13th – 26th June 2023

My Hebridean Way trip started with the train journey to Oban and the first night in the youth hostel there. This came about because I wanted to spend my first night in Barra in Dunard Hostel in Castlebay and could only get it booked for my second night away. I had to change bookings a couple of times due to bike spaces not being available on some trains. But eventually I got things sorted and was on my way.

I met a lot of cyclists on the ferry also doing the Way though most of them seemed to have a limited time to do it in and were looking at pushing on as quickly as possible off the ferry. I was going to take my time. This meant that after the first morning I didn’t see any of the cyclists again. I kept meeting walkers on subsequent nights at different campsites. Either I was going slower than the walkers or they were doubling back due to using public transport for sections. Maybe a bit of both?

The first day’s cycling entailed a run south to the start of the way in Vatersay then doubling back to head back to Barra and carry on northwards. There is a community owned camping field with toilets just off the beach which is beautiful and I would recommend staying there for the first night. If only I had known that in advance.

Through South and North Uist the weather remained hot and sunny. I was stopping regularly to take photos or at least that was my excuse! The beaches are stunning and I thought a few times about wild camping but the machair is really fragile and camping on it discouraged.

The southern part of the way is well served with good campsites. They really do cater for tent campers, though mostly used by camper-vans. I stayed in sites in Kilbride, Moorcroft, Balranald and Lickisto and all of them had kitchens, great showers and drying facilities. The one in Balranald is right next to a nature reserve run by the RSPB. It was amazing listening to the corncrakes in the field next to the site. An experience extremely rare on the Scottish mainland these days. The camp-site also had a wonderful snack-bar which sold the most amazing local sea-food and filled rolls. I had one with scallops and black pudding. Tasty!

The cycling was fairly relaxed for the first four days. Much of the way takes detours to avoid the busier sections of the main roads and often shares tracks with the walking route. I wanted to see as much of the countryside as I could so was doing between 25 and 40 kms a day. I also stayed for two nights in most places just to give me the opportunity to explore. The roads were quieter than I expected and most drivers very considerate when passing. Not like on the mainland at all. The thing I think I enjoyed more than anything was cycling over the causeways, of which there are six. Almost better than the two ferry crossings. The knowledge that you are pedalling from one island to another is somehow very satisfying.

The daily distances increased when I got on to Harris. The rain had started by then and the weather was back to Hebridean normal – wet and windy! After crossing on the ferry from Berneray to South Harris I decided not to stop at the campsite in Luskentyre as all the cyclists and no doubt camper-vans on the ferry were heading there. I began to regret that decision later on after a long day’s climbing. I stopped in Leverburgh to stock up in the Co-op. These shops are a welcome oasis in the outer isles and I would stop and go in just to buy an ice lolly or a drink whenever I saw one. I noticed the further north I got into Harris and Lewis they were less well stocked. Maybe the folk there use Tesco deliveries more as I saw a good few of their vans on my travels.

The road going north along the west coast of Harris is one long climb. When I reached the highest point I turned off to follow the Golden Road which goes round the east side. At the turn off there was a sign for Lickisto campsite so I decided to head for there. I wanted to visit Stockinish where I spent a summer many years ago. It was a long descent to the road end and the campsite was a welcome site when I eventually found it. It was laid out around a black house which had been converted into a bothy with a kitchen and showers. It was an amazing place with a magical atmosphere. The site was a maze of footpaths all leading to different pitches hidden away amongst the trees. Although there were a good few campers it felt as though I was the only one there at times. I found a space on old lazy beds which was at the top of a drop over the loch. As it was a bit less sheltered I reckoned the midgies wouldn’t be so bad there. So far on this trip the sun had kept them away but the wetter weather was sure to bring them out!

Again, I decided to spend two nights, mainly becase I was going to cycle part of the Golden road to Stockinish but I could have happily stayed much longer as it was so relaxing. The day I left was rainy. In one way it was welcome as it was a long, long climb back up to the main road to Tarbert. When I reached the junction I found out that wasn’t the summit and there was another few kilometers before I could enjoy the long free-wheel down into Tarbert. I stocked up on provisions in the one shop then set off on the long climb out towards Lewis.

That turned out to be a long day. I wasn’t sure if there were any campsites on the route, so I kept on, hoping to see a signpost. Even bed and breakfasts which were open were few and far between and even fewer didn’t have no-vacancy signs out side. There were a couple of camp-sites marked on the map but they were off the main route so would have entailed long detours so I kept on cycling. After about 60 kilometers I was almost at Stornoway. I had taken five days to cover the southern islands then did Harris and most of Lewis in one. That day’s cycle turned out to be over 80 kilometers. Cycling into Stornoway was a bit of a culture shock. The traffic was constant.

I got directions to the campsite from the tourist office and headed there. I was a bit concerned about a site in the town but it turned out to be on the outskirts, in a quiet area and really well set out. I ended up staying three nights there.

The following day I decided to walk back into the town and then plan what I was going to do from there.

The Hebridean Way, at least the cycle route, carries on to the Butt of Lewis at the north end of the island but I decided I was not that bothered about getting all the way. As they say, it’s the journey and not the destination that matters. I did want to visit Callanish standing stones and the broch at Carloway so that was to be my final days cycling on Lewis. It was a wet and windy day but well worth the effort. The Pentland Road was built as a job creation scheme and goes across the middle of the island through empty moorland. Empty now but there are many signs of settlements from which the people had been evicted to make way for sheep.

The following day I planned to cross to Stornoway and set off cycling off the ferry but with it being Sunday the afternoon ferry was later so I would need to spend a night in Ullapool. Most of the other cyclists on the ferry either had vehicles parked in Ullapool or were getting picked up from there. There is an option of taking a bus but this has to be booked in advance and the bike put into a bike-bag. The first ferry would have entailed a five o’clock start and I didn’t feel up to that. Turned out it wasn’t too bad staying in Ullapool. I bumped into someone I had known years ago from my time in Crianlarich who had also completed the Heb Way but he was one of the speedier ones. I also got to enjoy fish and chips on the shore from one of Ullapool’s famous chippies. Don’t know if it was the best one but it was good.

My main reason for wanting to set off from Ullapool on the Sunday was a hope that the traffic would be lighter on the main road to Inverness. But as that wasn’t possible now, I set off really early before the road got too busy. It worked for a while and I could enjoy the scenery. I even saw a pine marten. After a few hours cycling into a head wind which was to keep up all day, the traffic did get busier. It started with a sudden increase which was probably a ferry-load but then it gradually got more and more steady. Perhaps the NC500 travellers getting on the road. They seem to travel in packs. This was my longest day’s cycling and with the climbs and the headwind was really tiring. I changed my plan to go stay with my brother and cut the ride short by going to the campsite in Dingwall. From there I decided to take the train the next morning as the weather was getting wetter.

I managed to get a booking on a direct train from Inverness and as this was a journey I was familiar with it went fairly smoothly and I was home that evening. With just under 500 kilometers cycled and ten nights in a tent I had a great experience. It was one I would want to have again. Soon.