Island hopping south

Carnan, United Kingdom

Another travelling day today as we move from the north of Lewis, right down through Harris, over the Sound of Harris, through Berneray, South Uist, Grimsay and Benbecula, to the top tip of North Uist. It sounds a lot when put like that, but it’s only about 70-80 miles in total! Of course that involves a ferry crossing and numerous single-track roads, so it’ll eat up most of the day.

We didn’t check out of the hotel until quiet late, instead having a lazy breakfast and a last walk round Stornoway before departing. Not quite as sunny a start today either, with lots of big fluffy clouds about between the blue. The road was the route same as yesterday – unavoidable when there’s only one route anywhere – but still just as stunning. Places seemed to come up much faster now we knew where we were going and what to expect. We pulled into Tarbet just as the ferry for Uig was leaving, and boy it looks huge in that tiny inlet. They back out though at what seems like incredible speed, so must have done it a few times.

After a coffee in Tarbert, it was an all-too-quick drive through the stunning (and now sunny) scenery to Leverburgh and an hour’s wait for the ferry. Not wasted as I checked the pictures taken so far today and started writing this blog. The Leverburgh-Berneray ferry is quite small in comparison to the ones we have seen so far and there wasn’t a massive queue to get on. There’s very little ceremony with the loading, and you’re allowed to sit in your car on the open deck if you like. The first surprise was the journey across the Sound of Harris is tortuous in the extreme, with the ferry weaving back and forth across a seemingly unbroken blue sea. The chart in the passenger lounge with the ferry’s route marked on tells a different story, with shoals and reefs everywhere, and hence explains the zig zags.

When we finally reached Berneray at the tiny hamlet of Borgh, there was just a slipway and a CalMac waiting room to greet us. The problem with being early for these ferries though, is you’re first to board and also first to leave. Brilliant if you like a queue of local van drivers behind you pushing like crazy to get home for their tea. Bad enough on normal roads, but big not fun on single tracks with passing places, especially when you’re not sure where you’re going! Eventually I managed to let them all by and the rest of the drive to the hotel was completed more sedately, enjoying the view.

And it is a brilliant view of lochs, beaches and mountains. All of these islands are connected by causeways, and we despatched them almost too quickly to keep track. It wasn’t long before we were turning off the north-south road for our accommodation at the Orosay Inn, overlooking Loch Charnan.

Tomorrow there’ll be a chance to backtrack slightly and actually explore all those island. Hopefully the weather will stay fair for us.