Outer Hebrides

[Spinney]

This is a bit of a blast from the past - my first cycle tour, back in 2005, but reading some of the excellent write-ups here inspired me to dig out my diary and photos.

As this was my first cycling holiday, we picked the Outer Hebrides as they were relatively flat (largely!) and neither of us had been there before. We planned a fairly leisurely trip, with no days much longer than about 40 miles (and some considerably shorter!). We booked B&Bs ahead, so we (mostly) slept in luxury too.

Day 1 We set off from Oban on the last Saturday in August. Five hours later we were in Lochboisdale, almost at the southern end of South Uist. The weather was a bit breezy (to say the least), and also grey, but at least it wasn't raining! As we were heading north the wind was behind us, so it wasn't a problem.

We'd given ourselves a nice easy start to the trip, having only 15 miles to cycle to the B&B near the north end of the island. We got there in plenty of time, having stopped at a tea shop on the way, and also taken a diversion to look at a hostel we were planning on using later in the trip.

We decided to cycle part of the way along the road to Loch Sgioport. The scenery so far had been mainly flat, with the hills on the eastern side of the island hidden in cloud. Our little diversions had taken us through fields and other roughly cultivated land – pleasant scenery, rather than inspiring. However the road to Lock Sgioport was more impressive, taking us alongside a loch. We stopped for a while to admire the scenery when the road started to go seriously downhill, on the grounds that I didn’t want to cycle back up it against the wind.

The B&B was run by an English incomer, doing his first full season of B&B. He mostly took in fishermen, and took them fishing. We had booked a B&B that offered dinner, so we didn’t have to go out and find a hotel to eat in on our first night. The other guest in the B&B was an Italian who was there for a week's fishing, and who cooked us a pasta dish with fresh salmon.

Day 2

The day was very windy, and rain had been beating against the window all night. We were in no hurry to set off, which was a good move, as by the time we did leave the rain had eased to a very light drizzle, and soon stopped altogether. Luckily the wind was still behind us. Tonight's destination was a basic hostel which didn't do meals, so we had to get food on the way. Most of the Outer Hebrides shut down on a Sunday (although there are a few ferry services from the mainland or Skye). However the more Catholic Benbecula and South Uist are not so strict, so we had to pick up supplies in the town on Benbecula before crossing the causeways to North Uist.

On North Uist we took the eastern loop of road. This scenery could have been quite impressive, with rolling moorland and lots of small lochs, but the general greyness did nothing for it. Vague hopes of a café in Lochmaddy being open were dashed, and the hotel didn't look particularly attractive either. However we found that there actually was a ferry due into Lochmaddy that afternoon, and the CalMac waiting room was open. Not only that, it had a machine that sold hot drinks! Luxury.

We soldiered on through the grey windiness – I found it becoming more of an endurance test than anything else by the time we reached Berneray. However several cups of tea revived me a little, and we decided the weather had improved enough for a wander along the beach.

 

[Spinney]

Day 3 Berneray to Scalpay

The wind had howled around the hostel during the night, and it had rained a lot too, so if someone had suggested just going home in the morning, I might well have taken them up on it! However we got to the ferry terminal (another nice waiting room, but no hot drinks this time), the ferry turned up, and by the time we were part way across the Sound of Harris the weather was brightening up. I had been wondering why the journey was to take an hour, when the crow-flies distance was not really very far. However the ferry set out towards the east (rather than the north), and wound its way in and out of the buoys, obviously dodging rocks and shallows just beneath the water.

Leverburgh is a small village, but we found a shop to stock up on supplies for lunch. The main road from Leverburgh to Tarbert goes along the west coast for most of the way, but we had opted to go via the smaller, east coast road. We were much more impressed by the scenery here. Lots more lochans, and lovely rocky coves. We even found a tea shop!

A last hill just before rejoining the main road reduced me to walking, but we made it to Tarbet. Tonight's B&B was on Scalpay, about 5 miles to the east, and did not do dinners, so we ate in Tarbet, then forced protesting legs to cycle the remaining few miles.


Day 4 Back along the road to Tarbert again (hills and all!), then along the A road to Stornoway. There was a large hill to start with (that I walked up), but then a long high level section with only minor ups and downs, with great views down to the east coast. Still windy, but still mostly behind us (although on the occasions when we were cycling across the wind there were some very un-nerving and wobble-inducing gusts). Lots of roadworks on this stretch of the road, upgrading the whole thing to two lanes (i.e. one lane each way, instead of being largely single-track with passing places).

We passed the dividing line between Harris and Lewis mid-morning. I would have loved to stop somewhere for a cup of tea (even without a sticky bun), but sadly tea shops are in very short supply in the islands. We found a couple of places to sit out of the wind to refuel and admire the views. The last stretch into Stornoway was not all that pleasant, with lorries and vans speeding along the road. We did notice a place off the road with sets of traffic lights, and speculated that this was where learner drivers had to some to learn how to deal with traffic lights – we saw none except for a couple of pelican crossings on the roads themselves.

Day 5

We had originally planned to cycle out to Great Bernera and get the bus back to Stornoway. However the weather was grey and drizzly, and my legs needed a rest, so we found a very cheap hire car and drove to the Butt of Lewis – the northernmost part of Lewis. We were quite glad we hadn't planned on cycling this bit, as even in good weather the scenery would have been a bit samey – lots of gently rolling moorland, with no hills or pretty bays to break it up. We spent some time on the cliffs near the lighthouse watching fulmars playing in the updraughts from the cliffs.

Heading back down the coast we stopped at a Black House – a preserved example of the old style of house-building in the Hebrides (so-called after a new style of house at the beginning of the last century, built with cement, was christened 'white house'). The black houses have very thick stone walls, and roofs made of scarce timber, covered with turf and held down by netting weighed down with stones.

