Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Street art in Cartagena.
Colombia • 10 days, 9 nights
Colombia Discovery: Coffee, Art & Music
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?
about 4 hours ago
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
2 days ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
3 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Outer Hebrides Gearrannan Blackhouse Village

Gearrannan Blackhouse Village

Spend the night in this formerly abandoned traditional Scottish village.

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Added By
dmonbman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village.   TravelMag/cc by 2.0
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village.   TravelMag/cc by 2.0
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village.   Andrew Curtis/cc by-sa 2.0
The hostel.   Colin Smith/cc by-sa 2.0
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village.   TravelMag/cc by 2.0
Stone walls. Hard work and skills combined into beauty.   kb4720 / Atlas Obscura User
A man works a loom in an old blackhouse in Gearrannan Blackhouse Village.   TravelMag/cc by 2.0
Inside one of the buildings.   Dorothea Witter-Rieder/cc by-sa 3.0
A Scottish sheep. Wool for Harris Tweed comes from all over.   artemisalm / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Huddled atop a hill overlooking the fierce Atlantic is a quaint cluster of stone cottages. This once-abandoned village both preserves a piece of the Outer Hebrides’ past and serves as a picturesque place for travelers to spend a night or two.

This cluster of houses was built in the late 1800s. They’re the traditional blackhouses that once dotted the Hebridean landscape.

For centuries, Highlanders and their livestock lived in these one-room abodes. The houses, which featured packed earth floors, drystone walls, and thatched roofs, offered refuge from the wild North Atlantic weather. A fire in the central hearth kept the space warm, and a divider separated the human inhabitants from their farm animals, which remained huddled at one end of the building.

Between 1945 and 1965, the other crofts and blackhouses on the Isle of Lewis received running water and electricity. People lived in these houses until the 1970s, when the village’s remaining elderly residents moved into more modern homes that didn’t require as much upkeep. It seemed as though the village would then be lost to time, destined to crumble and decay until it was no more than a ruin.

But in 1989, Urras nan Gearrannan, the local trust, set to work restoring and preserving these historic buildings. Now, the renovated blackhouses are available as holiday accommodation. Families can rent individual cottages, or budget travelers can hunker down in the hostel. Each building is named after the family that once lived there, and bits of the village serve as a museum that honors this bygone way of island life. You may even catch a glimpse of someone weaving Harris Tweed!

While there, be sure to venture beyond the village. Its perch along the Isle of Lewis’ western coast offers prime access to spectacular coastal hikes.

Related Tags

Places To Stay Hotels Villages History Architecture Museums

Know Before You Go

For the hostel, prices are £20.00 per person per night. The Family Room costs £65.00 per night. It's recommended to book your bed in advance, although the hostel does accept walk-ins if space allows. You may also book the individual cottages online as well.

The signage is in Gaelic, so wayfinding can be an interesting challenge. The locals speak English, but when not addressing tourists it is a great opportunity to listen to the language.

Near this village is the Calloway Mill, where they process the wool to be made into Harris Tweed, send it out to the weavers on five-foot "beams," and then clean the fabric that is returned, package it, and send it around the world where it is made into suit jackets, hats, wallets, and other items. Tours are on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Stop by anytime to make an appointment. Ask for Billy.

Community Contributors

Added By

dmonbman

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe, artemisalm, kb4720

  • Kerry Wolfe
  • artemisalm
  • kb4720

Published

January 9, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/lewis/gearrannan/index.html
  • https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/gearrannan-blackhouse-village-p255451
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garenin
  • https://www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk/see-and-do/gearrannan-blackhouse-village-p523651
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village
5A Garenin
Isle of Lewis
Outer Hebrides, Scotland
United Kingdom
58.296593, -6.793042
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Dun Carloway

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

miles away

'Time and Tide Bell' at Bosta Beach

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

miles away

Whale Bone Arch

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

Scotland

Places 26
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Dun Carloway

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

miles away

'Time and Tide Bell' at Bosta Beach

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

miles away

Whale Bone Arch

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

Scotland

Places 26
Stories 1

Related Stories and Lists

Our Favorite Places of 2019

List

By Atlas Obscura

Related Places

  • Inside the Arctic Club

    Seattle, Washington

    The Arctic Club

    The historic bar where local ship captains, traders, and gold miners would come together to do business a century ago.

  • The nave has been repurposed to include the reception, restaurants, and guest spaces.

    Maastricht, Netherlands

    Kruisherenhotel

    A luxury hotel housed in a former 15th century Gothic church.

  • Lobby of the TWA Flight Center

    Queens, New York

    TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport

    This futuristic airport terminal was abandoned for decades before reopening as a hotel—with a vintage plane of its own parked out back.

  • A celebrated architectural feat, the Blennerhassett hotel was adorned with elaborate window treatments, frescoes, and even a passenger elevator.

    Parkersburg, West Virginia

    The (Haunted) Blennerhassett Hotel

    The oldest hotel in West Virginia is reportedly frequented by ghosts.

  • Hereford, England

    Black and White House Museum

    This iconic Tudor home-turned-museum offers a unique glimpse into the everyday life of a prosperous family during the early modern period.

  • Heritage Street.

    Henderson, Nevada

    Heritage Street

    Clark County Museum has created an entire street of historically important buildings relocated from various other locations within the county.

  • Sethi House Complex

    Peshawar, Pakistan

    Sethi House

    A rare instance of a historical Peshawari mansion restored and opened to the public.

  • Bishop’s Palace.

    Galveston, Texas

    Bishop's Palace

    This private mansion turned Catholic bishop’s home is an iconic Galveston building.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.