Port of Ness Harbour
Building of Port of Ness Harbour began in 1835 and continued right up until 1940. At one time the fishing fleet here numbered 50, but today only a few boats use the harbour. The picturesque beach is popular with visitors and locals throughout the summer.
Credit Donald Morrison
One end of the harbour leads onto a sandy north east facing beach. Because it faces out into The Minch at the very north of the Hebrides, Port of Ness has been designed to allow for the greatest possible protection from storms. It is a good place for fishing from the piers in good weather and a great place to watch the waves in stormy conditions.The long and convoluted harbour is home to a small sandy beach of its own, which needless to say is perfectly sheltered, making it ideal for younger children.
Credit Donald Mackenzie
Port of Ness harbour slipway, 1971 © Licensed by Scottish Life Archive (project 255) (Records of the Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (SCRAN), Edinburgh, Scotland)
The guga hunt
The guga hunt has been a tradition in Ness since the 15th century. The rocky island of Sula Sgeir, 40 miles out from Ness, is home to some 10,000 breeding pairs of gannets. The young gannets, known locally as guga, are harvested annually in August.
Ten men set out from Ness to spend a traditional, if hardly comfortable, fortnight on Sula Sgeir. The island is uninhabited, has no easy landing and is graced only with an early chapel and a number of rough drystone cells, where the men live. The guga are culled from open cliffs with a pole and noose, and gutted, salted and preserved in brine on the spot.
Although the killing of gannets was outlawed in 1954, the guga hunt operates under special licence issued by NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) which allows a specified number of birds to be killed for food rather than sport.
Gannets on the rocks at Sula Sgeir c.1950s © Licensed by Scottish Life Archive (project 255) (Records of the Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (SCRAN), Edinburgh, Scotland)
In 2014, the Ness Fishery Memorial was erected to celebrate the success of long-line fishing in the past and to commemorate those who lost their lives at sea, of whom there were 96 between 1835 and 1900.
This song, Balaich an Iasgaich, praises the hardy Lewis fishermen. The verses sung here describe the hardships and discomfort endured by the men.
Fàilte gu fearann air balaich an iasgaich
'G iomradh 's a tarraing 's a gearradh a'bhiathaidh Coma leam leabaidh no cadal no biadh
Gu faigh mi mo lìon an òrdugh
Welcome ashore to the fisher lads
Rowing and pulling and preparing the bait,
Not caring for bed or sleeping or food
Till I get my nets back in order.
Port of Ness barometer
In July 2025, a piece of maritime and meteorological history was returned to the Port of Ness as a working barometer, an exact replica of the original FitzRoy barometer, was installed in its historic location, more than a century after the first was put in place.
Admiral Robert FitzRoy, a pioneering meteorologist and naval officer, who invented this barometer, founded the Meteorological Office in 1854 and devoted his efforts to improving weather predictions for the benefit of mariners. FitzRoy’s barometers were placed in fishing ports across Britain to provide local mariners with accurate weather forecasts, an innovation that saved countless lives.
The original Port of Ness barometer, which was installed in 1863, remained under the care of the Met Office until 2024, when it was officially gifted to Comunn Eachdraidh Nis, where it can now be viewed.
Want to learn more?
If you want to continue your research here are a few resources to explore more about the rich history and traditions of North Lewis.
The photographer James MacGeoch stayed with the Ness crew on Sùlaisgeir on a number of occasions in the 1950s. The results of his endeavours are contained in this most attractive photographic book. The book has been compiled by MacGeoch’s daughter Catriona with writers John Love and Finlay MacLeod. Along with many photographs, presented in large black and white format, there is an essay by the photographer himself along with pieces by both his daughter and son, and an appreciation by John Love as well as a Gaelic introduction by Finlay MacLeod. The book includes a CD of a unique sound recording made by James MacGeoch of the men in the 1950s during morning family worship in one of the Sùlaisgeir stone bothies.
First published in 1997, this long-awaited photographic book by Dan Morrison depicts the distinctive Hebridean crofting way of life. This book will be of interest not only to those with Hebridean roots but to all who value the strength of rural communities, customs and landscapes.
Eachdraidh le Càirdeas is Cridhe – Ainmean-àite Ceann a Tuath Leòdhais Nis Gu Baile an Truiseil
Comunn Eachdraidh Nis (Ness Historical Society) created a rich archive of place-names, the information having been provided by over fifty contributors between 1966 and 2018, and this book is the result. The book is separated into all the villages in Ness in order to highlight the cultural and historical importance of place-names and is a record of the names as the people of the area say and spell them. The photographs of contributors inside display the vitality of sharing and culminating knowledge about place-names from Ness to Ballantrushal, in the northwest of the Isle of Lewis.
Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches is Scotland’s online resource dedicated to the presentation and promotion of audio recordings of Scotland’s cultural heritage. Its principal content is songs, music, history, poetry, traditions and stories, recorded from the 1930s onwards. The website contains material from three archives: The School of Scottish Studies, The Canna Collection and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and there are recordings in Gaelic, Scots and English, with many recordings from the Isle of Lewis. Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches’ principal aim is to ensure that Scotland’s rich oral heritage is safeguarded and made widely available for present and future generations.