Outer Hebrides
- Thread starter samid
- Start date
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iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
The 'road' to Ness a few mile north of Tolsta
Following the way markers you'll be up to your waist in peat, even following the cliff tops it's a bog slog
Following the way markers you'll be up to your waist in peat, even following the cliff tops it's a bog slog
iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
And don't forget to plan for a 'closed' Sunday in Lewis/Harris. No Ullapool-Stornoway or Tarbert Uig ferry, but there is a Leverburgh Berneray one. Very little open other than Engebrets service station/mini market (10.00-16.00hrs) plus a few pubs and bars but no cafes.
Shouldn't be affected by midges in May or June (but then I may have become immune), August and September are the worse months
check out my flickr pics for some Lewis/Harris pics to wet the apetite
Shouldn't be affected by midges in May or June (but then I may have become immune), August and September are the worse months
check out my flickr pics for some Lewis/Harris pics to wet the apetite
Comatosed
New Member
- Location
- North-west England
I cycled from Barra to Stornoway in August 2006 and had a fantastic trip, so I thought I'd recommend a few places to camp and a few pubs etc. I did the trip in two weeks, so it was a very chilled out pace. It was good to have this time though, as it gave me plenty of chance to get a taste of the place and mix with people.
I got the ferry from Oban and camped just past Garrygall, about a mile or so down the road from Casblebay on the first night. It was a nice spot on long grass which made for a comfortable bed. Try to cycle over to Vatersay, it's such a peaceful place.
I think generally Barra, Vatersay and Eriskay were the highlights of my trip. The landscape is amazing and the locas are exceptionally friendly and hospitable. There's an excellent camping spot on Eriskay just down the road from Am Polotition - well worth staying there.
Next night I stayed in a characterful bunkhouse in Howmore. Oh, try and familiarise youself with the Gaelic names as well as the English because you might find yourself stuck otherwise!
Uist is relativley flat, so you can get a fair distance covered in a reasonable time. There are a couple of shops and pubs along the way, but not too many so make sure you have at least 2 days worth of food with you all the time.
The lochs through Benbecula and Lochmaddy are quite surreal! I suffered a massive midgi attack in Lochmaddy - so not the most fond memories!
Harris. There is an excellent bunkhouse in Leverburgh ! I mean really good, nice new timber building with an open fire and excellent facilities. It was such a welcome break from camping rough all week. Rodel Church is worth a visit.
Quite a demanding cycle from Leverburgh to Tarbet. I like Tarbet, nice to see a few faces once in a while. The youth hostel is ok...and the pub is quite good. (at some points on these trips anything with a roof is good!).
A difficult cycle again from Tarbet up through North Harris, but a fantastic setting.
There is a pub somewhere on the A859 near Loch Erisort that is OPEN ON SUNDAYS!!! They let you camp in their garden, and you can have breakfast in the morning.
Calainis standing stones, worth a see. East Loch Roag, spectacular. The black house bunkhouse (something like that) is definatly worth a stay. Old stone bunkhouses with open fires and lots of character.
Then I went to Stornaway which has a couple of good pubs and good art gallery, and back on the ferry over to Ullapool where I got the bike bus to Inverness.
It was such a fantastic trip, so peaceful and rewarding. I'm going to spend another two weeks over there cycling this year I think.
Have fun,
I got the ferry from Oban and camped just past Garrygall, about a mile or so down the road from Casblebay on the first night. It was a nice spot on long grass which made for a comfortable bed. Try to cycle over to Vatersay, it's such a peaceful place.
I think generally Barra, Vatersay and Eriskay were the highlights of my trip. The landscape is amazing and the locas are exceptionally friendly and hospitable. There's an excellent camping spot on Eriskay just down the road from Am Polotition - well worth staying there.
Next night I stayed in a characterful bunkhouse in Howmore. Oh, try and familiarise youself with the Gaelic names as well as the English because you might find yourself stuck otherwise!
