Miles of Isles

A very stormy Sunday in Stornoway was spent watching films I had recorded prior to the trip as every shop in town was closed putting paid to my plans to stock up. This was done first thing Monday morning after which I headed south to Harris crossing the impressive mountains that form a barrier with Lewis and arriving at the small town of Tarbert. I had picked up two German hitch-hikers and dropped them off at the ferry office where I booked my return to Oban from Barra in a fortnight. The road out to Huisnis passed right in front of stately Abhain Suidhe with its formal gardens and salmon leap and at the end provided a sheltered place to wild pitch just yards from the beach. A good walk took me round spectacular coastline with views west across to Scarp and north to the wild tops of Uig where I had stayed a week ago.
A bike ride up Glen Miahbaig passing the RSPB eagle observatory developed in to an epic day as I became intrigued by a side track and ended covering over 30 miles including a return climb over the mountains - I kept up a reassuring pace thanks to weight loss and exuberance both of which will be needed in a few months time for the Brecon Beast.
The 'Golden Road' twisting and turning down the east coast of Harris was remarkable as it passed through a moonscape of bare rock that I have not experienced elsewhere at such a low altitude. Crofters displaced several generations ago from the more fertile west still cling on in the many sheltered bays and coves.
From Leverburgh I headed up the very different west coast with large expanses of machair and stunning sweeps of golden beaches with another wild camp at Losgaintir. Clear conditions enabled me to climb An Cliseam for panoramic views before I took a look round the island of Scalpay where a 1000 tonne WW2 concrete barge lay half submerged in one of it's many idyllic bays.
South of Scarasta I walked round Toe Head with good views of Taransay (location for the BBC series Castaway a decade ago) before parking up near Rodel's tiny church on a very windy night.
Friday saw me catching the ferry to Berneray - a seventy minute slalom of a journey with the ship threading a complicated passage through a myriad of islets, rocks and shallow channels. Yet more deserted golden beaches offered numerous opportunities to stay the night but eventually I opted to park high on a hill overlooking North Uist with the St. Kilda group way out to the west plus a good phone signal and TV reception thanks to the mast just yards away.
Today from Baleshare I cycled out and along Loch Euphort to view a piece of sculpture and appreciate the empty roads on a warm and sunny afternoon. Balnarald RSPB reserve provided a good two hour walk amongst traditionally managed crofts that have encouraged a wide range of bird species to thrive including the endangered corncrake.
Next weekend sees a Festival of the Sea at Lochmaddy so I will head to South Uist in the interim as various tops and a bothy beckon in the light of promised continuing good weather before returning briefly for a number of maritime related events. Then its south again to complete this trip with time on Eriskay and Barra prior to the 6 hour sailing to Oban over the Jubilee weekend.


I am conscious that the photos seem to represent a somewhat endless stream of blue sea, blue sky and empty golden beaches but in truth that does sum up these islands - given a reliable climate they would be among the most popular in the world but then the magic would be lost and the traditions that sustain communities through what must be long hard winters might falter as well... click here


More or less daily location reports available here and while I remember tales of a truly epic adventure can be found by clicking here - I met John 3 weeks ago at Durness when he arrived after leaving North Wales only 14 days previously and calling in on the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland and see he is already well down the east coast - remarkable.


Small PS as well - the slide show seems to be bug ridden so is temporarily absent - apologies - however if you use the usual photo link above and click on the small thumbnail top right with' simonjarratt5 photos' alongside there are around 90 on line albums available covering the last 3 years and a few from previous lives which resolves the mystery opening piccie  taken on a  previous Scottish trip in 2006.