Hebridean afficianado’s assemble – octegenarian holiday

In a couple of weeks I head off to travel length of Hebrides with my 81 year old father. It is a holiday he planned with my mum 23 years ago and never made due to her cancer.

He will have a pile of books. We have the camper as a ‘mobile bad weather and tea stop’. He is staying in hotels/B&B’s and I am camping. He will probably have a snooze most afternoons and I will just go for a walk wherever we are.

Suggest some easy walks for a slightly unstable but happy to walk 2-3km 81 year old, some historic places to visit, nice community cafe’s, arts places etc. I am fairly confident on a few of the beaches etc, but just could do with some more ideas.

Balranald RSPB reserve on N Uist has a lovely coastal walk and there’s a food van selling soup, rolls etc at the campsite.

Uist Sculpture Trail for some out-of-the-way artwork.

The usual stops on Lewis and Harris – Rodel, Callanish, Carloway, Gearannan, Ness lighthouse.

In Stornoway there’s a lovely walk from the castle grounds, up a wee hill. Decent cafe at the bottom.

An Iolaire Memorial near Stornoway.

I had forgotten about the castle and museum in Stornoway. Added to the itinerary.

Callanish, Carloway and Ness 👍

If coming to Mull: Daytrip to Iona, Fidden Farm campsite,  Knockvologan beach, drive up the west coast from Kinloch, around Loch na Keal, wee ferry across to Ulva and seafood lunch at the Boathouse. Continue on coast road past Calgary Bay, Dervaig and into Tobermory. Visit to Brown’s in Tobermory for the craic, scallops and chips from Fisherman’s Pier chippy.

Sorry – I should have been clearer. We are off to outer Hebrides – from Butt of Lewis to Vatersay.

We did inner Hebrides last year – Islay & Jura, then onto Mull and Iona. Mull and Iona were superb weather. Islay was wet, wet, wet and we had a wild, stormy day on Jura… We loved Ulva as well.

Barpa Langais cairn and the stone circle. Fair chance of spotting an otter on the return route.

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/outer-hebrides/barpa-langass.shtml

Viewpoint on Cleitreabhal on a clear day to spot St Kilda.

Berneray for the West Beach and a fantastic cafe.

Great Bernera (Lewis) for the iron age house at Bosta

A lot of this is quite spread out but might work really well for your father as the bits of driving go through great locations and the outings are short.

Stornoway Castle is also surprisingly not much more than other accommodation last time I looked if “Staying in a castle” appeals. Woodlands cafe in the castle grounds is also good. Usually an interesting exhibition in An Lanntair in town, too.

Ness historical society have put a lot of work into what’s now quite a big cafe / local history centre, worth a visit if you go up to Ness / The Butt.

The gallery on the left as you come our of Barvas heading for Ness always used to do the best coffee in Lewis (IMHO) and usually had some interesting art.

Skoon gallery along the Golden Road was often worth the trip

ETA Some walks: Castle grounds is very pleasant. North Tolsta and head out over the “bridge to nowhere” is a good spot for some exploring. Coffin Road from the Bays of Harris to Luskentyre is very scenic but quite steep.

North Tolsta and head out over the “bridge to nowhere” is a good spot for some exploring.

Tolsta is also handy if you’re hankering after a beach walk and the wind is doing that (normal) Southwesterly thing.

The last time we were on Lewis we walked round the old RAF base at Gallan Head and ate at the Edge Cafe. If he’s interested in old military sites that might be interesting. You could combine it with a trip to the stone bothy at Mangersta, though you might want to make sure he doesn’t disappear over the cliffs 😂

Hushinish for beaches, a short wander about & the old whaling station on the road out.

If he’s after a slightly longer wander, out and back to the high point on the Postman’s Path to Reinigeadal.  Or north along Loch Lacasdail and back.

Then lunch at the Scalpay cafe.  Which also does superb seafood when in its evening guise as a restaurant.

There’s another pleasant walk out to the lighthouse there too.

Folk museum at Mingarry on S Uist.

Lewis & Harris

Bostadh beach – iron age village and stunning scenery

Huisnish beach – eagle spotting hut not far from the road at Miabhaig

Luskentyre beach

Seilebost beach – nice beach with views over to Luskentyre and the hills beyond – visitor centre and good cafe couple of miles SW

Drive along the Golden Road and stop for a lunch

Nice little cafe at the end of the road at Northton –  Croft36 local bakers hut and honesty box thing along that minor road

Berneray west coast beach and cafe near ferry terminal

North Uist

Traigh Iar beach and dunes

Traigh Stir beach near Hosta

Balrandald nature reserve

Baleshare – just worth going to look at the waves and  distant St Kilda

It’s worth going up Eabhal whilst there. You can leave you Dad to mooch about near the car at Clachan Burrabhal or Cladach Chairinis and you can zoom up and back

South Uist

Pop into the cafe and local jewellers at Iochdar

At the end of the Loch Sgiopoirt road there are some nice little paths to wander along for a picnic and look at the big hills

Downpour gin distillery on benbecula, just south of balivanich at Nunton, site of the historic land grab after WW1. Gin tasting etc, great spot in an old steading. The gins are fabulous 🤩

The little sea food cafe at kallin. Scallop and black pudding rolls are Devine. It’s in the back of a tiny hardware store, right on the harbour and a lovely spot in it’s own right

There’s an interesting boat museum nearby on grimsay, great for a dull day

Second Balranald, you can get right down to the shore and spectacular views out to the Monarch islands and along the coast

I’ll leave this here

https://www.uistscandibakery.com/

We’ve not been but often lust after the products on Instagram.

