[Closed] Touring the Hebrides.......best time of year?

Here on the SW coast of Scotland, may is generally the most settled month I reckon, no reason that the NW will be much different, and it has the added bonus of being usually before midge season.

May/June are usually among the best months and the machair will be on display so it looks [s]a bit[/s] even more special. Conventional wisdom is that July and August can be a bit wet. However, we were up there last July and it was stunning. Too warm really 🙂

I was thinking this too - the midges are the worst thing for me as I am allergic to their bites and come up in big (6"!!!) itchy lumps when bitten.

Is the midge season pretty easy to define?

We're looking at July due to my wife's visa- ideally we'd go in May.

You don't need a visa to go to the Outer Hebrides. 🙄

(yet) 😉

Edit: As I said on Tons earlier thread on this subject - book your ferries early. We really struggled to get them all lined up last year and actually had to rely on [i]standby[/i] for the trip back to Skye.

most years midges are in full force by end of May/early June, peaking early July, mostly away by early/mid September

may it is then i think.

rough plan is
3 nights on uist
3 nights on harris
ferry to skye
2 nights on skye
ferry to mallaig
2 nights to get to kilchoan
ferry to tobermory
2 nights on mull
ferry from craignure to oban

good plan?
any pointers?

I've had 2 weeks in that neck of the woods the past couple of years.

July 2014 was windy, rarely below a force 5 often a six predominantly from south west (apart from when I was sailing north when it was from the NW). too windy for midges though which is not necessarily a bad thing. It was warm though with one weekend at 27°.

July 2013 I had two weeks of unbroken subshine. Quite literally never saw a cloud bar 2 days of fog for two weeks. Not a breath of wind either and scortching hot.

In fine weather there is no better place than the west coast.

[quote=ton ]may it is then i think.
rough plan is
3 nights on uist
3 nights on harris
ferry to skye
2 nights on skye
ferry to mallaig
2 nights to get to kilchoan
ferry to tobermory
2 nights on mull
ferry from craignure to oban
good plan?
any pointers?
Looks good.

When you get to tobermory, be sure to go to the mishnish for an evening. Brilliant pub and good selection of proper beers and malts.

Also if your planning on doing any wild camping then down and just off the sound of mull is loch Aline. This is quite a big loch with a small entrance and opens into a big pool with forest down to shore line. It would be a great spot to do some wild camping.

Can't vouch for land side access as I have always sailed there, however a calmac ferry berths at the lochs entrance which I believe runs over to mull.

Enjoy!

As others have said May/June is often the best time in Scotland, generally dry and pre midge. Usually you are best travelling S-N on the Western Isles but the last time we went we had a headwind all the way from Barra to Tarbert 🙁

Unless you are going *very* sedately you might push it to take 2 1/2 days from Mallaig to Kilchoan. Once you get a few miles from Mallaig, past Arisaig, there isn't much for quite a while. The road along the shore from Salen to Kilchoan is very up and down and hard to keep momentum going as you can't see round the bends on the descents. However once at Kilchoan it's worth heading out to the lighthouse at Ardnamurchan and visiting the Great Eucharite crater.

Worth camping or stopping at the hostel on Bernaray. The campsite at Horgabost has stunning views (though the same could be said of pretty well anywhere on the Western Isles). The Gold Road is more interesting than the main road between Leverburgh and Tarbert. Unfortunately when we visited the ancient monuments on Lewis it was awful weather so didn't get the best out of them, really need to go back.

Ferry wise, worth looking on CalMac's website for the island hopper tickets, a bit of a saving but you are limited to using them in the direction you book. The one that can catch you out is the Berneray to Leverburgh ferry as it can't run at low tide so some services are "missing". No real problem if you are on bikes but we had a worry getting from Stornoway to Ullapool on a Saturday evening when in the car - really didn't want to be on Lewis on a Sunday 8)

your plan is very badly flawed, when your there you'll realise you want about 6 weeks to explore all those places 🙂

Must admit Outer Hebs was nice until english summer hols kicked in and the ultra long and large motorhomes all "wild camped" everywhere.

Did that in 2013. Uists not very interesting if weather gloomy as the sea is not inviting.
You must hit the chip van in Tobermory. We did after a crossing after riding from a few miles south of Mallaig in a day. Get a beer from the CO-OP first and sit on the fishing nets. Haddock is much better value than Cod.

Horgabost in days gone by - may not get it this quite these days
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Hebrides are rubbish...don't go...you'll hate it

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Hi Ton

My suggestion would be to leave out Mull.

Barra-Uists-Harris-Skye.

We had a stunning 2 weeks doing that last summer (by car).

Hope you get the weather!

Paul

Totally pants...
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Was a bit crowded for us last June...

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Try & get to the Castlebay Hotel on Barra on a Saturday night Ton, you might get to see The Vatersay Boys!
The museum at Askernish on South Uist is worth a look too.

If and when you go to Fishnish make sure you avoid the Fishnish Pishdish cafe.

