An angry row has erupted after council bosses allowed a cafe to open for seven days a week in one of their own venues.
Western Isles Council-owned Lews Castle in Stornoway has been restored in a multi-million pound project that includes the restaurant operated by a third party.
And, despite opposing other Sunday operations in an area where the Sabbath is still viewed as a day of rest by many, the local authority has done a deal with a private company to operate an all-week coffee shop in the castle.
It has also been accused of pressurising the community-owned Stornoway Trust to unlock the vehicle gate to the castle’s scenic woodland gardens on Sundays to allow motorists to drive to the café.
Sunday observance campaigner, John Macleod, said: “The council, and the Stornoway Trust, both posture vocally on the Lord’s Day on Lewis, and rightly so – but on this front they seem to have been missing in action.
The local authority pointed out that the museum, café and shop in the castle provided a major tourist attraction on Lewis.
The castle grounds are also very popular with locals on Sundays for family strolls, with parents pushing prams and children on bikes.
And it is feared that opening the gate on the Sabbath would spoil their safe use of the park.
Mr MacLeod added: “These are premises the council owns – accessed by a road on Stornoway Trust land.”
He pointed out that Sunday was the one day of the week when Stornoway families had a chance of quiet recreation in the castle grounds without having to worry about “speeding boy-racers or the chance of being brained by a golf ball”.
And he said it was a shame that café staff were “being made to work on the Sabbath”.
Officially, Western Isles Council is opposed to Sunday ferries and to a seven-day plane service.
Refusing to open the Lewis Sports Centre and other council facilities on Sundays has also been criticised by some.
But talks are now taking place between the council and Stornoway Trust over seven-day access for vehicles to the castle grounds.
And the trust is seeking assurances over traffic management, if the move goes ahead.
This follows reports of a near miss involving a child when the gates were recently opened without the trust’s consent.
A council spokesman said: “The museum and its café and shop are proving to be a major attraction for both island residents and visitors alike.
“The gate is a matter that is subject to discussion between the council and the Stornoway Trust with a view to reaching an acceptable arrangement.”
Stornoway Trust factor Iain Maciver said the trust was only recently told the café would be a seven-day operation.
He added that “reckless drivers” had taken advantage of the gates being opened without the trust’s consent.
And he pointed out the trust was “between a rock and a hard place” as some members of the local community wanted vehicle access while others did not want any cars in the grounds at all.
The museum – directly run by the council – closes on Sundays while the café has opened five months in advance of the hospitality accommodation.