We’ve all seen romantic comedies where the boy and the girl are brought together by circumstances and end their relationship by hating each other. Then, forced to work together, things change, hate turns to love and they live happily ever after.
My relationship with the Outer Hebrides is a bit like that. Commissioned by Scottish Television to come up with an idea for a Gaelic soap opera, my wife – writer Janice Hally – and I first arrived on the islands by ferry on a bitterly cold February in 1991.
We wanted to save on costs because we wanted to save money for a trip to China to do research for a book I wanted to write.
So we had booked a cottage in the village of Port of Ness, on the northernmost tip of the Isle of Lewis.
After a long, dreary drive through a treeless, windy landscape, we arrived at the cottage—Ocean Villa—to find it freezing cold, and the mattress on the bed so damp we had to drag it into the living room and dry it in front of an electric fireplace. And there we slept for the entire trip.
Peter May likens his relationship with the Hebrides to a ‘romantic comedy’, and reveals how he fell in love with islands he once hated. Pictured above is the village of Port of Ness on the Isle of Lewis, where Peter stayed on his first visit in 1991
The Scottish screenwriter and novelist remained on the Isle of Lewis (above) until 1996 as a producer on Machair, a Gaelic soap opera set on the island. He filmed in ‘every kind of weather’
Peter (above, in the Hebrides) writes: ‘People often say that Scotland can deliver four seasons in one day. On the islands it is possible to have four seasons in five minutes – which can make filming a continuity nightmare’
It wasn’t the most auspicious start. But despite the freezing weather, the sun came out the next morning to greet us and we set off on a ten-day voyage of discovery – exploring the islands and meeting the most wonderful, friendly and helpful people who helped us develop our idea for the drama series, Machair – which over the next six years became a huge hit with viewers in Scotland, achieving a 33 per cent audience share on primetime.
My love-hate relationship with the Isle of Lewis continued as a producer through five years of filming in all kinds of weather. People often say that Scotland can deliver four seasons in one day. On the islands it is possible to have four seasons in five minutes – which can make filming a continuity nightmare.
When I left the show, and with it the islands, in 1996, I thought I would probably never return. But the Hebrides have a way of seeping into your soul, and eight years later I returned to research a book that would catapult me from a mid-range writer to a best-seller: The Blackhouse.
As my little plane flew over the east coast of Lewis to begin its approach to Stornoway, I let my gaze wander over the acres of bog that had been turned purple by the heather. I saw the autumnal hues glowing golden in the sunshine and almost felt a sense of homecoming.
Peter describes how in the Hebrides ‘the Atlantic surf crashes in creamy foam over golden sands’. Above – North Uist
Peter’s love of the Hebrides was reinforced by the sight of ‘peat bog turned purple by the heather’ on the Isle of Lewis (above)
Peter (above), born and raised in Glasgow, says the Hebrides have “somehow become my spiritual home”. Peter said he has returned to the islands many times to complete The Lewis Trilogy series. The latest addition to the series, The Black Loch, is available on Amazon from 12 September
The next few days were spent revisiting locations where we had filmed, meeting old friends and taking in a landscape of bleak and extraordinary beauty – black cliffs rising above deserted beaches where the Atlantic Ocean crashes in creamy foam on golden sands. Mountains rising in the south where Lewis meets Harris and the most astonishing turquoise waters wash the west coast all the way through the Uists to Barra.
By the time I left to write my book, my relationship with the islands had completed its transformation from that first cold, damp greeting almost fifteen years earlier to a deep-seated feeling of love. Born and raised in Glasgow, the Hebrides had somehow become my spiritual home, and I left with a great sense of sadness.
But of course that wasn’t the end of the story. I’ve been back many times now to finish what has become known as The Lewis Trilogy, and most recently to research and write the sequel to that series – The Black Loch – which is out this month.
There was a time, during the Covid pandemic, when I thought I might never return. And so, with joy in my heart, I flew back to the islands last year to do my research. In a way, I came full circle, completing a journey that took me from mixed feelings to absolute dedication in over thirty years.
The Black Loch Through Peter May will be published on September 12 by River course for £22. Peter May is going on a book tour in the UK. To book tickets, see: geni.us/PETERMAY-EVENTS.
