Editing Isle of Lewis (section)

== Economy ==

[[File:Arnish Industrial Estate.jpg|thumb|right|Arnish Industrial Estate]]Traditional industries on Lewis are [[crofting]], [[fishing]] and [[weaving]]. Though historically important, they are currently in decline and crofting in particular is little more than a subsistence venture today. Over 40% of the working population is employed by the public sector (chiefly [[Comhairle nan Eilean Siar]], the local authority; and NHS Western Isles). Tourism is the only growing commercial industry.

According to the Scottish Government, "tourism is by far and away the mainstay industry" of the Outer Hebrides, "generating £65m in economic value for the islands, sustaining around 1000 jobs". The report adds that the "islands receive 219,000 visitors per year".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotland.org/live-in-scotland/where-to-live-in-scotland/the-outer-hebrides|title=The Outer Hebrides &#124; Scotland.org|website=Scotland}}</ref> The Outer Hebrides tourism bureau states that 10–15% of economic activity on the islands was made up of tourism in 2017. The agency states that the "exact split between islands is not possible" when calculating the number of visits, but "the approximate split is Lewis (45%), Uist (25%), Harris (20%), Barra (10%)".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk/industry/tourism-in-the-outer-hebrides|title=Tourism in the Outer Hebrides|website=Outer Hebrides}}</ref>

Despite the name, the [[Harris tweed]] industry is today focused in Lewis, with the major finishing mills in Shawbost and Stornoway. Every length of cloth produced is stamped with the official [[Globus cruciger|Orb]] symbol, [[trademark]]ed by the Harris Tweed Association in 1909, when Harris Tweed was defined as "hand-spun, hand-woven and dyed by the crofters and cottars in the Outer Hebrides"; Machine-spinning and vat dyeing have since replaced hand methods, and only weaving is now conducted in the home, under the governance of the [[Harris Tweed Authority]], established by an Act of Parliament in 1993. Harris Tweed is now defined as "hand woven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the islands of Harris, Lewis, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra and their several purtenances (The Outer Hebrides) and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides."<ref>[http://www.harristweed.org/fabric_hist.htm Harris Tweed Authority, "Fabric History"], retrieved 21 May 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215113925/http://www.harristweed.org/fabric_hist.htm |date=15 February 2012 }}</ref>

Aside from the concentration of industry and services in the Stornoway area, many of the historical sites have associated visitor centres, shops or cafes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.calanais.org/|title=Calanais Standing Stones & Visitor centre // Ionad-tadhail Tursachan Chalanais}}</ref> There is a pharmaceutical plant near [[Breasclete]] which specialises in [[fatty acid]] research.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130201233121/http://apps.scottish-enterprise.com/SupplierDirectory/ViewSupplierInContext.aspx?SupplierGuid=affbf28b-44cd-45c5-aa05-0eaf00a5312b&displayID=3483 Scottish Enterprise – Life Sciences Directory]</ref>

The main fishing fleet (and associated shoreside services) in Stornoway is somewhat reduced from its heyday, but many smaller boats perform inshore creel fishing and operate from smaller, local harbours right around Lewis. There are [[fish farms]] in many of the sea lochs, and along with the onshore processing and transportation required the industry as a whole is a major employer.

=== Commerce ===
Stornoway is the commercial centre of Lewis; there are several national chains with shops in the town, two national supermarket chains as well as numerous local businesses. Outwith Stornoway, many villages have an all-purpose shop (often combined with a post office). Some villages have more than one, with these usually being specialist stores such as pharmacies or petrol stations. There are almost no rural public houses (for the sale of alcohol); instead, local hotels or inns function as meeting, eating and drinking places, often with accommodation provided. Recently, [[Abhainn Dearg distillery]] at Carnish, Uig, on the Isle of Lewis is producing Scotch whisky, the first legal whisky in over 200 years.

