The village of Aird Uig on the Isle of Lewis will be the best spot to view Friday's solar eclipse - and the only B&B in the area still has a room available for the spectacle. The west side of Lewis is the best place in the country to view the event, and Stornoway Astronomical Society has already received nearly 500 enquiries from people across Britain and Europe wanting to visit the islands for the eclipse. Eclipse viewing glasses have been selling out fast - and guest houses and B&Bs are opening up seasonally early to cope with the tourist demand. Scroll down for video . Visitors to the Isle of Lewis will be hoping the clouds stay away on Friday for the solar eclipse . Friday's solar eclipse will be the most spectacular celestial show of its kind 16 years and the best place to witness it is set to be in the Isle of Lewis . The tiny and remote hamlet of Aird Uig on the isle's west coast has been named as the best place in the UK to experience the deepest part of the solar eclipse - and shadow fever is starting to grip the area. Seacroft is Aird Uig's only B&B. Proprietor Sarah Taylor-Gerloch had sold both her spare rooms - but one, costing £75-a-night, was to a couple of Dutch eclipse chasers. 'They have had to unfortunately cancel. He wanted to treat his wife to a surprise 50th birthday experience to watch the eclipse but it turned out there was a clash of birthday surprises. So the room is free,' said Mrs Taylor-Gerloch. Aird Uig is set to be the best place for viewing Friday's solar eclipse - and there are still rooms to rent . The village of Aird Uig has only one B&B, and one couple's cancellation has freed up a room for the eclipse . The Isle of Lewis is als famous for the Callanish prehistoric stone circle whis is said to be over 5000 years old . 'Ironically the other people who have booked did not know about the eclipse until I told them. They were coming for an outdoor break so this is a real bonus for them. 'We have a glorious view all the way to the Butt of Lewis but the eclipse has helped put Aird Uig on the map. It will all depend on the weather - if people know it will be clear for the eclipse there will be lots of tourists. But it is a long way to come on the off chance. Aird Uig is a village on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Aird Uig is within the parish of Uig. Known for its stunning location with a picturesque bay that offers spectacular elevated views of the surrounding seascape. Aird Uig is mainly a former Cold War camp, high above sea level, used by the RAF to man a vital communications post. The giant mast has been removed and now residents want a community buyout of the military land - with plans including an astronomical observatory and getting Aird Uig listed as an official dark skies spot. Richard Leparoux, who runs the small four star hotel Auberge at Carnish in Uig, said he had booked out half his four rooms to eclipse seekers from England - paying £135-a-night. 'I think nearer the time there will be a late rush when people know for sure the weather will be good to see the eclipse,' he said. Pupils at Uig primary school have made special eclipse viewers to protect their eyes. Ian Fordham, chairman of Outer Hebrides Tourism, said the isles were a black spot for all the right reasons. 'Many of our members have opened up in March especially for the eclipse,' he said. 'We have inquires coming in from all over the country and we are expecting a frantic late rush once the weather seems ok. Cornwall had something like one million visitors when it had the eclipse. We are not expecting anything like that but it should give the season a once-in-a-lifetime early boost. 'People coming from the mainland have to catch a ferry - it is not like Cornwall where people just hopped in a car. 'We have the best view in the UK and these eclipse enthusiasts will travel far distances to see it - and we will be ready to welcome them.' A spokesman for the Western Isles Council added: 'It is just another good reason to come to the islands to enjoy some of the best scenery in the world - or not, in this case.' Aird Uig is a vital communications post, but residents want a community buyout of the military land . The moon will travel in front of the sun, casting a shadow over the Earth and darkening the skies across Scotland and across Europe in the morning of Friday (20 March). It is a chance in a lifetime for many to see such a dramatic sight. The partial eclipse - when the moon starts touching the sun's edge - will start around 8.30am and will last until about 10.45am. The further north you go the more complete the eclipse will be - hence Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland is the place to be on this list . Dr Steve Bell, head of the HM Nautical Almanac Office said: 'The path of totality lies well to the northwest of the UK making landfall over the Faroe Islands and Svalbard as totality moves towards the North Pole. 'The UK will see this eclipse as a deep partial eclipse. 'The place that sees the deepest partial eclipse of the sun in the UK is the west coast of the Isle of Lewis close to Aird Uig. 'Here 98 per cent of the sun will be obscured at mid-eclipse at around 9:36am. 'Skies will darken for any location where the maximum obscuration exceeds 95 per cent which includes north-western Scotland, the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetland Islands.' Stornoway Astronomical Society are staging a special observing session at the 5,000 year old Callanish Stones - thought to have been an ancient observatory. Society president Donny Mackay said it had received a deluge of inquiries about the eclipse and were expecting a large number of visitors. 'The Isle of Lewis is the best location in the UK for viewing the eclipse - marginally better than in Shetland and the Orkney isles. We are hoping the weather will be in our favour on the day,' he said. A team from BBC Breakfast will be broadcasting live from Callanish too. David Warrington, resident astronomer at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory added: 'It will suddenly get dark for half an hour or so with an eerie false dawn. 'From the Borders upwards you should get this noticeable darkening and the further north you travel the darker it will appear to be as more of the sun will disappear behind the moon.' Birds can be fooled by the sudden darkness and are likely to fly off to find refuge. Experts warned people not to look at the sun for too long and use eclipse glasses or a pinhole viewer.
The west side of the Isle of Lewis set to be the perfect viewing spot . Astronomical Society report huge surge in enquiries for the spectacle . Aird Uig's only B&B, Seacroft, has one room left for just £75 a night .