Park, Outer Hebrides

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Park, (Scottish Gaelic: Am Pairc) also known as South Lochs, is a huge area of land connected to the rest of Lewis only by a narrow neck between Loch Seaforth and Loch Erisort. This had a wall - the Garadh an Tighearna (Laird's Duke) - built across it by Lord Seaforth in the early 17th century, the outline of which you can now still see.

Only the north of Park is now inhabited: settlements in the south were cleared by Sir James Matheson in the nineteenth century. A famous deer raid took place here in 1887 as a demonstration by starving people, commemorated by the broch like cairn at the Eishken junction. Much of this area is still used for deer stalking.

Loch Cromore, which has a slight salt water content, is good for wildfowl, including wintering whooper swans and common seals frequent the inlets. The deserted village of Stiomrabhagh is a short walk from Orinsay. Fine views of the Shiant Islands may be obtained from Lemreway and Orinsay.