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Carloway — Carlabhagh in Gaelic — is a scattered crofting township on the north-west coast of Lewis, strung along the shore of Loch Carloway with the Carloway River draining the moorland above. Dun Carloway broch, one of the best-preserved Iron Age brochs in Scotland, stands dramatically on a rocky knoll above the village and is visible for miles across the surrounding moorland. The landscape is a characteristic Lewis mix of improved croft inbye land along the loch margins and open heather and peat moorland stretching inland; Garenin, a restored Gaelic blackhouse village, lies a short distance to the north and draws visitors to this part of the west coast. Beekeeping here works the heather moorland to the east and the croft grassland clover along the lochside.

Machair — the distinctive shell-sand grassland of the Atlantic coast — is the most celebrated forage environment of the Western Isles, supporting wild thyme, clover, bird's-foot trefoil, ragged robin and corn marigold in summer on North and South Uist and western Benbecula. White clover and red clover on improved croft grassland provide the main June-to-August flow across all the islands. Heather on the Lewis and Harris moorland — one of the largest continuous heather blankets in Britain — is the defining late-season flow, running from late July through September; bell heather predominates on the drier ground. Sycamore in the Lews Castle grounds and town parks around Stornoway provides a productive May flow in the only sizeable urban forage zone. Gorse is abundant on the roadsides and rough ground of Lewis and Harris from March into June. Bramble flowers on disturbed ground and roadsides throughout the islands from July into September. Ivy on older stone buildings and walls closes the season in October for colonies in more sheltered positions.