Blackhouse

Issuing from an open fire in the central living room, the peat smoke with its antiseptic properties warmed and dried the thick turf roof. Only in modern times when chimneys were installed did the health of the occupants, and this vernacular architecture, decline.

A night in one of the surviving blackhouses at either Berneray or Garenin, both run by the Gatliff Trust,  is a memorable experience.