Hebrides 17: Leaving the Uists

The time had come for us to leave the Uists, heading North for our next destination: Lemreway on Lewis.  Here are a few images from the journey, starting with some peat cutting just a couple of miles away from where we were staying.  It's clear this free source of fuel is still very much used by the islanders, and with the current price of gas, electricity and - especially - oil, I can't say I'm surprised.  I also love the smell of peat smoke, and would love to burn it at home (sadly, not a practical proposition).

Our last chance to visit the Co-op in Daliburgh, which is pretty well the only food shop on South Uist.  Being a collector of odd and obscure signage, I was amused to see that the car park was labelled differently depending on whether one was coming from the North or the South.  It all sounds rather topical, given the imminent Scottish independence referendum...

Another sign which you won't see around Cambridge - here at the start of the causeway linking South Uist to Benbecula.

We need some of these signs at home!  Despite being a dog addict, it still gets to me that some owners seem indifferent about cleaning up after their pets - something which results in all dog lovers getting a bad name.  Tedious people...

We made a slight detour to see if we could locate the loch with the breeding pair of black-throated divers which Steve Duffield had taken us to on Sunday.  Well, we found it and the birds were still there.  We had been asked not to go close to the water for fear of driving the birds away, so this (rather poor) picture was the best I could do under the circumstances.  If you look hard while squinting slightly, it's just about possible to see that the adult has a chick on its back!

After spending rather too long eating lunch, it was then a mad dash across North Uist to the ferry terminal on Berneray.  We made it with a few minutes to spare, but would probably have been late if it hadn't been for the good folks who built the Committee Road (see here for an explanation).

Yet another causeway, this time the one linking Berneray with North Uist, with it's impressive array of warning signs.

The final image is of the small ferry which weaves its way through the many tiny islands in the Sound of Harris, bound for Leverburgh - the next stage in our exciting Hebridean adventure.

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.

Hebrides 12: Fishing on Loch Grogarry

Loch Grogarry is one of the many machair lochs in South Uist, now owned collectively by the islanders and run by Storas Uibhist.  I only had one day in which to go fishing, so took advice from the Storas as to which loch I should try.  Grogarry was the suggestion, and its single boat was booked for me for the day.  If I'd been expecting Scottish loch-style fishing to be anything like that at my usual venue of Grafham Water, I was soon disabused of this fact.  No engine (just a pair of oars); only me on the boat (so I had to row as well as fish); wild brown trout (not stocked rainbows); and spectacular scenery (not a concrete dam wall in sight).  The photos below were taken with my iPhone, as the changeable weather would have meant my "real" camera getting a couple of soakings during the day!

The fish above is a superbly conditioned 2lb wild brown trout, which was the one and only fish I caught all day.  No matter, as I only needed one for my dinner; and very good it was too, with a few new potatoes and some salad. Yum...

Hebrides 10: Loch Eynort

My original plan had been to go fishing, but a quick look at the weather forecast put paid to that: 24, 27, 31, 32, 34, 31, 28, etc., and these were the wind speeds, not the temperature!  It was also clear that we were due for a lot of rain, particularly in the afternoon, so decided to make the most of the morning by going to Loch Eynort.  Tucked away on the Eastern side of South Uist, Loch Eynort is unusual in that it has lots of trees.  It was also reasonably sheltered, and felt more like walking in the Highlands.  Flowers everywhere - especially a small area full of orchids, just beside the ruins of an old Thatched House.

Some of the quartz crystals in the Gneiss.

The wall of the old Thatched House, covered in mosses, lichens, ferns, grasses and wild foxgloves.

Loch Eynort must be a wonderful place for a picnic, when the weather is good.  Sadly, the day we chose was not suitable for such frivolities...

Apart from a couple from Carlisle and their dog (plus some seals in the loch) we hardly saw a soul.  We timed the morning perfectly, however, since it was just starting to rain as we got back to the car.  Next stop was a return to Barbara's Cafe, part of the Kildonan Museum, which provided us with very welcome bacon and egg butties.

By now the weather was fully set in, so we needed to find something to do for the afternoon.  Having exhausted most of the indoor attractions which South Uist had to offer, we decided to go and explore a rather strange church on Eriskay (cue the next exciting instalment).