TR Scottish Weekend & Tour of Outer Hebrides
Barra Airport
The plan to tour the Outer Hebrides was conceived last year in December 2023 and was a result of our earlier decision to participate in the Scottish Weekend at Doune over the weekend of 17th – 19th May. This is featured in this month’s (Aug) edition of TR Action.
Our thinking at the time was that if we were committed to making the trip to Scotland for Doune we should consider extending the trip to explore other areas of Scotland while we were up there.
An almost obvious choice, given that we had previously participated in the WFTR trip to Scotland in 2022 was to consider a trip to the Outer Hebrides. The potential logistics for this was also very favourable, with Oban, a main ferry port to the isles only about a two-hour drive West from Doune.
We decided to make the tour available to all at WFTR should they wish to participate, either as a complete tour or as two tours, one to Doune, the other to The Outer Hebrides. Given the overall trip was 16 days our expectation was that very few if anyone would be able or be interested in taking part. As it turned out Andy McLaren expressed an interest in albeit the dates didn’t work for the Hebrides but he did accompany us on the run to Doune for the Scottish Weekend.
Our plan was to leave our hotel at Doune on the morning of Monday, 20th May and drive the A road directly to Oban where we would overnight, ready for the ferry to Castlebay, Barra which departed the following day at 1.00pm. It is a five-hour ferry crossing, so arrival would be by 6.00pm – in time to check in to our rented ‘glamping’ Pod (otherwise known as the Tardis) located in a small hamlet some 10 minutes’ drive from the ferry at Castlebay.
We spent 2 night there, giving us time to explore the island and its small sister island, Vastray to the South.Here we visited the spectacular white Sand Beaches and equally spectacular Barra Airport which is the only airport in the world which has scheduled flights that operate from a tidal beach.
On the Thursday morning, we started a seven day journey North up the130 mile island chain connected by causeways and ferries that form the Outer Hebrides archipelago.
First, we took the short ferry crossing from Barra to Eriskay on South Uist where we would stay for one night. We packed in a lot during the day, visiting Askernish situated on a wide plain, on one side backed by mountains and on the other open to the sea. Here we viewed the remains of a prehistoric settlement that consisted of three round houses some 3,500 years old.
After touring the local area we called in at a local museum that featured life on the island and in particular the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his friend and accomplice Flora MacDonald. After defeat at Culloden, Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped the Scottish
mainland to hide in South Uist and some of the other islands before fleeing to France. Nearby the museum are the remains of the house that Flora’s lived in as a child.
That evening we had dinner at the Politician Inn, so named after the famous steamship SS Politician which some years earlier ran aground nearby loaded with 260,000 bottles of finest Scotch whisky. The result is recounted in the 1950s film ‘Whisky Galore’.
The pub has a surviving bottle from the wreck which, they say, still contains the original spirit. The bottle was brought out for us to see, as they do for visitors who enquire.
The following day we drove to North Uist which is very different from the South. Quite bleak and barren in places except at the centre where the ground rises steeply. At the summit is an MOD communications and listening post. Views from the top include the island of St Kilda, 40 miles away on the Western horizon. That night we stayed at a hotel in Carinish. Here we visited the ruins of an ancient structure overlooking the sea. This had been variously a school house, a fortress and a graveyard.
Next day we took the ferry to Harris and Lewis, the largest island in the chain.
Arriving in Harris we took the ‘Golden Road’ that winds North around the Eastern coastline for about 16 miles. It is a single-track road with ever changing landscape, ending at Tarbet, Harris’ main town.
At the beginning of the Golden Road (from the South) is the famous church of St Clements. Built around 1,000 years ago it is one of the few examples of a Roman Catholic church that escaped defacement during the Reformation in the 16th century. There are several clan chiefs from Clan Macleod buried there. It’s a small place but the architecture and stonework is amazing including two stone reliefs of a lewd man and woman (as was the tradition) in the external stonework and a stone ‘broken heart’ in the outer wall of the churchyard.
Further up the Golden Road was a seal colony basking on an islet just off the coast.
At the end of the ‘Golden Road’ further North, past Tarbert we entered the Isle of Lewis where we stayed for 4 nights at the ‘Hatchery.’ This was the former home of the owner of a salmon farm and was located on the edge of a West coast sea loch.
We travelled extensively throughout the Isle of Lewis which had many interesting sights and places to visit. These included the prehistoric ‘Callanish Stones’ – similar in date and usage to ‘Stonehenge’ but consisting of many tall but thinner standing stones located in lines situated on three adjacent hilltops. Very impressive.
Fortified Brochs built during the early Middle Ages where people lived in tall double walled buildings and kept their farm animals in the basement for heat and protection, Black Houses with no windows or chimneys – traditional housing for many crofters and fishermen in times gone by. The smoke from the peat fires turned the interior walls black albeit the tar from the smoke helped keep the midges and other pests at bay.
The wide bays and rocky coastline of Lewis were stunning, with many coves and white sandy beaches.
We visited Ness Point which is the furthest Northerly point on the island. Fantastic sea views from the lighthouse and the surrounding cliffs.
Stornoway is the largest town in the Outer Hebrides – quite impressive – it has shops and a small town centre unlike most places on the islands which rely on Community Stores – often community centres which have a dual purpose as a focus for social life and for the supply of food and other essentials.
On Thursday, 30th May we took the ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool to return to the Scottish mainland. We overnighted at the Royal Hotel in Ullapool just round the corner from the ferry port. The views down Loch Broom were fantastic.
The following day we set off South, travelling to Inverness then followed Loch Ness to Fort William and down from there to Loch Lomond, staying overnight at the Winnock Hotel – a stop we first made in 2022 on our return from the WFTR Tour of Scotland. Pleased to say there was no kitchen fire this time, but they did credit us for the breakfast we had missed on our last visit.
The following day we stayed mainly on A roads on our journey South. This was, in hindsight, a mistake due to the traffic congestion on many of these roads particularly near towns. As a result we overnighted that night near Winsford before completing the journey home the following day. Overall mileage was 1,990 per car, both of which performed well.
It was an amazing trip, a lot to see, interesting people and some great TR-ing roads. The weather was generally good throughout except for 2 days of gales on Barra when the wind blew but without rain and one or two short rainshowers. The skies were generally blue, and temperatures were around 15-18C – and no midges! We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The photos tell the story.
Jeff
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