 Peat banks are a familiar sight in the Hebrides. Clearly visible in many areas, especially on the Isle of Lewis where the peat bogs are very flat, these peat banks provide excellent fuel similar in many ways to coal. virtually the whole of the Hebrides is covered in a deep layer of peat which continues to grow each year. Peat has been used as a household fuel for many centuries. The deeper layers are rich in anthresite which the main constituent of fine coal.
 The photograph to the right (click all images to view enlargements) shows a close-up of a peat bank which has recently been cut. Slices of peat are cut and spread out across the moor to dry. Obviously there is not sufficient space to spreat all the peat so some is stacked. Although peat can be cut with an ordinary spade it is best to use a dedicated tool called a peat Iron (I will try to take a photograph of one soon). The peat iron enables the peat to be cut, lifted & thrown in one movement. cutting the peat was usually done by the male villagers.
 Gathering the peat was a social occasion. The whole village would travel to the moor to gather the semi-dry peat into mounds (shown left, click to enlarge) to dry further. In todays' modern society this tradition has disappeared as people do not have the ability to take holidays at the same time, but it is still common to see whole families working to gether to gather the peats. In fine weather it can be an enjoyable experience, especially for children.
 Ofter a couple of weeks the peat is virtually dried through. At this stage the peat was gathered into larger mounds called peat stacks (shown below - click to enlarge). Today the peat is usually gathered into peat sacks to be transfered to the home by lorry. Fish farming is a large industry across the islands and bags used for the feed are more often used for carrying peat. The photograph to the right shows a mixture of both.
Please click the images to read more and view larger images.
A peat stack (click to enlarge) |
A peat stack up close (click to enlarge) |
A dried peat (click to enlarge) |
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