Definitely try and do S - N on the Hebs, we made the mistake of doing some the other way. I think my other half got the message I'd had enough of the headwind and rain all day when I stopped and cried in the middle of the road. It just happened to be the one night when we could stop in a hotel. It was £110 very well spent!!
I was somewhat disappointed with Horgabost to be honest, very busy, too busy for my liking. Some of the other campsites we used were almost empty, indeed on one I think we were the only people there.

Barra/Vatersay is ace right enough

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I'd second skipping Mull - we did lower south west islands last year and Mull was (in our opinions the only one we won't do again) (ps ot - fyi Gigha and Luing + Easdale area are cycling good as well) and going as recommended by clarkpm (tail wind), the W of Lewis is maybe better than N (dad worked at Butt of Lewis) but again it's 'opinion', watch out if there Sunday ..... (we got asked to take our washing in), Callanish Stones, Luskentyre

depending on work being nice we might be there May or Sept. have fun

I thought Mull was great. For a start, the wee campsite at Fidden is superbly located and is a short walk from the pub in Fionnphort.
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Iona was, however, a complete disappointment.

I also went S-N doing the Outer Hebrides and had a headwind for 4 days.....

And here's Horgabost beach looking way too busy
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all sorted and booked now. mull is getting visited.
lewis is off the list.

cant bloody wait.......... 8)

Pics and a write up after your trip please Ton... 🙂

I live here all year round so have no choice re. weather and midges. Best months are definitely May & September. However last year with our long dry summer, the midges weren't that bad at all. Use Smidge and you'll be fine.

The area between Mallaig and Kilchoan is stunning and could easily fill a fortnight by itself. However since you don't have that long a few highlights would be Arisaig for views, Glenuig Smokehouse, Acharacle bakery, Kentra bay and Ardnamurchan lighthouse. Loch Moidart etc... I could go on

Excellent!

Makes me want to go back.

Huisinis on North Harris is worth considering. Lovely place and road.

Pictures please 🙂

May the weather be with you...

Cheers
Paul

keep the tips coming please.
it does look quite good, also managed to get some pretty good digs in various places.

Early summer when the wildflowers are out on the machair. Check out the [url= http://www.gatliff.org.uk ]Gatliff trust hostels[/url] if you want to stay in amazing places (location) for next to nothing too.
Train to Oban, ferry to Barra and cycle north to Lewis.

Any top tips for day rides on Mull and Ardnamurchan?
We were thinking of a week up there with campervan & bikes

Be prepared to change your plans and have a copy of the ferry timetables to hand.

I did a wee tour of the islands last year in August, cue 50/60mph winds from the north, heavy rain, cancelled ferries and a flattened tent at Banranald campsite.
I had intended on doing your initial route albeit a little quicker, but ended up doing your second route in 4 days! The winds were that strong from the North meant that I couldn't avoid going fast (top 10 on Strava from broad ford to Armadale on Skye 😕 ) and consequently arrivied stupidly early for every ferry and ended up doing way more miles each day than I had planned.

I really enjoyed it and want to go back in better weather.

Get yourself a copy of [url= http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/643/title/cycling-in-the-hebrides#.VL7toIGQGK0 ]touring in the hebrides[/url] by cicerone guidebooks, a cracking read and very helpful as it has the best routes laid out for you

Second that Cicerone book above. I found it invaluable. You can link up routes on the fly, which you will invariably end up doing due conditions/energy levels, etc.

I went in May the first time and it was mostly wet. The second time was in August was mostly dry, apart from one day. Midges weren't too much of an issue on either trip, but I had plenty of Skin So Soft.

I really enjoyed Mull, but I didn't have a huge time to explore. Glad I didn't miss it out though 🙂

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Also... two kitchen sink items I wouldn't have been without...

A small portable radio to listen to Radio 4 in the the tent. Very comforting when the wind and rain is lashing... and a lightweight kite to fly on the beach in the evenings. Some beautiful moments doing that 🙂

You can see it in the last pic above sticking out of the back...

been doing as much reading up and looking at a few blogs about the hebrides....wish i had a month spare rather than 2 weeks.

Best to leave wanting more I think!

I met a guy who was riding around for a month following a triple heart bypass. Or was it quadruple? Anyway, he was having the time of his life, but taking it understandably steady, 30 miles a day or so I think.

ElShalimo

Any top tips for day rides on Mull and Ardnamurchan?
We were thinking of a week up there with campervan & bikes

I did a blog post at http://niksbikingblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/ardnamurchan-northern-route-here-are.html for a route I did out from Acharacle to Sanna Bay on the Ardnamurchan peninsula.

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Well worth doing if you have a mountain bike. Some choice photos:

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Best ride from south to north so you have more chances of tail winds.

I loved Mull, get a scallop supper from the chip van in Tobermory, visit Calgary beach and if you can squeeze it in a boat trip out to Staffa and Iona.