Confirmed · Outer Hebrides · Museum
Gearrannan Blackhouse Village
Aunt Mina and Effie's island home (2019 special) in Call the Midwife. Seasonal opening; allow 1 to 2 hours, or stay the night.
- On screen as
- Aunt Mina and Effie's island home (2019 special)
- Series and episodes
- Christmas special 2019 · Christmas special 2019
- Access
- Seasonal opening
- Time needed
- 1 to 2 hours, or stay the night
- Where
- Gearrannan, Isle of Lewis
On screen
How Gearrannan Blackhouse Village appears
The 2019 Christmas special needed a traditional island home, and Visit Outer Hebrides names Gearrannan Blackhouse Village as the place filmed as Aunt Mina and Effie's house. In the story the home is on the islands where the midwives have been sent to help; in reality the village really is on the Atlantic coast of Lewis, so the setting and the filming place agree. The low stone walls, thatched roofs and sea view give the special its sense of remoteness, a long way from Poplar's tenements.
The real place
What you can visit
Gearrannan is a cluster of traditional blackhouses above a small bay near Carloway, lived in until the 1970s and restored by a local trust. One house is a museum showing island life, with a peat fire and weaving demonstrations at times, and there is a café and shop. Other blackhouses are now self-catering cottages and a hostel, so you can stay inside the village. Opening days and hours for the museum and café vary with the season; check the village's website before you go. Some buildings are holiday lets, so respect guests' privacy.
Several blackhouses are holiday lets with guests inside: keep to the public paths and the museum, café and shop.
Visit Outer Hebrides: Call the Midwife 2019 Christmas special locations ↗Reaching the Outer Hebrides means a CalMac ferry (Ullapool to Stornoway for Lewis, Uig on Skye to Tarbert for Harris) or a flight to Stornoway, then a car for the single-track roads. Lewis and Harris are one island, but the drive from Calanais to Rodel takes well over an hour each way. Book ferries early in summer, carry food and fuel, and plan around the weather and the short winter daylight.
Common questions
Planning a responsible visit
What did Gearrannan play in Call the Midwife?
The home of Aunt Mina and Effie in the 2019 Christmas special, according to Visit Outer Hebrides.
Can you stay in the blackhouses?
Yes. Several are run as self-catering cottages and a hostel; book directly with the village.
Is the museum open all year?
Opening follows a seasonal pattern with shorter hours in winter. Check the village's website for current days.
Plan your visit
Build it into the day.
The Calanais Standing Stones and the Dun Carloway broch on the same road.
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Map
Days out including this place
Continue with a prepared day out
Nearby
Continue through Outer Hebrides
Calanais Standing Stones
Where Mother Mildred and Sister Monica Joan visit the stones (2019 special)
See the location →
Luskentyre Beach
Where the Turners talk about the islands (2019 special)
See the location →
St Clement's Church, Rodel
St Faelan's Church (2019 special)
See the location →
Eilean Glas Lighthouse
An island lighthouse landscape (2019 special)
See the location →