Outer Hebrides Tour, September 2004

The Outer Hebrides are an increasingly popular destination for cycle tourists. It is not hard to see why with their comparitively flat profile, quiet roads, stunning scenery and abundance of hostels and superb wild campsites. There are also some good deals for cyclists on the Cal-Mac ferries that link up these islands in particular the Island Hopscotch and Island Rover tickets.

And so in September 2004 I joined the masses for a week long tour that took in 9 islands, 7 ferries, 320 miles of pedalling and rather more weather than I had hoped for.

The map to the left shows the approximate route that I took.

The text below is the translation from my rather soggy diary of the trip. Sorry no photos - forgot my camera.

Day 1 - Oban to Barra

Distance cycled: 3.5 miles.

I arrived in Oban at about noon after a 4 hour drive from Aberdeen mainly through fog. I parked the car on the outskirts of the town and assembled the bike.

I purchased My Island Rover ticket the ferry terminal, giving me unlimited use of Cal-Mac ferries for the next 8 days, and I headed into Oban for some lunch. Oban was very touristy and thus a bit frustrating.

I caught the 1330 ferry, tying my bike up to a railing near the front of the car deck. The sun was still shining at this point, although the forecast was terrible, confirmed by BBC News 24 on the boat.

The ferry journey was very pleasant, mainly spent reading the paper and enjoying the views of Mull, Kilchoan and the Inner Hebrides in the sunshine on the back deck.

As the ferry approached Barra, we entered Castlebay harbour which was very impressive. A small inlet between rugged hills randomly dotted with a few houses built like they can withstand the weather.

I stayed in the hostel in Castlebay, near to where the ferry lands.

Day 2 - Barra to Harris

Distance cycled: 71.4 miles.

Up early and greeted by grey skies and a brisk SE wind. I took the longer route around the South of the island upon recommendation of the hostel owner (who was very English). The beaches were still golden and the sea green even under leaden skies, particularly the airport.

I was just in the time for the 0920 ferry to Eriskay, a much smaller affair this time. The crossing was a bit rough which I feared was a sign of things to come.

Eriskay was a short sharp hill, but the last gradient of the day. This combined with a stiff tail wind (for once) meant that the decision was made to try and catch the 1600 ferry to Harris, rather than stay in the hostel on Berneray.

As the morning progressed it became apparent that this was going to be achieved easily as I whistled along the excellent roads at more than 20mph without even trying, only pausing to wave to the cars that I passed by. A long lunch was taken at a pub on North Uist. A nice couple on motorbikes paid for my beef sandwich because they were so impressed with my energetic efforts.

A quick stop in Lochmaddy to buy postcards and I was still 1 hour early for the ferry that I thought that I would struggle to catch. I completely failed to notice the waiting room, so I wrote my postcards in the cold and rain.

That night I stayed in the Am Bothan bunkhouse in Leverburgh. It was a little pricey but very nice inside, decorated with items from shipwrecks including portholes for windows. I stocked up with two days of food (tomorrow would be Sunday) and exchanged cycling stories with a couple from Yorkshire who were travelling at a more leisurely pace - it had taken them a week to cover the distance I had done in one day.

Day 3 - Harris to Stornaway

Distance cycled: 78.1 miles.

It was a wild night but the weather didn't look too bad in the morning. The West coast of Harris was stunning, the highlight of which was watching a sea otter feed her young from only a few metres away. The first real drenching was over the high pass before Tarbert.

After climbing steeply out of Tarbert, North towards Lewis, I was looking forward to a rewarding descent. Driving rain, reducing visibility to zero, and my rear brake pads wearing out certainly made the descent memorable.

I found some shelter behind the wall of a youth centre to have some lunch and do some running repairs. After a couple of hours of bright, breezy cycling up Lewis I decided to extend the days mileage and take in Callanish. No sooner had I made this decision than it started to rain. The stones were interesting but I was soaked by the time I arrived in Stornaway and it took an age to find the rather shabby hostel.

Day 4 - Stornaway to Uig

Distance cycled: 38.8 miles.

I had no hurry to catch the afternoon ferry from Tarbert to Sky so I spent the morning looking around Stornaway castle and doing a bit shopping, not least for some new brake blocks and a warmer hat.

The brake blocks, despite being labelled as V brakes (and costing £12) were canti blocks, so I set off for Tarbert somewhat distressed that I still didn't have any rear brakes and annoyed at my stupidity. This anxiety didn't last long as there was another bike shop on the edge of town where I purchased the some more brake blocks and fitted them.

I then spent the rest of the day battling hard against the wind, stopping regularly to put on and take off waterproofs all the while with the threat of the long climb up the 'col de Harris' looming, where my brakes had worn out the previous day. I battled up the hill quite succesfully in the end, swept down the other side and into Tarbert in plenty of time for the ferry.

As we approached Skye on the ferry I was struck by how green and tree covered it looked in contrast to the Outer Hebrides.

The SYHA hostel in Uig was, of course, at the top of a very steep hill and was scarily efficient compared with the tiny independent hostels I had been staying in.

Day 5 - Uig to Mallaig

Distance cycled: 58.1 miles.

A morning of desperate cycling, thankfully with the wind mainly at my back. The squally conditions and heavy rain made for some dangerous cycling along the much busier and steeper roads of Skye. I was regretting not bringing my helmet as the tour buses brushed past me.

The last 10 miles into Armadale were particularly wild with some fast descents over un-surfaced roads (there were a lot of road works) in the worst of the weather.

In fact the wind was so strong that the ferry couldn't sail for an hour. When we did get underway it was a short crossing to Mallaig on the mainland where I stayed the very crowded backpacker's hostel.

Day 6 - Mallaig to Tobermory

Distance cycled: 60.1 miles.

I resisted the temptation to try one of the walks around Mallaig, instead setting off early whilst the sun was shining. In fact the weather, in stark contrast to the previous day, was very pleasant and I steadily made my way South along the coast.

My legs were now beginning to feel the pace, and even the slightest gradient was a battle. Mercifully the route was quite flat.

When I reached Loch Sunart I turned right along the Ardnamurchan pennisula. This quiet road twisted along the coast between tiny bays until the final climb up Ben Hiant and long descent into Kilchoan where I took the ferry to Tobermory.

I spent the afternoon relaxing in the sunshine in Tobermory before walking around to the lighthouse to watch the sunset over Ardnamurchan. A fitting end to good day.

Day 7 - Tobermory to Oban

Distance cycled: 24.5 miles.

The good weather did not last the night. All plans to explore Mull were postponed to another vist by the return of the driving rain. A good drenching and battle against the wind later and I was in Craignure for the ferry back to Oban. Everyone else seemed to be leaving Mull, and who could blame them with that weather.

This was the end of my week long tour. Despite the weather (which was not all bad) I had a superb time. The Hebrides are a fascinating, friendly, beautiful destination a million miles away from the frantic rush of the rest of the UK.