Harris, Outer Hebrides facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harris
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| Population | 1,916 |
| Demonym | Hearach |
| Language | Scottish Gaelic English |
| OS grid reference | NB155005 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ISLE OF HARRIS |
| Postcode district | HS3 |
| Dialling code | 01859 |
| Police | Northern |
| Fire | Highlands and Islands |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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Harris (Scottish Gaelic: Na Hearadh) is a beautiful, mountainous area in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It's the southern part of Lewis and Harris, which is the largest island in this group. Even though it's part of a bigger island, many people call it the Isle of Harris. This name is also used for its postal area.
Harris is often thought to include the faraway St Kilda islands. These islands are now empty of people. It also includes the tiny, uninhabited islet of Rockall.
Contents
What's in a Name? The History of Harris
The name Harris has a long history. It comes from the Vikings who arrived in Scotland around 700 years ago. They named many places in the Outer Hebrides.
Documents from hundreds of years ago show Harris was called Haray, Harray, Here, or Herre. The name Harris likely comes from an old Norse word, hærri. This word means 'higher'. It probably refers to the tall mountains in Harris. These mountains are much higher than the flatter land in Lewis to the north.
The Gaelic name for this island is "Na Hearadh". Many place names in Harris are a mix of Gaelic and old Norse words.
Speaking Gaelic in Harris
Gaelic is a very important language in Harris. In 2011, about 60% of the people living in Harris spoke Scottish Gaelic. That's about 1,212 people!
Exploring the Geography of Harris
Harris is connected to Lewis. The border between them runs from Loch Resort on the west to Loch Seaforth on the east. Harris itself is split into two parts: North Harris and South Harris. These two parts are separated by two sea lochs, West Loch Tarbert and East Loch Tarbert.
They are joined by a narrow strip of land called an isthmus. This is where the main town, Tarbert, is located.
The rocks in Harris are mostly very old. They are called Lewisian gneisses. These rocks formed billions of years ago! One mountain, Roinebhal, has a special rock called anorthosite. This rock is similar to rocks found on the Moon!
Harris is part of Inverness-shire. In 2001, about 1,916 people lived here. It is also part of a special area called the South Lewis, Harris and North Uist National Scenic Area. This area is protected for its amazing natural beauty.
Discovering North Harris
North Harris is next to Lewis. It has the highest mountain in the Outer Hebrides. This mountain is called Clisham (An Cliseam). It is 799 meters (2,621 feet) tall. Not many people live in this area. The furthest village on the west coast is Hushinish.
A bridge connects Harris to the island of Scalpay. This bridge is on the east coast.
In 2003, the North Harris Estate was bought by a local group called the North Harris Trust. This group helps the community. In 2008, the Trust started asking people what they thought about making the area Scotland's third national park.
Exploring South Harris
South Harris has fewer mountains. It has many beautiful, white sandy beaches on its west coast. The main villages here are Rodel and Leverburgh. Rodel is famous for its old church, St. Clement's. It's one of the most important old churches in the Hebrides.
A ferry sails from Leverburgh to Berneray. Berneray is an island connected to North Uist by a road.
The east coast of South Harris is known as the Bays. It has a famous road called the "Golden Road." It was very expensive to build in 1897! This road winds through many small villages along the coast.
The beaches of Luskentyre and Scarista are truly amazing. From Luskentyre, you can clearly see the island of Taransay. The BBC show Castaway 2000 was filmed there. Scarista beach is a great place for surfing. Near Scarista, the Harris Golf Club has lovely greens. However, you cannot play golf there on Sundays.
Scarista is also the birthplace of author Finlay J. MacDonald. He wrote funny books about growing up in Harris in the 1930s. His books include Crowdie and Cream and Crotal and White.
Tarbert: The Main Hub
Tarbert is the main port and largest village in Harris. About 550 people live there. The name Tarbert comes from a Norse word meaning "portage" or "isthmus." This is because it sits on a narrow strip of land between two lochs.
The village has a ferry terminal and small shops. There is a Harris Tweed shop and a grocery store. Tarbert is also home to the Harris Distillery.
Scalpay Island
Scalpay is an island near the mouth of East Loch Tarbert. It used to be known for its fishing. In 1997, the Scalpay Bridge opened. This bridge connected Scalpay to Harris.
Recently, fishing for large Common Skate in the waters around Harris has become popular. Fishermen have caught very big skate, especially in West Loch Tarbert.
Economy and Travel in Harris
Like many parts of the Highlands and Islands, Harris has many single-track roads. These roads are narrow, so they have special places for cars to pass each other. Ferries sail from Tarbert to Uig on the Isle of Skye.
Tourism is very important for the Outer Hebrides. It brings in a lot of money and creates many jobs. About 219,000 visitors come to the islands each year. Harris gets about 20% of these visitors.
Harris is famous for Harris Tweed. This special fabric is mostly made in Lewis. However, it is finished in the Outer Hebrides, including Harris. Every piece of Harris Tweed has a special stamp called the Orb symbol. This shows it is real Harris Tweed. It is defined as "hand woven by the islanders at their homes... and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides."
The Harris distillery in Tarbert makes gin. In 2018, it was named Scottish Gin Distillery of the Year. In 2020, Harris Gin was voted the favorite Scottish gin for the third year in a row. The distillery has also started making single malt Scotch whisky, but it will be a few years before it's ready to buy.
Education in Harris
The Sir E. Scott secondary school in Tarbert teaches students from all over Harris and Scalpay. This school has both primary and secondary sections. It can teach students up to their final year of high school. The school also has solar panels to help power it. There is another primary school in Leverburgh called Leverhulme Memorial School.
Religion and Traditions
Most people in Harris are Presbyterian. This means they follow certain religious traditions. One tradition is Sunday Sabbatarianism. This means that almost all shops are closed on Sundays.
In 2006, there was some discussion when a ferry service started running on Sundays. However, a Sunday ferry service between Berneray and Leverburgh now runs all year. This allows people to travel to Lewis and Harris by ferry on Sundays.
Harris in Media and Art
Harris has been featured in movies and books.
- The director Stanley Kubrick used parts of the island in his famous film 2001: A Space Odyssey. He made them look like an alien world!
- In his 1962 book Atlantic Fury, Hammond Innes wrote about a fictional rocket testing site in Northton, South Harris.
- The nearby island of Taransay became well known after the BBC show Castaway was filmed there in 2000. Some scenes were also shot on Harris.
- The movie The Rocket Post was filmed on Taransay in 2004. It tells the story of a German scientist who tried to send mail by rocket from the Isle of Scarp.
The local newspaper is the Stornoway Gazette. There is also a community newspaper called Dè Tha Dol? It comes out every two weeks.
The Harris Tartan
Students from the Sir E. Scott secondary school in Tarbert designed a special tartan for the Isle of Harris. They won an award for it in 2003! This tartan is officially registered. It has colors like blue, green, grey, and white.
Images for kids
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Map of the Outer Hebrides showing Harris
See also
In Spanish: Harris para niños
