Ness ( gd, Nis) is the northernmost part of the Isle of Lewis, a community consisting of about 16 villages, including Lionel,

Habost Habost ( gd, Tàbost) is the name of two crofting townships on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. One is in the Ness area at the northern tip of the island at and is home to an arts and music centre. It is a traditional area of ...

, Swainbost,

Cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and South Dell, Cross Skigersta, Skigersta,

Eorodale Eorodale ( gd, Eòradal) is a settlement in the community of Ness, on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Eorodale is within the parish of Barvas Barvas (Scottish Gaelic: ''Barabhas'' or ''Barbhas'', ) is a settlement, community and civi ...

, Adabroc,

Port of Ness A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

, Knockaird,

Fivepenny Fivepenny ( gd, Na Còig Peighinnean) is one of the many villages in the Lewis district of Ness (Nis in Gaelic) and part of the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Fivepenny is within the parish of Barvas, and is situated on the B8014, betw ...

and

Eoropie Eoropie ( gd, Eòrapaidh) is the most northerly village on the Isle of Lewis in the parish of Ness, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Eoropie is within the parish of Barvas. The Teampull Mholuaidh is to be found here. Eoropie is situated at the e ...

. It was the most north-westerly community in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

, when the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

was a member. Its most northerly point is the

Butt of Lewis The Butt of Lewis ( gd, Rubha Robhanais) is the most northerly point of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The headland, which lies in the North Atlantic, is frequently battered by heavy swells and storms and is marked by the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse. ...

. The name Ness derives from the

old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

for ''headland'' and many of the other place names in the area also have a Norse origin. Ness is part of the Galson Estate, which is owned by ''Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn'' (Galson Estate Trust) which is managed by 10 local trustees elected by the community. The hand-over took place on 12 January 2007. Ness is accessible via the

A857 road List of A roads in zone 8 in Great Britain starting north of the A8 and west of the A9 (roads beginning with 8). Single- and double-digit roads Triple-digit roads Four-digit roads See also * B roads in Zone 8 of the Great Britain number ...

and is about by road from Stornoway. Ness can also be reached by walking across the moor from

North Tolsta North Tolsta ( gd, Tolastadh bho Thuath) is a village in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, on the east side of the Isle of Lewis. North Tolsta is within the parish of Stornoway. Tolsta is notable for its long sandy beach Traigh Mhor At the end of ...

Back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column runs ...

to Skigersta. It is about and takes 6 hours at a leisurely pace.

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

is the language of the community with 75% being able to speak it.

Peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...

cut from the moor, is used as a fuel for cooking and heating in many homes, but its use is on the decline. The 2001 Census results show a resident population of just under 1,000. In 1831 Ness had a population of just over 3,000. Landmarks include the 13th-century

Teampull Mholuaidh St Moluag's church ( gd, Teampall Mholuaidh) is a church in the village of Eoropie in Ness in the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. It is one of the busiest visitor attractions in Ness, due to historical importance and because it is easily accessible f ...

in Eoropie and the small island of

Dùn Èistean Dùn Èistean is a multi-period archaeological site on an inter-tidal sea stack on the north east coast of the Isle of Lewis, near the village of Knockaird (Cnoc Àrd, Nis) in the area of Nis (Ness) in the Western Isles of Scotland. It is accor ...

which is the ancestral home of the Lewis Morrisons of the

Clan Morrison Clan Morrison is a Scottish clan. The Highland Clan Morrison is traditionally associated with the Isle of Lewis and Harris (Leòdhas) around Ness (Nis), Dun Pabbay, and Barvas (Barabhas), lands in Sutherland around Durness, and in North Uist. ...

. There is a road sign to the bridge across to

, and archaeological excavations have been taking place there. Morrisons of Harris and Lewis can traditionally be found around Nis, and in the north-west Highlands in the county of Sutherland around the town of

Durness Durness ( gd, Diùranais) is a village and civil parish in the north-west Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north coast of the country in the traditional county of Sutherland, around north of Inverness. The area is remote, and the parish is ...

(Scottish Gaelic: Diùranais). Each year 10 men from Ness go out to the island of

Sula Sgeir Sula Sgeir is a small, uninhabited Scottish island in the North Atlantic, west of Rona. One of the most remote islands of the British Isles, it lies approximately north of Lewis and is best known for its population of gannets. It has a narr ...

in late August for a

fortnight A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (two weeks). The word derives from the Old English term , meaning "" (or "fourteen days," since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights). Astronomy and tides In astronomy, a ''lunar fortnight'' is ha ...

to harvest around 2,000 young

gannets Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus ''Morus'' in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the N ...

known locally as Guga. The Guga hunt is a Ness tradition and the bird considered a delicacy. A Ness boat builder called John F. Macleod from Port saved 40 lives following the sinking of H.M.Y. ''Iolaire'' by managing to take a line to shore. Ness is known for its Sgoth, a type of

clinker built Clinker built (also known as lapstrake) is a method of boat building where the edges of hull planks overlap each other. Where necessary in larger craft, shorter planks can be joined end to end, creating a longer strake or hull plank. The techniq ...

skiff with a dipping

lug sail The lug sail, or lugsail, is a fore-and-aft, four-cornered sail that is suspended from a spar, called a yard. When raised, the sail area overlaps the mast. For "standing lug" rigs, the sail may remain on the same side of the mast on both the port ...

. The boats were used for line fishing until the early half of the twentieth century. There are several still in active use owned by community trusts which maintain them.

School

Lionel School is the school providing for Ness. Lionel School prides itself on its sporting prowess and pupils have won trophies for football, running, badminton and swimming. The school roll is 116. The small school at Cross closed in 2011 due to declining rolls, latterly having only 19 pupils. The buildings have now been taken over by Comunn Eachdraidh Nis, the Ness Historical Society.

Sport

Football is the main sport with Ness FC playing their home matches on Fivepenny Machair. 'Spors Nis' is a new (2007) Community Sports Centre with all the modern facilities you would expect including a two lane

10 pin bowling Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll ...

alley. Lionel School also has a swimming pool which is open to the public when not in use by the school.

References

External links

Census results 2001 for NessComunn Eachdraidh Nis
(Ness Historical Society)
Cuan Ard Press
(A Ness-based publishing company)
The Galson Estate TrustLionel SchoolTaigh Dhonnchaidh
(Arts and Music Centre)
Eoropie Tearoomsporsnis
local sports centre {{Authority control Isle of Lewis Surfing locations in Scotland

School

Sport

References

Further reading

External links