Cycling the Outer Hebrides

“Travelling” for many conjures up the idea of around-the-world tickets; distant raw mountainscapes and idyllic sandy beaches in far foreign lands.  Though few may argue it is a state of mind; it’s adventure; it's moving day to day with your luggage on your back...or bike; it’s not quite knowing where you will rest your head that night, or battling mind and body to reach that flight. 

Taking the Caledonian Sleeper train from Euston to Glasgow late one Thursday night, and a connecting train from there to Oban the following morning we had now arrived at the start of our adventure through the Outer Hebrides. The Ferry departed Oban at 3pm and arrived around 6.30pm to Castlebay, on the most southern island of the Outer Hebrides; Barra.  We took a short cycle, and found a nice spot to camp for the evening; sheltered from the wind, on the lock-side; we set up a campfire, cooked dinner and made ourselves an early night.

Morning came; the sun was out, but winds were racing at 45mph in a northeasterly direction due to a cyclone far out in the Atlantic, not far from Iceland.  This led onto us being stranded on the island as ferries were unable to operate for the next 48 hours, but we made the most of it and explored all of the island.

On the Monday morning we finally were able to catch a Ferry at 7am - winds were still strong but not as bad as it had been - a beautiful morning to be cycling with pinks and purples lining the sky, and the sun rising as we departed for Uist. 

Due to the delays we were well behind where we had planned to be, and we knew of a Ferry departing the north of Uist (Berneray) to Lewis (Leverburgh) at 5pm roughly 60 miles away that we wanted to make.  Uist comparatively to the other islands is fairly flat; some beautiful beaches in the south, a quiet single track road the majority of the cycle, and some amazing causeways making it very scenic and a good cycle.  That said we certainly had to work hard to meet the ferry deadline due to a pannier rack breaking on an uphill climb; having to fix it in a roadside mechanics really ate into time deadline...still we made the Ferry.

On arriving in Leverburgh, winds were still fairly strong, we were all pretty shattered, and one of us had a flat so we stayed in a hostel, which we had to ourselves, picked up some fish and chips from the only restaurant in the village and had an early night. 

Tuesday morning we were greeted by rain for the first hour or so of the cycle and again later in the day.  Lewis and Harris are really the highlights of the Outer Hebrides, meaning the day was a real treat despite the weather.  As we hugged the coast line around the northeasterly side we cycled along a golden coastline, and we took a short detour to Luskentyre beach; the best of the lot; white sands, grassy dunes, turquoise waters, and a couple of white wild horses to top it off.

After a lunch stop in Tarbert, we cycled north again; beginning along the coast and then cutting in through the mountains, climbing up to pass...the toughest part of the whole ride.  During the afternoon we had to put up with some hard rain and less exciting landscapes, finally arriving in Stornoway at 5pm, where we caught the ferry back to the mainland the next day.

Unfortunately due to the ferry delays earlier on in the trip we were unable to see more of Harris, leaving a real hunger for a return.  If you are reading this and planning a trip a few other places we planned for but were unable to reach include; The Stone Circle, Mangersta (and the sea stacks), Gearrannan Blackhouse Village and the Butt of Lewis.  I’d also recommend planning a few more days to allow for ferry delays as we found out that it does happen quite often.

In recent years I have grown to love the landscapes of the United Kingdom; Scotland in particular.  The delays changed our course for the trip and diverted away from the plan, but it is these unforeseen antics that add to adventure, and make the experience seem real.  We disconnected from our lives back home, worked as a team, supported each other, and witnessed beautiful untouched landscapes that not many go to; raw mountainscapes and idyllic sandy beaches...it goes to show you don’t need to jump on a plane and travel around the world to experience an adventure or “travelling”.