Itinerant, travelling shops also tour the island visiting some of the more remote locations. The ease of transport to Stornoway and the advent of the internet have led to many of the village shops closing in recent times. Mobile banking services are provided to remote villages by the Royal Bank of Scotland's travelling bank.

=== Transport ===
[[File:Stornoway Airport.jpg|thumb|right|[[Stornoway Airport]], a former [[NATO]] base]] [[File:MV Loch Seaforth Approaching Stornoway, 9 May 2016.jpg|thumb|right|MV ''Loch Seaforth'']]A daily [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] [[ferry]] ([[MV Loch Seaforth (2014)|MV ''Loch Seaforth'']]) sails from Stornoway to Ullapool on the Scottish mainland, taking 2 hours 30 minutes connecting Lewis with the mainland. There are two return crossings a day, with one on a Sunday in the winter. Other ferries sailing from Harris are easily accessible by road, enabling transport to [[Skye]] and [[Uist]].

Suggestions for the possibility of an undersea tunnel linking Lewis to the Scottish mainland were raised in early 2007. One of the possible routes, between Stornoway and Ullapool, would be over {{convert|50|mi|km}} long and hence the longest road tunnel in the world;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stornowaytoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=2629&ArticleID=2019367|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208011441/http://www.stornowaytoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=2629&ArticleID=2019367  |title=Proposal for Island tunnel to mainland |date=2 February 2007|website=Stornoway Today|archive-date=8 February 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Kelbie | first=Paul | title=Storms inspire dream of Western Isles tunnel | website=news.independent.co.uk | date=2007-02-07 | url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/article2245144.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220171435/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/article2245144.ece | archive-date=2007-12-20 }}</ref> however, shorter routes would be possible.

Stornoway is the public transport hub of Lewis, with bus services to Point, Ness, Back and Tolsta, Uig, the West Side, Lochs and [[Tarbert, Harris]]. These services are provided by the local authority and several private operators as well as some community-run organisations.

[[Stornoway Airport]] is {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} away from the town itself and is located next to the village of [[Melbost]]. [[Loganair]] operate services to [[Edinburgh]], [[Inverness]] and [[Glasgow]]. [[Hebridean Air Services]] operate a service to [[Benbecula]]. [[Eastern Airways]] flights to Aberdeen ended in November 2018. The airport is the base of a [[HM Coastguard]] Search & Rescue [[Sikorsky S-92]] helicopter and was previously home to [[RAF Stornoway]].

=== Peats ===
[[File:Peat-Stack in Ness, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.jpg|thumb|right|A [[peat]] stack in Ness]] [[Peat]] is still cut as a fuel in many areas of Lewis. Peat is usually cut in late spring with a tool called a ''tairsgeir'' (that is, a peat iron, peat spade, peat knife or tosg; sometimes ''toirsgian'') which has a long wooden handle with an angled blade on one end. The peat bank is first cleared of heather turfs. The peat, now exposed, is cut using the ''tairsgeir'' and the peats thrown out on the bank to dry. A good peat cutter can cut 1000 peats in a day.<ref name="ambaile">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/education/crofting/src8.jsp|title=Am Baile Education – Crofting}}</ref>

Once dried, the peats are carted to the croft and built into a large stack. These often resembled the shape of the croft house – broad, curved at each end and tapered to a point about 2 metres high. They varied in length from about 4 to 14 metres. Peat stacking also follows local customs and a well-built peat stack can be a work of art. Peat stacks provide additional shelter to houses. A croft can burn as many as 15,000–18,000 peats in a year.<ref name="ambaile"/>

The odour of the peat-smoke, especially in wintertime, can add to the general atmosphere of the island. While peat burning still goes on, there has been a significant decline in recent years as people move to other, less labour-intensive forms of heating; however, it remains an important symbol of island life. In 2008, with the large increase in the price (and theft) of liquefied petroleum gas and heating oil, there were signs that there may be a return to peat cutting.