Spinney
Bimbleur extraordinaire
- Location
- Back up north
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.
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.
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