Uist is relativley flat, so you can get a fair distance covered in a reasonable time. There are a couple of shops and pubs along the way, but not too many so make sure you have at least 2 days worth of food with you all the time.
The lochs through Benbecula and Lochmaddy are quite surreal! I suffered a massive midgi attack in Lochmaddy - so not the most fond memories!
Harris. There is an excellent bunkhouse in Leverburgh ! I mean really good, nice new timber building with an open fire and excellent facilities. It was such a welcome break from camping rough all week. Rodel Church is worth a visit.
Quite a demanding cycle from Leverburgh to Tarbet. I like Tarbet, nice to see a few faces once in a while. The youth hostel is ok...and the pub is quite good. (at some points on these trips anything with a roof is good!).
A difficult cycle again from Tarbet up through North Harris, but a fantastic setting.
There is a pub somewhere on the A859 near Loch Erisort that is OPEN ON SUNDAYS!!! They let you camp in their garden, and you can have breakfast in the morning.
Calainis standing stones, worth a see. East Loch Roag, spectacular. The black house bunkhouse (something like that) is definatly worth a stay. Old stone bunkhouses with open fires and lots of character.
Then I went to Stornaway which has a couple of good pubs and good art gallery, and back on the ferry over to Ullapool where I got the bike bus to Inverness.
It was such a fantastic trip, so peaceful and rewarding. I'm going to spend another two weeks over there cycling this year I think.
Have fun,
Samid, if you pm me I have a book called The Isles and Highlands of Western Scotland, Island Hopping Bike Adventures by Phil Horsley which is very pertinent to your plans. It was published in 1997 but frankly nothing much changes in a decade over there and it is well written and mapped.
It belonged to a friend who did an "island hopping" trip last year and he no longer wants it.
I'd be happy to snail mail it out to you
It belonged to a friend who did an "island hopping" trip last year and he no longer wants it.
I'd be happy to snail mail it out to you
Tail End Charlie
Well, write it down boy ......
- Location
- In green and pleasant hills.
The book mentioned above is very good. It gives a bit of local history which I like. The odd shop or camp site in it has closed but nothing too major.
Samid, thanks for the pm, I'll post the book tomorrow.Tail End Charlie said:
You also asked about climbing and bouldering. There is quite a lot of rock in the Hebrides esp sea cliffs. One of the biggest crags in the UK, Sron Ulladale is in Harris, over 500 feet high which is big by our standards. There are some good climbs at Uig on the west coast.
You're unlikely to meet other climbers though and it is all pretty desparate and difficult.
Bouldering on Harris I don't know about but it is very rocky in parts so there must be plenty of potential. You'd need a windy day though or the midges will have you for breakfast if you stay in one place for long enough.
Incidentally a friend of mine told me a story about the single track roads there.
He'd come across this line of cars going really slowly and overtaken them all eventually by using the laybys and passing places and driving like a maniac.
When he got to the front of the queue, there was a hearse...he'd raced a funeral cortege. He left the island the next day.
iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
Comatosed said:
Please inform me which, the pubs in Stornoway are dire
Seriously tho' there are a couple of good bars - but the beer is sh1t (IMO). There's a local brewery but no one sells their beer on pump, except occasionally An Lantair (the art centre). The Carlton (previously the Whalers Rest) is the only other place in town with hand pulled ale.
I choose the art centre, carlton lounge, crown hotel lounge or macneills if I go out for a drink. But, generally speaking Stornoway bars are not my idea of good pubs - keep clear of the Clachan!
The Harris Hotel also has hand pumps (and good food), the Deuchars was excellent last time I visited. The Erisort Inn mentioned by Comatosed is on the B8060 about a mile from the A859 turn off at Balallan - the owners are friendly as mentioned, and there is a bunkhouse/YHA nearby, never stopped there or heard reports tho'. Other hotel bars now tend to be open on Sundays too, such as Doune Braes, Carloway; Cross Inn Cross, Nr. Ness, and the Rodel Hotel, so you can get food and drink out in the wilds, but only a few in town are open for food - a big change since I moved up here 11 yrs ago.