I’ll leave this here

https://www.uistscandibakery.com/

We’ve not been but often lust after the products on Instagram.

scallops and chips from Fisherman’s Pier chippy

… Eaten whilst dangling your feet over the side of the pier, washed down with a little bottle of prosecco from the co-op. One of the top five meals I’ve ever had, it’s getting a bit dusty in here just thinking about it.

Barra- Garadh A Bhagh A Tuath community cafe for lovely food and nice local vibe.

Also nice currry in Castlebray.

watch plane come in at airport!

Vatersay- double beaches, short walk from community tea room, free camping, just pay for shower.

S.Uist- +1 for folk museum  and near golf course for possible corncrake? Golf course is famous if Pop’s is interested in golf?

N.Uist – smoke house at Clachan

How did I forget the smokehouse 🤦‍♂️ ??

They also do nice cheese

Barra- Garadh A Bhagh A Tuath community cafe for lovely food and nice local vibe.

He will love that, having been running similar projects half his life….

The double beach on Vatersay is the place where I’ve had my best corncrake experience.  Whilst picnicing on proper prawns, crusty bread and salad, sat on the sand at the edge of the Machair.  Absolute bliss.

You also pass a memorial to the crew of a crashed Catalina on the way there, right at the roadside and there’s still bits of wreckage just sitting on the grass.

In that case, pop into the one in Ness too.

Also nice currry in Castlebray.

Just booked, thank you. He has lived a good part of his life in India too, and I was born there, so any excuse for a good curry!

Where is a good chippy on Uists or Harris & Lewis?

n that case, pop into the one in Ness too.

noted.

Chippy – Daliburgh – South Uist

in the petrol station opposite the Co-op

https://www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/daliburgh-p238841

👍🏽

if you are down there pop over to Eriskay to stare at the ponies

I forgot to mention re: South Uist
if you’re awake just after dawn you can often see short eared? owls gliding above the edge of the roads hunting rodents for breakfast (the roads tend to be elevated so they don’t sink in the bogs – it’s the same behaviour as the ones in the Peak District skirting 2m above the heather near the edges of peat groughs). We’ve seen this a few times when we’ve been doing the mad dash for the early ferry. At that time of day the deer are about too but they’re much less interesting

Good luck with the otter spotting. We’ve played hide and seek with them in several popular otter spotting locations and they’ve won every time !

I bagged a ride on a boat trip around mingulay and barra head. Unforgettable.

And get yourself a Peat and Diesel cd for the driving part

Nice to hear about the short eared owls on S Uist; we had much the same sort of sighting while riding on N Uist on a tour a few years ago, away out on the western road.

Then came around a corner to find a little owl sitting on a fencepost, which (nearly) ignored us riding past, just rotated its head to keep us in view… shortly followed by a golden eagle overhead.  fabulous.

St Kilda boat trip….? We did last September.  the run out in a big rib from Leverborough was lumpy as hell.  Sun came out as we arrived and zagged among the stacks, under clouds of seabirds.  Ashore on Hirta, the sun stayed with us; another highlight being the St Kilda ‘big’ wrens.  They’re quite tame.

Yes if you interested in wildlife especially birds then I recommend just finding a quiet spot to have breakfast and waiting. Fabulous bird like the short eared owl and hen harrier will come by, the owls especially will have a circuit and you’ll probably see them several times before they perch on a fence post close by. Harriers on the quieter north just roads will fly alongside as you drive, superb

Re otters. we looked everywhere we went for the elusive beasties with no luck…… But on our way back home in terrible weather, we were holed up in the waiting room in the ferry port on Eriskay, when a fellow waiter asked if we were interested in otters. Spent the next 1/2 hour watching the otter fishing and eating its catch! Apparently they often hang out in the harbour and are seemingly unphased by the comings and going of people and ferries.

And get yourself a Peat and Diesel cd for the driving part

There’s Elephant Sessions and Valtos lined up already…

Re otters

Aye, we’ve seen a good few now both salty on the coast and local rivers.

This dude was growling at mrs_oab who was clearly sat on his rock – otter was within arms reach of us and a couple of other people…

That’s a great pic!

that Peat and Diesel track up there is effing ace and perfect for driving through the islands! Makes me laugh every time I hear it

I work on the islands a fair bit and get to stay several weeks, I love it. Don’t miss out the east coast, the wildlife is superb and the view back to Skye, Rum and the mainland is fabulous. Have watched the short ear owl come by every morning like clockwork, its very impressive

Oh and the fishmonger in Balivanich is ace