Facts of the Day:
Date: 20/July/2002
From: Leac a Li (Lacklee)
Via: Roghadal (Rodel), Losgaintir (Luskentyre)
To: Leac a Li (Lacklee)
Miles: 56
Midges: 20 (Estimate)
Weather: Sun coming through
Mood: Happy & relaxed

After a fairly grey morning the weather improved dramatically and the sun started to come through. I followed the same route as the previous day, meaning I followed the Golden Road to Roghadal (Rodel) through the harsh eastern coastline. Again I was struck by its beauty, yet again also had to think about how hard it must have been when the crofters were moved from the west side to this harsh area.

In Roghadal (Rodel) I visited St Clement's Church, which was built by Alexander MacLeod around 1520 to 1550. While the church itself is nothing special it contains the magnificient sculptured tomb of Alexander MacLeod, who was buried in the church he built. The tomb is one of the finest examples of medieval sculpture to survive in the Western Isles. The carvings show various religious scenes and figures, with the arch representing the arc of the firmament. St Clement, the patron of the church, can also be found.

I continued along to the west coast, admiring the beautiful beaches, stopping at some of them for a walk and just relaxed. I also visited MacLeod's Stone, a standing stone on a dune near Horogabost. I don't remember its significance, but it was nice to look at with the beautiful background.

Having seen a man shearing sheep earlier in the day I decided to visit a weaver to learn more about Harris Tweed. I went to Losgaintir (Luskentyre), where I met Donald MacKay. He showed me how he weaves and we had a very nice chat about how our work compares and how it differs. Donald has been weaving for more than 30 years and can also tell you a lot about the history of the island. Unfortunately the number of weavers is declining rapidly and very few new weavers are coming up (Donald only knew of one younger than 40 years old). A very nice and interesting afternoon, Thanks a lot for your time, Donald! (Donald's wife Maureen is working on getting their website up and running again, I hope to be able to add it here soon)