Scotland Week 5

Arriving into the Western Isles on Monday using the easy Uig-Tabert crossing was smooth & straightforward and we were quickly dispatched over a cattle grid and onto the charming single track roads. I think we were both stunned as to how different it is; akin to driving through volcanic Lanzorate, then deep Loch valleys and then Devon like vast sweeps of beach. We were wanting to stop & take photos at every turn.

Our first 2 nights were at Traigh Horgabost, and again on pitch 13 with views over yet another fine beach. We walked down the road the next morning, in the drizzle to the dunes at Sielebost & then out on the sandbar toward Luskentyre (the well photographed archetypal Scottish Caribbean beach). Really enjoyed

that, very isolated beach all to ourselves, albeit Mrs H was very concerned that it’s very “sinky”. Later that day we took the van out to park up and walk a section of the Hebridean Way, this is an unpathed route and we were grateful of the marker posts. Some drama did ensue though as Daisy found some festering sheep entrails to munch on; she look properly pleased with herself as she ran round the hillside with 2’ of intestines hanging out of her mouth. Mrs H was not happy, it has to be said.

Next I’d booked a site (Eilean Fraioch) at Shawbost, a little further north into Lewis for one night intentionally to give us a bit of a look around the island. The 2 hour journey was certainly a contrast to the softer tones of Lewis; with phenomenal views continuing. The highlight of the journey was 2 cans of lager in the fridge exploding as we took a particularly tight bend, and the fridge door opened itself. The salad draw contained most of the contents luckily. The

site was a bit of a gypsy site, but the local beach was lovely and I enjoyed watching Daisy run about and the birds pip pipping & skimming the waves.

Back at the van we managed a beer in the sun, albeit sat inside with the door slid back it was nice to feel some strength in the sun for a change. Leaving the site next day, taking care of toilet disposal was equally memorable as I didn’t figure the size of the mesh covering the waste pipe was shall we say somewhat less than the size of the contents of our toilet cassette…an unpleasant 5 minutes followed. Leave it there I think, enough said.

Staying on Lewis we moved on the Thursday to Cnip (Kneep) first stopping off to visit the Calanais Standing Stones, laid in the shape of a Celtic Cross cruciform which at around 5,000 years old pre date Stonehenge. Staggering you can get so close to something so old, the information board explained the history-my takeaway from that was that the climate at that time was better,

with little rain or wind. We’re about 5,000 years too late visiting.

The drive down to Cnip off the surprisingly good main road soon turned into an exceptionally pretty single track road, which gave us truly a “wow” moment as it narrowed further over a hair raising crest with a mind blowing view over the wide curve of white sand against which the rustic site was located. Finn who runs the community operated site was a proper character, pointing us to our pitch which ominously was surrounded with the rutted evidence of previously stuck vans. I deployed our bread baskets and am hoping for the best. Talking to him later as we tried to move to a more sheltered pitch was like talking to Jim (Vicar of Dibley); there’ll be no no no parking there..We watched Finn driving around this small site daily with great importance allocating pitches and displaying his in depth knowledge of how long each van was staying. When directing us where to park I’d no idea what this broad Gaelic chap was saying,

just hoped for the best as he crammed us all in.

Between the force 8 gales and rain we did manage a super walk along the beach; more clear green sea, white sand and Hebridean views out to the many picturesque, perfectly fitting islands. Daisy had a whale of a time swimming, fetching seaweed and licking jellyfish. Truly memorable setting and idyllic in the sun no doubt. Sitting back in the van, steamed up, rain pissing down and wind rocking us we’d Caribbean Chicken for our dinner. The irony was not lost on us.

We were both woken at around 5 am on the Friday by strong gusts rocking the van & howling through the vents, I resolved to see if I could change our ferry to get back to the mainland earlier as I lay there feeling seasick & listening to the feckin cuckoo which seems to have followed us from Moffat. As is fitting to the last few weeks I learned the ferry, MV Hebridean, struck the

dock last night and is out of service for a week; we were marooned, stuck on this windy rock. Not quite, we’d still got our original booking luckily for Stornaway - Ullapool, not the incoming Uig - Tarbet crossing. Consequently though all crossings were full & Calmac were less than responsive in trying to help.

In line with the emotional challenge Scotland seems to have offered us, after getting another soaking on starting a circular 6 mile walk from Cnip the sky cleared and the sun came out. The trail, whilst following a minor road was fabulous and I loved the contrasting feel, from the harsh granite lumps almost barnacle like against the dark peat, grass, gorse and still to bloom heather to the blackness of the choppy lochs round to the sweeping white beaches, and the foam topped blue waves rolling in. A memorable afternoon, I particularly enjoyed the memorial to the Clearance Village Resitance, this takeover of swathes of land in the 1700’s for industrial scale sheep farming fascinates me.

Saturday stayed miraculously dry so we walked again, this time stopping off at a small beach at Baltos to give Daisy a swim; she tirelessly recovers seaweed thinking that’s her job. We watched the local kids jumping into the icy, green sea from the jetty. Some fabulous “grand design” houses looking out of this view compare starkly to the local’s functional bungalows. That said I’m not convinced anyone lives here, never saw anyone as we passed through these communities. We took a long steep track to it’s peat bog end up past Lochs Mor & “Deidre”, with awesome moonscape views over sea, Loch and hills. Our photos cannot possibly do the reality of the views justice. Sat back at the van all sophisticated with our G & T’s & olives Mrs H finished hers before realising she not actually poured the gin from the measure; in fact asking what was in the measure.

Our departure from the Hebrides, apart from the oversight that the supermarkets were shut on a Sunday so our big shop failed, was smooth. I did ponder, given we’d seen very few people on our tour of Harris and Lewis, where the feck had all the people pouring onto the ferry come from.

The Western Isles have teased us, been fabulous and bloody annoying in equal measure but I’m so pleased Mrs H suggested a visit. The highs it have lifted our spirits with views & atmosphere that will stay with us. Certainly we’ve made some memories, and I think they’ve left us wanting more.

Onto Week 6, which begins at Ullapool staying at Ardmair Point for 3 nights. More of that next instalment…