Uig, Lewis

Uig is a 'bay backed machair and hills' on the western coast of the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The name derives from the Norse word "Vik" meaning 'a bay'.

Bhaltos (or Valtos) is the largest village in Uig and is home to about 35 people. Since 1999 the land on the Bhaltos peninsula, comprising also the smaller villages of Cliobh (Cliff), Cnip (Kneep), Riof (Reef) and Uigen, has been owned by the community and managed by the Valtos Trust.

In 1831, a local crofter discovered a buried hoard of chess pieces on Uig Beach, uncovered following a storm. Known as the Lewis chessmen, the pieces can be seen at the British Museum and the Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. The chessmen are mostly carved from walrus tusks and probably originated in Norway sometime in the 12th century, though when and how they came to be in Uig is unknown.

Uig is reputed to be the birthplace of the Brahan Seer, a Nostradamus type figure of the 16th century.

The large beach at Uig, surrounded by the villages of Crowlista, Timsgarry, Ardroil and Carnish, has proven to be one of Scotland's leading kite-buggy locations, being large, flat, and frequently subject to suitable winds.

The presence of a well preserved wheelhouse at Cnip, and the two nearby brochs, make the area important archaeologically.

External links

* [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/goto?id=OBJ566 Lewis Chessmen] at the British Museum.
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/scotland/western/article_1.shtml Brahan Seer Legend] on BBC Website
* [http://www.archaeology.co.uk/ca/timeline/roman/brochs/valtos.htm Archaeology in Uig]