Childhood Memories of Linshader

During my childhood we went to Linshader every summer holiday and stayed at my auntie's house (No 7). It was great ... we enjoyed collecting eggs, putting the cow out to pasture, helping to make haystacks with my uncle, feeding the calves with my auntie, visiting people through the village, waiting for the Co-op van to come round so we would get a lollipop, rowing over to Callanish with my uncle, playing on the rope swing my cousins would put up for us in the byre, watching my cousin weaving Harris tweed on his loom. We also loved to watch Auntie milking the cows and then skimming the milk and making butter in her yellow churn. They were happy days, out in the fresh air all day long with not a care in the world, running wild up the hills at the back of the croft. When we would come back to Stornoway I would feel that it was closing in on me after all the open space we had in Linshader. My Aunt and Uncle have long since passed away and the house has been sold on to an Englishman who only uses it as a holiday place, he lives in a caravan beside it when he comes to Lewis and the house is falling to ruin which is very sad to see . Linshader will always have a special place in my heart (and also my sister and cousins) and when cousins come up to Lewis on holiday we always make a special "pilgrimage" to Linshader and walk up the back of the croft.