Snow is less common at sea level on Lewis and Harris than the latitude suggests, because the Gulf Stream keeps the coast comparatively mild. When it does fall, the effect on white shell sand and on the bare gneiss of the hills is unlike anywhere else in Britain.
The hills of North Harris hold snow far longer than the coast does. These photographs were taken across several winters.
In short
Photographs of the Isles of Lewis and Harris under snow. Snow is less common at sea level than the latitude suggests because the Gulf Stream keeps the coast mild, but the hills of North Harris hold it much longer, and it transforms both the white shell beaches and the bare gneiss.