Lewis and Harris

The island does not have a one-word name in either English or Scottish Gaelic, and is referred to as 'Lewis and Harris', 'Lewis with Harris', 'Harris with Lewis' etc.[9] Rarely used is the collective name of "the Long Island" (Scottish Gaelic: an t-Eilean Fada),[10] although that epithet is sometimes applied to the entire Outer Hebrides, including the Uists and Barra.[11]

Boundary sign at Ath Linne

Harris in red, with Lewis to the north and east

The boundary between Lewis and Harris runs for about 6 miles (10 km) where the island narrows between Loch Resort (Loch Reasort, opposite Scarp) on the west and Loch Seaforth (Loch Shìophoirt) on the east[10][12] This is north of the more obvious isthmus at Tarbert, which separates North Harris from South Harris.[12] Until 1975, Lewis belonged to the county of Ross and Cromarty and Harris to Inverness-shire.[10] The entire island group is now administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Western Isles Council. The boundary was originally between the lands of Clan MacLeod of Harris and Clan MacLeod of Lewis, the latter selling to Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth. A dispute over 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) between Alexander Hume Macleod and Francis, Lord Seaforth (respective proprietors of Harris and Lewis) led to Court of Session inquiries in 1805 and 1850 and ended with Lord Chief Justice Campbell traversing the boundary on foot.[13][14] As thus determined, it runs southeast from Loch Resort up Clàr Beag to Loch Chleistir, then east along Bealach na h-Uamha to the River Langdale, then northeast through the peaks of Tom Ruisg, Mullach a' Ruisg, and Mullach Bhìogadail, east to Amhuinn a Mhuil, and downstream to where it enters Loch Seaforth at Ath Linne under the A859, the only road connecting Lewis and Harris.[13][15] Seaforth Island was considered part of both Harris and Lewis; for statistical purposes half its area was assigned to each.[16]

Most of Harris is very hilly, with more than thirty peaks above 1,000 ft (305 m);[10] the highest peak, Clisham, is a Corbett.[17] It is 24 miles (39 km) from the nearest point of the mainland, from which it is separated by the Minch.

Lewis is comparatively flat, save in the south-east, where Ben More reaches 1,874 ft (571 m), and in the south-west, where Mealasbhal 1,885 ft (575 m) is the highest point.[10] Lewis contains the deepest lake on any offshore island in the British Isles, Loch Suaineabhal, which has a maximum depth of 66.7 m (219 ft) and an overall mean depth of 32 m (105 ft).

Other nearby inhabited islands in the Lewis and Harris group are Beàrnaraigh (Great Bernera) and Sgalpaigh (Scalpay). Tarasaigh (Taransay) and An Sgarp (Scarp), now uninhabited, are islands close to the shore of Harris. The Western Isles (or Outer Hebrides) also include the islands of North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist (they are three distinct islands but connected by a causeway) and Barra, just to the south of South Uist.