Park, Outer Hebrides

Park, (Scottish Gaelic: Am Pairc) also known as South Lochs, is a huge area of land connected to the rest of Lewis only by a narrow neck between Loch Seaforth and Loch Erisort. This had a wall - the "Garadh an Tighearna" (Laird's Duke) - built across it by the Earl of Seaforth in the early 17th century, the outline of which you can now still see.

Only the north of Park is now inhabited: settlements in the south were cleared by Sir James Matheson in the nineteenth century. A famous deer raid took place here in 1887 as a demonstration by starving people, commemorated by the broch like cairn at the Eishken junction. Much of this area is still used for deer stalking.

Loch Cromore, which has a slight salt water content, is good for wildfowl, including wintering whooper swans and common seals frequent the inlets. The deserted village of Stiomrabhagh is a short walk from Orinsay. Fine views of the Shiant Islands may be obtained from Lemreway and Orinsay.

List of villages in Park

*Orinsay
*Lemreway
*Gravir
*Garyvard
*Kershader
*Habost
*Caversta
*Marvig
*Calbost
*Eishken
*Shiltenish
*Torastay
*Cromore

External links

* [http://globalguide.org/index.phtml?id=30000008 The Park Deer Raid]