Hebrides 16: More from Vatersay

The area of Vatersay where we walked was predominantly made of rolling sand dunes covered by machair flowers.  As with the Uists, it's difficult to convey the scale and beauty of the floral carpet in a photograph; but, of course, this didn't stop me trying!

The path took us to a large, sandy beach on the other side of the island.  This was (mercifully) free of dead tractors and fish crates, but there was the occasional chunk of rusting metal in the sand.  One piece looked a bit like a wartime shell, but I'm hoping it was an old Calor Gas canister instead!

By this time the sun had come out, and it was getting genuinely warm while we walked back to the small settlement where the bus would pick us up.

Back in "civilisation", there was the usual evidence of derelict crofts and abandoned machinery.

A panorama showing the sand dunes and sweep of the bay, looking North to Barra.

The bus collected us and took us (eventually) back to Castlebay.  The delay came from a traffic jam on Vatersay's only road, caused by people attending a large wedding - presumably the reason why we weren't able to go out on a boat from Lochboisdale in the morning.

We arrived at the ferry terminal just in time (as the bus driver had promised all along) and we boarded for the short trip to Eriskay.  Lo and behold, yet another vehicle was in need of the "wooden wedge" treatment - this time a mobile home.

This concludes our final full day on the Uists, as the following day we headed North to Harris and Lewis for the second week of our holiday.

Hebrides 15: Barra and Vatersay

The "bus" which took us to Castlebay turned out to be the same one which made the trip across a causeway to Vatersay, another of the Hebrides chain, just South of Barra.  The driver did a good selling job on us about the place, so we decided to go there after a brief stop to grab some lunch and see the sights.  The latter didn't take very long, as Castlebay is a small place!  We didn't get a chance to visit it, but there's a rather imposing Castle in the middle of the Bay (hence the name, I suppose).

It was hazy sunshine but still quite chilly when we were dropped in Vatersay, so we decided to go for a walk along the dunes.  Very peaceful, with lots of flowers growing out of the sand.

It wasn't only flowers which grew out of the sand, we discovered.  The dunes were littered with rubbish which had just been dumped by the islanders.  Dead trucks; decaying engines; old tyres; fishing nets; rusty anchors; plastic trays; etc. etc.  You name it, we found it in the dunes.  I suppose that some of the rubbish may have been jetsam, but I don't suppose it was the tide which washed up the old truck!

The beach itself was, thankfully, free of rubbish, and there were a few hardy souls playing in or by the water.

It was still a bit chilly at this point, but very soon the clouds began to clear and the sun came out.  Shock horror!  In fact we needed to take our sweaters off as the temperature began to soar (in a Hebridean kind of way, being above the magic 20 degree mark).  It was the sign of things to come, as a genuine heat-wave was to hit the islands very soon.

Hebrides 14: Ferry from Eriskay to Barra

We attempted to go out on a boat from Lochboisdale, but were told that the owner was going to a wedding so wouldn't be taking the boat out.  Bummer.  Instead we decided to drive to the Southern end of Eriskay and catch the ferry across to Barra.  Being adventurous (and intrepid) types, we decided to leave the car behind and travel as foot passengers.  It was also cheaper that way!

The friendliness and efficiency of the Cadedonian Mac Brayne ferries was a constant pleasure during our visit to the islands.  Nothing seems to worry or stress the crew, no matter what happens.  The Eriskay/Barra ferry is small with a very steep loading ramp.  This gives a problem to certain types of vehicle, including large coaches which get grounded while getting on and off.  No problem: the CalMac answer is to carry a set of large wooden wedges which can be inserted in strategic places in order to lift the offending vehicles clear of the ground.  Simples!

The Eriskay Postie is allowed on first so that he can unload the mailbags.  He doesn't stay on the ferry, though, as his opposite number in Barra is waiting for the post on the other side of the Sound.

There weren't many passengers on the ferry: just us, a family of Runrig fans (all wearing T-shirts from the recent 40th anniversary concert) and a retired French couple sporting iPhones.

We were escorted on the short crossing by several gannets which flew alongside the ferry as we sailed.  They really are very beautiful, and have to be one of my all-time favourite birds.

Gannets have a habit of flying low, very close to the water's surface.  I hadn't realised quite how close until I examined the pictures I'd taken in more detail.  The second image below shows just how close the wing-tip gets to clipping the water.

We also met a flock of eider ducks, as well as the usual gulls and cormorants.

Just to prove what I said earlier, the Barra Postie was poised and waiting - like a coiled spring - to collect the mailbags from the ferry as soon as it docked.  Such is the pace of life on the Hebrides.

Being on foot, we then sought out the local bus service: a couple of 12-seaters which drive around the island while the driver chats to the passengers.  Next stop: Castlebay, the main settlement on Barra.

Hebrides 13: Finally, a Sunny Evening

After a bracing day on a boat (understatement of the year) the wind dropped and the sun came out.  It looked as though there might be a decent sunset, for the first time since our arrival on the Uists, and this was too good an opportunity to miss.  After cooking the trout caught earlier, I headed outside with my camera for a walk around South Lochboisdale.

Not far from the cottage was a strange monument with carvings in both Gaelic and English, providing a semi-circular wall giving shelter from the prevailing wind and a place to sit down.  Ok, so the seat was made of metal and taken from an old tractor, but it's the thought that counts.

A few views around South Lochboisdale showing the crofts and the kind of terrain which the people need to work with.  When this is taken into consideration, I guess it's unsurprising that the area is so sparsely populated.

The lighting looked promising, so I headed South hoping to get pictures of Eriskay and Barra as the sun went down.  Fat chance, as the clouds gathered and the sun disappeared.  I waited for a while, but the lighting remained gentle rather than dramatic.

Inevitably, as soon as I decided to give up and head North again, the clouds cleared and the sun came out.  Typical!  South Uist looked stunning in the low light, with mist rising over the Eastern hills in the background.

The Western side of South Uist is comprised of long sandy beaches, and I decided to park the car and go for a walk.  I was on my own for most of the time, but then a large 4x4 drove across the dunes and down to the water's edge.  A dog was then thrown out of the back, and the car took off down the beach with the aforementioned hound in hot pursuit.  After about 20 minutes of this, when the exercise period was over, the poor animal was re-admitted to the vehicle which then disappeared whence it came.  Talk about walking the dog in style...

Being so far North, the sun took a very long time to set.  I arrived back at the cottage around 22:30, and the light was still pretty spectacular.  I couldn't resist two last shots: one of the cottage; and the other of a boat moored on the other side of the "horse" field.

A fine end to a long and tiring day.