Hebrides 4: South Lochboisdale

After stopping to pick up rations at the Co-op in Daliburgh - one of the few shops on South Uist - we drove to our new home for the week: Evat Cottage in South Lochboisdale.  Evat is a traditional thatched croft house, and one of several we saw on the Uists which had been renovated to provide extremely comfortable holiday accommodation.  The classic design is "back to the wind, face to the sun" with extremely thick walls and a roof made from heather weighted down with rocks.  The cottage also came with its own personal flock of sheep, and a genuine "loo with a view" (providing you didn't mind having the front door open).  Not that there was anyone to look in, of course, apart from the aforementioned sheep and a large flock of wheat-ears.

We knew that the Uists would be peppered with freshwater lochens, but hadn't expected so many of them to be completely covered in water lilies.

The weather cleared for a while, offering respite from the wind and the rain.  This gave us chance to explore the area around where we were staying, including a peek inside one of the many abandoned crofts.  Much to my disappointment, the building contained nothing more glamorous than copious quantities of guano and several discarded Calor Gas canisters.

Some views across the water towards Lochboisdale, showing evidence of the salmon farming we saw everywhere in the Hebrides.

A panorama of Lochboisdale during a (very brief) sunny interlude.

The house at the end of the track in South Lochboisdale, and a fishing boat moored in the natural harbour.

A few more pictures from the lochens around the cottage.

Finally, a picture of Harriet getting to know our nearest neighbours: a pair of very beautiful white horses.