get access to the museum house and the helpful guides inside; one in the furnished room and one in charge of the tweed loom. I had enjoyable conversations with both despite the steady trickle of other visitors (it was raining a fair deal so the village wasn't that full - although the car park was!).You can visit two of the houses but remember the others are holiday lets with guests in them. This was a really enjoyable visit and is well worth making a...