Further on we found a tea shop for lunch, then visited a stone circle. By this time the weather had cleared up a bit, so we drove on to Great Bernera for a short walk.

 

[Spinney]

Day 6 Time to head south again. Rather than cycle the main Tarbet-Stornoway road again, we opted to get the bus (bikes in the luggage compartment) so we arrived at the hotel at lunchtime. Our room was ready, so we dumped most of our stuff and set off westwards to Huisinis. Just as I was getting really fed-up with all the ups and downs in the road we reached a lovely little beach with white sands and sunshine. I even had a paddle, and we sat and watched the waves for a while before heading back.

Day 7 Back to Leverburgh today, via the west coast of Harris. Some lovely beaches, and we had a wander to do a bit of bird watching. We got rained on for about half an hour, but managed to find a small museum to have a look at while the worst of it passed (and they sold us cups of tea!). The B&B here had a lovely view across the Sound of Harris.

Day 8 Back on the early ferry to North Uist. Very windy again, and grey. The trouble was that now we were cycling against the wind, and my legs did not like it at all. We went round the western part of the road this time, but by the time we reached the B&B on Grimsay I had definitely had enough! Today was more of an endurance test than anything else.

 

[Spinney]

Day 9 A shorter cycling day again. We were heading for the hostel at Howmore, and got there by one o'clock. A friend had recommended Beinn Mhor as a nice walk, so after sorting ourselves out we cycled another couple of miles and left the bikes part way along a track. The people in the B&B last night had let us look at their SMC guide to the Hebrides, which had referred to the route up as 'surprisingly dry'. We soon realised that this did not actually mean it was dry, just that it was not quite as wet as it might have been! However it was a sunny afternoon, and Bheinn Mhor has a very nice summit ridge, so it was worth the effort. It was very hazy, so we didn’t get any distant views, but the nearby views were stunning enough.

Day 10 This morning we found out why the wind is not such a bad thing. Clouds of midges while we were loading the bikes. They didn’t bite while we were cycling, but we could feel clouds of the little buggers hitting our faces as we were moving.

South again, across the causeway to Eriskay and then the ferry across to Barra – luckily there was a bit of a breeze by this time, so no more midge problems.

We had to go and look at the airport (flights can only land and take off when the tide is out, as the runways are part of the beach!).

Then we cycled round the west side of the island, stopping to just look at the scenery now and then, or to look at birds or seals. We reached Castlebay, but opted to go on to Vatersay (as I had seen a poster in the airport that indicated there might be a tea shop there). No tea shop, but another nice beach, so we wandered for a while to make the most of our last evening.

The private hostel in Castlebay was very comfortable, and we had a nice last meal in the hotel while watching our ferry arriving. Note the size of the castle in the bay compared to the ferry!

Day 11 Back on the morning ferry, then the long drive home – the end of a really good holiday.

 

[Donger]

Looks fantastic. Mrs Donger and I will be doing almost exactly the same trip by car over 4 days in September before a week in Inverinate. I'm hoping to have the odd hour or two each day to get some cycling in. Your pictures have inspired me.

 

[Spinney]

I think we were lucky with the weather!

 

[summerdays]

Nice write up and photos, I especially liked the clouds in a couple of photos.

 

[jonny jeez]

Fantastic pics. Looks like a great ride too.

 

[welsh dragon]

Fantastic write up. Great photos. Many thanks for sharing

 

[TheDoctor]

Thanks for that! We were in the Hebrides last summer (without the bikes, sadly) and they're stunning.
I do want to fly to Barra sometime...

 

[Spinney]

Nice write up and photos, I especially liked the clouds in a couple of photos.

Scotland has a lot of clouds.
Often one great solid mass, leaking on those below...

 

[Crackle]

Nice Spinney. You picked a tough first tour, as you found out! I know that hill from Tarbert towards Stornoway and I know the wind too. It's a glorious place in the sun but……

I only did Tarbert to Stornoway and I often think of doing the full length but I don't think I'd plan it in advance but rather leave it to a drop of a hat when I knew the weather was good. The other place I'd like to go is the Shetlands but again, the weather would make or break it

 

[Spinney]

Nice Spinney. You picked a tough first tour, as you found out! I know that hill from Tarbert towards Stornoway and I know the wind too. It's a glorious place in the sun but……

I only did Tarbert to Stornoway and I often think of doing the full length but I don't think I'd plan it in advance but rather leave it to a drop of a hat when I knew the weather was good. The other place I'd like to go is the Shetlands but again, the weather would make or break it

Mr Spinney has a job for which he has to book holidays in advance (as do most people!), so if I'm going with him it has to be planned in advance. If I was heading off on my own I'd be inclined to do as you suggest and wait for a weather window!

 

[Crackle]

Mr Spinney has a job for which he has to book holidays in advance (as do most people!), so if I'm going with him it has to be planned in advance. If I was heading off on my own I'd be inclined to do as you suggest and wait for a weather window!

True. I was more thinking of a long weekend. I met someone doing exactly that in a hostel in Oban. He'd got the train up late Friday. Arrived in the hostel to get the first ferry the next day and planned to be back in work on Tuesday. Doable for the Outer Hebrides. After all, as you noted, there's not many tea shops.

 

[Spinney]

[QUOTE 3073132, member: 259"]Great read, Spinney, thanks! Was the date stamp on your camera out, or was it really in 2005?[/QUOTE]
It really was 2005 - I can cycle a lot further now, and have a much better bike - I could probably do it in half the time these days, but what would be the point of rushing?