Cycling the Hebridean Way part 1

This covers Vatersay, Barra, Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula & North Uist.

Time constraints meant I couldn’t attempt Harris & Lewis this time around. I did investigate squeezing Harris in and then catching the ferry to Uig from Tarbert but eventually ruled it out.

Additionally at the time of riding I wasn’t sure I was yet ready to tackle Harris. When I’ve driven Harris I’ve often seen cyclists struggling up some of the more challenging hills in torrents of rain and lashed by wind.

On the other hand I couldn’t wait to experience riding the achingly long roads running through the wide open landscapes of Harris & Lewis, maybe going off route and pitching at Huisinis. Another time definitely.

Getting there

The main route to Barra is by CalMac ferry from Oban, on the mainland. The crossing takes 4 hours 45 minutes.

Easter 2019 and my plan was to cycle the first part of the Hebridean way. Vatersay to North Uist from Friday to Sunday morning. According to all forecasts no rain predicted and wind speeds were low.

This section of the journey is around 85 miles which split down into 20 miles on Friday and approximately 55 miles on Saturday. The remaining 10 miles completed on the Sunday morning.

First night was spent in Glencoe with my wife and son, they dropped me in Oban and then headed off to Skye and would collect me from Uig on Sunday.

Travel Itinerary

Required kit

Vatersay

Sitting around on the ferry for five hours, excited, restless and drinking lots of coffee was definitely not the best preparation for the first big hill just outside of Castlebay. It was also the first time I’d ridden with full panniers, tent, sleeping bag and food to last two days. I got halfway up and out of breath walked the rest. I must admit I knew tomorrow was going to be 50 miles plus which would be the longest distance I’d ever done (by far.)

The extra weight makes the glowing considerably slower with much harder pedalling required. I was aiming to do a hopeful 10 miles per hour which is just under my usual average but with the majority of the route being flat, long stretches of road I was 99% certain I could do this even factoring in the extra weight. Although that dropped a good few percentage points when two old ladies flew past me on their bikes at the top of the hill.

Initial hill done then down over the causeway. Then to the starting point on Vatersay, a little further up and I stopped for a drink near the now iconic picture of the gate leading to the beach, Traigh a Bhaigh.

The causeway to Vatersay was opened in 1990, this reversed the population decline and helped create the Hebridean way. Previously the crossings were by boat.

It was around 7.30 when I headed back to Barra arriving at Borve campsite an hour later and wandered along the rocky beach watching the sun blurringly setting on the Atlantic. I’d decided to use a campsite the first night and wild camp the second. Basic facilities but spotlessly clean and well maintained.

Barra

There are a number of campsites on Barra, I chose Borve mainly due to its proximity to the ferry and the reviews were excellent.

I was up at 7.00 to be on the road for 8.20. Boiled eggs and coffee. I’d been as minimalistic as possible with kit so only one stove, one pan and one cup.

A very gentle breeze with spots of rain and empty roads made for a very pleasant morning cycle to Ardh Mor, two small hills but enough to get my legs pumping and the blood flowing.

There are regular ferries to Eriskay which leave from Ardh Mor, there’s also a small cafe near the ferry terminal which was perfect for cake and more coffee.

Quite a few of the cyclists I’d seen on the ferry from Oban were already at the terminal and one very kindly brought my helmet on board after I left it at the shop, a habit I’ve recently developed. I followed this up by leaving my phone at the ferry terminal on Jura which was rescued by the very kind ferry crew minutes before my ferry left Islay for the Scottish mainland.

Eriskay

A daunting hill as soon as you disembark the ferry and then Eriskay flew by, a fairly gently climbing hill and then a long descent to the causeway leading to South Uist. This particular causeway was completed in 2001.

The beach just north of the ferry terminal is where Bonnie Prince Charlie first set foot on Scottish soil, arriving from France in July 1745. Ultimately beginning the Jacobite rebellion.

Riding a causeway is always kind of exciting, just because you’re literally riding over the sea. I could see from the sign there would be otters close by and I stopped for a while to use the binoculars, sadly no otters today.

South Uist

It’s worth pointing out here that part of South Uist has live missiles fired at it, which are the shaded red areas on the map. You can visit those beaches but only at certain times. I avoided altogether.

South Uist was incredibly enjoyable to ride, really easy to get up to decent speeds and I have to say really considerate drivers. I did offer the same consideration, lots of single track roads and whilst most of the time there was enough room for a car and a bike you always have to be mindful and not let traffic build up behind you. Most of the time I was alone for miles, farms in the distance and sheep grazing endlessly and then the church appears………

The statue was commissioned in 1957 following proposals to turn most of Uist into a large missile testing range. Resistance to this idea was led by the local parish priest Canon John Morrison.

I decided not to walk the 200m up the hill and pedal on, it was getting close to 1.00 and I wanted to get to Benbecula for lunch.

Benbecula

The South Ford bridge linking Benbecula to South Uist was the first link in the North South spinal route to be completed in 1942. I’d enjoyed South Uist considerably

North Uist

Next came the five-mile North Ford Causeway from Benbecula to North Uist which opened in 1960. This is the longest causeway in the Western Isles.

Whilst the weather was kind to me all weekend I was rather disappointed that I didn’t get to see St. Kilda especially after I had cycled just over a mile uphill to get to the viewing station.

Oh well at least it’s all downhill on the way back

I decided I had time to visit Baleshare, its amazing white beach and to add one more island to the tally. It’s claimed that until a tidal wave washed it away in the seventeenth century it was possible to (at low tide) walk to the Monach Islands (Gaelic – Heisker) some 14 Km away.

It took me a while to find a decent wild camping spot that was out of the way, off the road and close to Loch Aonghais which contained the remnants of a medieval fort and a prehistoric Dun (Aonais) and causeway. This was also the place I spotted a tick burrowing into my wrist which started to come up in a rash days after getting back as pictured below.

The supposed classic result of a tick bite is a target like swelling and rash, whilst this wasn’t that it was felt antibiotics would be the best precaution. I definitely agreed with that. There are conflicting official reports regarding ticks across Scotland, Uist wasn’t on my doctors list of danger areas but was on the NHS.

A tick remover has to be part of any first aid kit. Ticks have to be firmly teased out, they latch on and burrow in quickly. Failure to remove the entire tick can lead to serious illness.

Sunday morning was drizzly but refreshing, quickly cooked breakfast and got on the road at half past nine for the last hours cycle to Lochmaddy. As I arrived the skies started to fully lash down with rain, the Minch mist rolled in so much that I was only certain the ferry would arrive when it suddenly appeared through the mist exactly on time.

Island bagging

There’s an excellent guidebook called Scottish Island Bagging by Helen & Paul Webster with a ticklist on the final pages which just begs to be completed.

On this trip alone I would be visiting nine islands, mostly because that’s the way the causeways ran.

• Vatersay
• Barra
• Eriskay
• South Uist
• Flodaigh
• Benbecula
• Grimsay
• Baleshare
• North Uist

It would have also been possible to visit

• Berneray
• Bhalaigh

Berneray is part of the Hebridean way and the ferry terminal to get to Leverburgh on Harris.

Bhalaigh is a small tidal island just west of Malacleit on North Uist.

There are plenty of other islands but most require some form of boat trip to reach.

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