Lewis is the bigger half of the long island it shares with Harris, sitting at the northern end of the Outer Hebrides and reached by the ferry into Stornoway. It is the home of the Callanish Stones, the Lewis Chessmen, the Butt of Lewis lighthouse, a working Gaelic culture and a decent number of people quietly making lovely things in their kitchens, sheds and workshops.
Gifts from the Isle of Lewis tend to carry one of those threads with them – a bit of the standing stones, a bit of Harris Tweed, a bit of sea glass off a windy beach. Seven picks below, all made in Lewis, all in stock as we write this, and all sent out by the maker themselves. Prices run from £10 to £50.
A small note – island post takes a little longer than the mainland, so order with a bit of head room if you have a date in mind.
Lewis Chessmen greetings cards, 5 pack – £10
Brue Art, Isle of Lewis
A pack of five square notelets featuring Brue Art’s own take on the Lewis Chessmen, set against a marbled paper background made using Suminagashi – ink floated on water – to mimic the rock formations you find around the island. The chess figures are designed in CAD and printed over the top, with the back of each piece printed on the reverse. Inside is mostly blank, with brown recycled kraft envelopes. A neat way to send a bit of Lewis to someone in five separate doses.
Sandwick Bay White Jar Candle – £17.50
Sandwick Bay Candles, Isle of Lewis
A 20cl boxed white glass candle, hand-poured in small batches in 100% soy wax at the Sandwick Bay workshop in the Isle of Lewis. The whole point of these is calm – a settled room, a settled evening – and the boxed presentation means it doubles up as a gift you can put in the post without further fuss. The right thing for a new home, a thank you, or anyone who likes a tidy hour with a candle on.
Cross Stitch Kit – Callanish Stones – £20
Carloway Cross Stitch, Isle of Lewis
A counted cross stitch kit for the Callanish Stones, the Neolithic stone circle on the west side of the island – thirteen stones around a central monolith, with an 83m avenue running off to the north, built about 5,000 years ago. The kit holds 14-count sky blue aida, an organiser of Anchor stranded cottons, a needle, the design across two sheets and a thread layout chart. Finished size is about 28cm by 11cm. For the gift recipient who would rather make something than be handed it.
Western Isles engraved Gaelic chopping board – £26.50
Heb Laze, Isle of Lewis
A round laser-engraved chopping board, 250mm across, with the Western Isles mapped out and labelled in Gaelic – Leòdhas, Na Hearadh, Uibhist, the lot – finished in mineral oil. Heb Laze do a whole family of these in Lewis, and this one is the pick for someone who wants the islands as a set rather than picking favourites. Sits well as a serving board too if you would rather not cut on it.
Butt of Lewis Aurora – £28
Paul Chamberlain Photography, Isle of Lewis
An A4 print of the northern lights behind the Butt of Lewis lighthouse, taken by Paul Chamberlain in the Isle of Lewis. The aurora turns up more often this far north than people from the south expect – and the lighthouse, painted in red brick and standing at the very top of the island, gives the green light something solid to argue with. Printed on Fotospeed Platinum 100% cotton fine art paper with Epson pigment inks. A framable thing for someone who has been to Lewis, or someone who would like to.
Beachline Hebridean Sea Glass Bracelet – £39
Salka Jewellery, Isle of Lewis
An elasticated bracelet set with sea glass collected from beaches around the Outer Hebrides, finished with sterling silver and slipped over the hand with no clasp to fiddle with. Each piece of glass has been tumbled by the sea for who knows how long before turning up in the right cove on the right day, so no two bracelets read quite the same. Arrives in a Salka gift box and sleeve, ready to hand over.
Harris Tweed elephant wall hanging – £50
Tide and Thistle, Isle of Lewis
A small blue Harris Tweed elephant, mounted on a felt-covered wooden plaque with a hanging fitting on the back, made by Tide and Thistle at home in the Isle of Lewis. Genuine Harris Tweed throughout, with the certified label sewn in behind the elephant’s left ear – the cloth itself is woven within the same island group, so this is about as local as a wall hanging gets. Not a toy, as the listing politely points out – it is a quiet, quirky thing for a wall.
Seven makers, one island
Every piece here is made by someone living and working in the Isle of Lewis, and every order is packed and posted by the maker themselves. Buy any of these and the money lands in an island workshop, which is a nice thing to wrap up alongside the gift.
If you would like a wider browse, there is plenty more in the Isle of Lewis collection. The earlier post on Gifts from the Isle of Harris is the obvious next stop if you are buying for someone who knows the long island well. And if you are still hunting for a dad, the Father’s Day picks from across the islands post is up too.
