I'm looking to drive up from Cardiff and spend a week or so riding / wandering around the outer Hebrides. I'd look to leave the car at Malaig possibly, ferry to Armadale, head north and get the ferry from Uig to Harris, then ride down to South Uist before getting the ferry back to Malaig.
Is this a pretty standard loop?
I'd be doing it on my winter road bike, wild camp overnight, and possibly head up onto a couple of hills on foot if I have time and the temptations there, I'm thinking I'll miss the best of the scenery being stuck on the road but my mountain bikes not been used for a good few years.
Any tips?
I've left it a bit late as I'm looking to go in July sometime, the other trip I had planned hasn't come off though so this was plan B!
There's no midgys on the islands right?
Don't know anything about the Hebrides unfortunately, but if you could stomach some extra driving then starting at Glen Shiel would allow you to take in the Ratagan Pass and take the Kylerhea ferry onto Skye. This way you also get to ride the excellent looking wee road from Kylerhea to Broadford.
Heading North I would suggest going up the east of the Island then turning west at the Quirang, another spectacular looking road which deposits you neatly at Uig for the ferry.
Only inconvenience is getting ferry back to Mallaig, unless it dropped you at Armadale first, in which case you could cycle back to car at Glen Shiel via the Skye Bridge for a heroic return 8)
Cycling south through the Uists... hope you like a headwind. It's brutal.
Thanks, I've ridden that road from Kylehea to Broadford a few years ago, I still remember the climb up from the ferry!
Clockwise the better approach? 🙂
Check this out: I think first picked this up from STW but can't trace it:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1mr&page_id=503272&v=40
The constant Southwesterly on Uist is a myth.
Mine was a bit of a rushed trip unfortunately and want to do it again but take a bit more time over it but I got the train up to Mallaig from Edinburgh, fish and chips and a few ales then camped overnight there. Got the early ferry over to Skye, and headed north the first day stopping in at a few places on the way and camped at Uig. Then the next day got the ferry over to north uist and cycled south to Lochboisdale where I stayed in a hostel overnight before getting the ferry back to Oban and a train from there.
Got massively lucky with the wind and had a tremendous tailwind the whole way down north and south uist. Came across a few people heading north, having a pretty tiring time.
Great place to explore,but wind is a tough one to predict!
40-50mph wind gusts up there about a month ago when I was there, north-westerlies were making it pretty tricky for those doing the Hebridean Way. Kept the midges away though 🙂
May and the start of June seem to feature Northerly winds, July and August more often Southerlies. It's a risk you take but it's worth it.
The most common route for cycling is to get the ferry to Barra from Oban, ride to Vatersay then head north along the archipelago. Some only get as far as Stornoway, others head up the West coast to Ness then back to Stornoway then the ferry to Ullapool.
We did it as a fat bike route, getting ferries to furthest point and then riding back along the islands along the beaches, bivvying on the beach overnight.
Loads of midges on Skye, but once out properly on the islands we had nothing but good weather and not a single midge. Beautiful place, the roads are in really good condition and really nice people, can honestly say not one person in a car didn't give way to us on bikes on the road. Very easy to wild camp and plenty of small shops about for resupply and people were happy to fill water bottles and things for us. Highlight for me was riding across the bay at Barra then realising the beach was also the runway!
There is a Cicerone "cycling in the outer hebrides" guide.
My unfiltered album of photos is here is you'd like a look:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/49281217@N02/albums/72157645346058821
lotsroad - Member
Check this out: I think first picked this up from STW but can't trace it:https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1mr&page_id=503272&v=40
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There you go:
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/tour-de-minch-with-cynical-boblo ]STW thread[/url]
Thanks all!