We’ve all seen those romantic comedies where the guy and girl are thrown together by circumstance and start out their relationship hating each other. Then, forced to work together, things change, hate turns to love, and they end up living happily ever after.
My relationship with the Outer Hebrides has been somewhat similar. My wife, the writer Janice Hally, and I first arrived on the islands by ferry in a freezing February 1991, when we were commissioned by Scottish television to come up with an idea for a Gaelic soap opera.
We were cutting corners, because we wanted to save money for a trip to China to research a book I wanted to write.
So we booked a cottage in the village of Port of Ness, at the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis.
After a long, desolate drive through a treeless, windswept landscape, we arrived at the cabin, Ocean Villa, to find it freezing cold and the bed mattress so wet we had to drag it into the living room and dry it in front of an electric heater. 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 initially hated. Above is the village of Port of Ness on the Isle of Lewis, where Peter stayed during his first visit in 1991.
The Scottish screenwriter and novelist remained on the Isle of Lewis (above) until 1996 as producer of Machair, a Gaelic soap opera set on the island. He filmed in “every conceivable climate”.
Peter (above, in the Hebrides) writes: “People often say that Scotland can offer four seasons in one day. On the islands you can have four seasons in five minutes, which can make filming a continuity nightmare.”
It wasn’t the most auspicious of starts, but despite the freezing weather, the sun came out to greet us the next morning and we began 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 in a prime-time broadcast.
My love-hate relationship with the Isle of Lewis continued as a producer for five years of filming in every climate imaginable. People often say that Scotland can offer 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 therefore the islands, in 1996, I thought I would probably never return. But the Hebrides have a way of seeping into the soul, and eight years later I returned to research a book that would catapult me from mid-level writer to best-seller. The Blackhouse.
As my small plane banked over the east coast of Lewis to begin its descent towards Stornoway, I looked out over the acres of peat bog turned purple by heather, saw the golden hues of autumn shimmering in the sunshine, and was almost overcome with a feeling of homecoming.
Peter describes how in the Hebrides “the Atlantic waves crash with creamy foam on the golden sands.” Above – North Uist
Peter’s love of the Hebrides was reinforced by the sight of a “peat bog turned purple with heather” on the Isle of Lewis (above).
Peter (above), born and raised in Glasgow, says the Hebrides have “become my spiritual home in some ways”. Peter said he has returned to the islands many times to complete “The Lewis Trilogy” series. The most recent addition to the series, The Black Loch, is due out on 12 September and is available on Amazon.
I spent the next few days visiting locations where we had filmed, meeting up with old friends and taking in scenery of stark, startling beauty: black cliffs rising above deserted beaches where the Atlantic waves crash in creamy foam against the golden sands. Mountains rising to the south where Lewis meets Harris, and the most astonishing turquoise waters lapping the west coast along 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, wet greeting almost fifteen years earlier to a deep-rooted feeling of love. Born and raised in Glasgow, the Hebrides had become in some ways my spiritual home, and I was leaving with a great sense of sadness.
But of course that wasn’t the end of the story. I have returned many times to complete what is known as the Lewis Trilogy and, most recently, to research and write the sequel to that series, The Black Loch, which is published this month.
There was a time during the Covid pandemic when I thought I might never return. So, with joy in my heart, I returned to the islands last year to conduct my research. In a way, I came full circle and completed a journey that took me from mixed feelings to absolute devotion for over thirty years.
He Black lake by Peter May is published on September 12 by Freshwater at £22. Peter May is touring the UK to promote his book. To book tickets, please visit: geni.us/PETERMAY-EVENTS.