Forest bathing at Lews Castle Grounds

Lews Castle Grounds is a designed landscape of 283 hectares around Stornoway's harbour and bay, laid out in the 1850s by Sir James Matheson and in community ownership since 1923. In islands known for open moorland and wide skies, this wooded parkland is something different: carriage drives and paths wind under the trees, along the River Creed and up wooded hills with views back over the town and out to sea. Because it is so unlike the land around it, simply walking in among the trees is the point.

The grounds are close to the centre of Stornoway, so you can walk in from town. Paths pass the castle, the Lady Matheson Monument, Cuddy Point and Gallows Hill, and the River and Woodlands area has a wide network of routes through woodland, riverside, moorland and shore. Some paths are shared with cyclists and there is a mountain bike trail, so pick the riverside and woodland walks for a quieter time. Benches and history panels sit along the way, and there are two cafés, the Woodlands Cafe and the Storehouse.