Old Photograph Harvesting Kelp Isle Of Harris Outer Hebrides

Old photograph of harvesting kelp on Island Of Harris, Scotland. Seaweed was gathered and laid out to dry before being burned in a kelp kiln. Kelp making was the changing or conversion of seaweed into ash, which was used in many things, particularly the production of soda and iodine.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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There are few places left in the world which possess such a mystery and fascination as the seas around Scotland. For centuries people have sung of the Hebrides; the islands have been written about, fought over, dreamt of, longed for and even to this day are still the subject of quite intense curiosity. Forming a splintered arc of some 500 islands wrapped around mainland Scotland's north-west coast, the Hebrides make up an area of breathtaking beauty, a kaleidoscope of colour, light and mood with a character created not only by the ever-changing sea and sky but by the geology, climate and still visible signs of the islands' unique social history. Almost everywhere that much sought after `away from it all, edge of the world' atmosphere seems to prevail with each individual island having its own distinctive characteristics.

This book, packed with superb, evocative images captures that certain, yet sometimes indefinable atmosphere that is unique within the region. Considerable emphasis has been placed on three contrasting islands, Skye, Eigg and Harris, each with their own chapters, but not neglecting several of the remaining islands. This, coupled with an initial chapter describing the mainland western seaboard puts the Hebrides into their true island context as quite literally a place apart, a place beyond. Portrait of the Hebrides: A Journey to Scotland's Western Seaboard and Beyond.