2 October
A somewhat soggy stroll in Stornoway this morning. I managed to dodge most of the rain but there were still strong winds.
Lunch was taken at the Butt of Lewis lighthouse where a North Atlantic breeze keeps the air moving. Trying to walk around without being blown off the cliff edge would have been difficult if the wind were any stronger.
A swift visit to the top end of the A857 at the Port of Ness.
4 October
A couple of days break on an abandoned section of the old road not far from Garrynahine before going a couple of miles to Callanish Standing Stones.
As I started up the path to the stones I was hit by an instant hailstorm. No warning. No little spatter to announce itself. Just full on. A bit of damp got into my camera but dried out OK.
5 October
After Callanish I headed for Bosta beach on the island of Great Bernera where there is an iron age village. Most of it has been excavated and reburied. One house was left untouched for a future generation to explore and there is a reconstruction of one of the houses that visitors can enter.
These next are of the road back to Lewis, the last is of the bridge connecting Great Bernera to Lewis.
6 October
From my front door this morning Gleann Lacasdail.
The distillery has a nice little cafe where they offer scones with crowdie (Scottish cream cheese) and marmalade. They also offer “gin tea” made with the same botanicals they use in their main product.
10 October
After Tarbert I made my way to a beach car park, Luskentyre, where I stayed to sort photos and discovered that I’d accidentally deleted some before transferring them to my laptop. With no internet connection available I returned to Tarbert to download some suitable software to recover them.
11 October
This morning I drove south to Leverburg and on to Rodel. I also went slightly beyond Rodel towards Lingarabay but the topography makes the road difficult for a motorhome so returned to Leverburg to catch the ferry to North Uist. The next one, about an hour away, was already full so booked on one due just after 5pm. A few minutes after booking I got a text message saying it was cancelled due to high winds (40 mph plus gusting to near 50). The next available was the following day (Wed) at the same time. The weather forecast was sufficiently grotty (wind and rain) for the rest of the week that I decided to postpone the rest of the Western Isles until the weather improves so returned to Tarbert for the 07.30 ferry the following morning. Check in time is three quarters of an hour before departure. There’s only one quarter to seven on my watch these days and it’s not AM.
Seilebost and Harris golf course…
Leverburg…
Rodel..
11 October
The weather was a bit rough overnight but the morning was calm and I woke in good time for the ferry. It stayed calm for the trip across to Uig on Skye and for the drive to Portree.
12 October
It’s pouring in Portree.
So, there I was, quietly pootling along the A87 towards Kyleakin and the bridge over the Kyle of Lochalsh when there was a huge sign saying “Talisker Distillery”. I thought it would be rude to ignore such an invitation. The second photo is what you see if you turn 180 degrees from the distillery.
As you return to the A87 this faces you.
The drive to Fort William takes you through Glen Shiel.
13 October
The Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge overlooks their training area.
A résumé of the wartime Commandos by Brig. Peter Young DSO MC
14 October
The forecast for Scotland was the tail end of a hurricane coming in from the Atlantic so time to head south in the hope of better weather.
I did make a brief stop at Corran ferry before heading back to England.
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