The Leverburgh bunkhouse, as mentioned is exellent (Am Bothan) and there is a recently opened Heb Hostel in town which is getting good reports I believe. There is also one at the Laxdale campsite a few miles out of town.
check out the blue hostel guide for independent bunkhouses
http://www.hostel-scotland.co.uk/
+1 for the Phil Horsley book, Harry Henniker '101 Bike Routes in Scotland' is also good
If I can be of any help please contact me
iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
Having just re-read your original post, Cycling down to Barra would (IMO) be a better option than Skye. As others have mentioned, the cycling is easy because its relatively flat (unless you get a strong headwind) and the roads are quieter than Skye - I have never enjoyed cycling the main route through Skye from Uig thro' Portree to kyleakin, as it's busy with lots of lorries and coaches.
Cycling to Barra you can catch the ferry to Oban and access the train back to civilisation, via Skye the Armadale-Mallaig ferry links with train
The island hopper tickets previously mentioned are good, and we have recently had Road Equivalent Tarrif introduced so ferry costs are cheaper - A bike is now free on the Stornoway-Ullapool route. It cost me £3.00 each way last time I went over by bike, IIRC
Cycling to Barra you can catch the ferry to Oban and access the train back to civilisation, via Skye the Armadale-Mallaig ferry links with train
The island hopper tickets previously mentioned are good, and we have recently had Road Equivalent Tarrif introduced so ferry costs are cheaper - A bike is now free on the Stornoway-Ullapool route. It cost me £3.00 each way last time I went over by bike, IIRC
Comatosed
New Member
- Location
- North-west England
wicker man said:Please inform me which, the pubs in Stornoway are dire
The Criterion, and there was an Irish pub that I quite liked.
iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
Comatosed said:
The Irish pub is Macneills which I do use, The Crit' is the only pub in town I've never ventured into even tho' it looks like the kind of English Pub I would have used in the past - will have to give it a try
Comatosed
New Member
- Location
- North-west England
wicker man said:The Irish pub is Macneills which I do use, The Crit' is the only pub in town I've never ventured into even tho' it looks like the kind of English Pub I would have used in the past - will have to give it a try
Have a pint in there over the weekend and tell me what you think
I think this year I'll cycle to Uig and the Ness, any recomendations for places to camp in those areas?
iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
Similar area to Uig, there's a small campsite at Reef too, just behind this beach - busy with 'townies' from Stornoway at the weekend. I have seen a sign for a campsite on the Ness road and I think there's something near Carloway, can't remember where and don't know what it's like tho'. Sorry, but I don't spend many nights under canvas, when I manage to find the time to tour I use hostels.
the_c00ler_king
New Member
- Location
- Aberdeen
Samid,
I am doing a very similar trip to you, but from south upwards. I am planning on starting in Glasgow, cycling to Ardrossan, ferry to Arran and then continuing northwards at a gentle pace across the highlands and islands with the intention of finishing in Stornoway coinciding with the Hebceltfest. I am planning to do it in the middle of July, but have not finalised the dates.
I am looking at about 450miles in 11 days so it is quite a tourist pace, but it is my first tour (I will post more details of my planned route in the relevant forum when I get a chance) and due to the current financial situation I think it will be a great cheap holiday. I can't wait.
Bill.
I am doing a very similar trip to you, but from south upwards. I am planning on starting in Glasgow, cycling to Ardrossan, ferry to Arran and then continuing northwards at a gentle pace across the highlands and islands with the intention of finishing in Stornoway coinciding with the Hebceltfest. I am planning to do it in the middle of July, but have not finalised the dates.
I am looking at about 450miles in 11 days so it is quite a tourist pace, but it is my first tour (I will post more details of my planned route in the relevant forum when I get a chance) and due to the current financial situation I think it will be a great cheap holiday. I can't wait.
Bill.
