An Eye on the Hebrides

He’s been twice now, the Resident IT Consultant. And by that I mean the Outer Hebrides. The Inner ones have always been a little easier to access. Even I have been to some of them. And I know not to pronounce them as Daughter’s Swiss colleague did; He-Brides. But we do like that version.

Anyway, when he returned home the first time, the Resident IT Consultant did so bearing book for me. Mairi Hedderwick’s An Eye on the Hebrides, An Illustrated Journey. And it is gorgeous. I believe he found it in Ullapool, which is both logical and likely. When I wanted to buy a copy for a friend, I managed a click and collect here in Stirling, but it seems that was their very last copy, so I don’t know what anyone else is supposed to do.

Mairi made the journey in 1988, spending six months driving around every last island in an old camper van, with a bike on top. Having met her, I’m not surprised by any of this, but I might have been if I’d not. And being her, Mairi obviously created wonderful art wherever she went, of the places she saw and the people she met. She’s good at meeting people.

Physically brave – by which I mean she happily suffered uncomfortable trips on boats, etc – and good at seeing the humorous in most situations, Mairi has produced the most wonderful travel ‘blog.’ My copy is the third version from not very long ago, and the early facts and figures have been updated each time, so you can see how the population has gone up, or down, and then maybe again in whatever direction it needed to go.

There is no way of summarising what Mairi did, and as I said, she went absolutely everywhere, even to St Kilda. All the illustrations are a work of art in themselves, but I especially love the one from Barra where you can see the view through the house, to the other side. That’s the kind of house – or view – that I want.