THE WILDS OF NORTH UIST

Typical N. Uist landscape

Set out from the Hamersay House, an excellent hotel in Lochmaddy, to explore the very northern tip of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Roads continue to be single-track with passing places and the one this morning goes all the way around the north of the island, with a few no-through lanes darting off to the coast.

The country here is flat, wind-swept, and has no trees at all. Sea lochs penetrate inland and it was low tide. The colours of the landscape are green, yellow, brown, and the blue of the sky. Houses and crofts are well separated, and sheep predominate. It feels remote and it is. Strangely beautiful in all its guises and in all lights.

Scolpaig Tower

As we wound around the top of N. Uist, we came upon the remains of a tower perched on an islet in a shallow loch. In the distance could be seen the island of Hasgeir with a light house on top. These uninhabited islands are home to the breeding colonies of gannets, kittiwakes, and many species of seabirds. The time to visit for birding is in the spring, of course. Though I did nearly run over a cock pheasant today.

A beautiful croft at Traigh Bhalaigh

The most amazing feature here are the shallow, wide sea lochs that the ebbing tide turns into acres and acres of white sand. They are quite stunning. Beside one we came upon a restored croft with a thatched roof held in place by rocks attached to chicken wire. Peat is still cut and used for fuel here – it is the brown pile beside the animal's byre on the right of the photo.

There are many more abandoned and neglected crofts in the Outer Hebrides than there are those that are still occupied. The ones that are lived in are mainly now bought by owners from the mainland wanting a holiday home or for retirement. The climate in North Uist is mild and rarely drops below -2C in the winter, despite the winter storms and gales that roar over the island.

Tigharry

At Tigharry is a huge bay with many sandy beaches and on the left-hand headland is an RSPB reserve (Balranald). Sadly we didn't stop here, as much as I would have liked to, as my husband was still not feeling up to walking. But, it is beautiful - sandy, grassy plain that sports a carpet of wild flowers and is home to 600 pairs of wading birds, as well as otters. From May to August, visitors can take guided walks with the staff. A must-do, IMHO.

As we returned to Lochmaddy for a late lunch in the pub overlooking the sea, we made a six mile detour along Locheport, a sea loch that almost reaches the west coast of North Uist. Here the landscape changes a bit, with purple mountains in the distance. It is achingly beautiful in the sun with blue waters, crofts, brown streams, rock bridges, sheep everywhere, and heather growing on the granite outcrops.

Locheport and Mt. Eabal

IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2014

              All rights reserved

EXPLORING BARRA AND VATERSAY

Castlebay, Barra

After landing at Barra's beach airport, one of the world's ten best approaches, I drove into Castlebay. This is the main village on the island and is well named for out in the middle of the bay is a medieval castle sitting on a rock. Kisimul has guarded Barra since prehistory. Why? It also has a fresh water spring within it. More later.

I'm staying at Castlebay Hotel, built in 1880, that has a commanding view of the bay. This morning, after an enormous Scottish breakfast, I was ready to explore the whole island and the smaller Isle of Vatersay, to the south. The wind blew the marine cloud away at 11am and I wandered happily.

Earsary on the east coast

Eoligarry in the north

I started on the east coast of Barra, considered to be less beautiful than the west, Atlantic side. It has it's own charm, however. I prowled by rocky, narrow inlets, white houses scattered beside these sheltered harbours, and shooed sheep out of my way. Up the winding road to the north, I found Eoligarry with a small harbour and a vast, empty beach, one of many here. This is a trailhead for hikers and serious walkers as the road ends here. The sun made its appearance and brightened steadily.

The only way to follow the west coast road south was to backtrack a bit, drive past the airport that was preparing for the first flight of the day, and then start stopping around every corner. The coast is sand dunes, empty, and wild. Inland the ground rises to small mountains, covered with rocks, heather, and bracken. The Atlantic swells are unimpeded from the west, and surfers love their purity. I didn't see any, but it's out of season.

Allasdale on Barra's west coast

Along this west side of Barra, the beaches are white sand, crescent-shaped, and quite unspoiled. A walk here is a must. I've found my low-cut hiking boots to be the best thing I packed on this trip. The sand is packed hard by the tides, and the smell of the sea filled my nose. Cattle and sheep were the only living creatures I encountered, except for one woman reading her book on a bench.

The dunes at Allasdale

I circled the whole island and returned to my hotel for a snack lunch in the bar with a pint of pale ale from the Orkneys.

Again I stared at the castle in the bay and read that the Vikings used this site and fortified it before the Clan Macneil made it their stronghold. They were known for their lawlessness and piracy in Elizabethan times. By the 18th century the Macneils had abandoned the castle for a more comfortable spot on Barra. It deteriorated and the clan lost it to bankruptcy as well as their ownership of Barra.

Most of the clan emigrated to Canada and in 1915 one of them made a successful claim to recover the chiefdom and Barra. Eventually the castle underwent an excellent restoration from 1956–1970. It is well worth a visit today by taking a boat tour from Castlebay.

*****

Siar Bay faces west and the Atlantic

I set out for Vatersay, the tiny island south of Barra. A short causeway joins the two islands now, built in 1991. Although tiny, this isle has two of the best beaches in the Hebrides. One faces east and directly behind it, separated by dunes, the other faces the Atlantic.

The roads here are strewn with sheep and often have grass growing down the middle. Sometimes they simply peter out and somehow I had to turn the car around with little room. This lane is the width of a Honda Fit, which is the rental car I have here. I wouldn't want anything bigger....

Eighty people are resident year-round on Vatersay and are mainly fishers and farmers. There is a huge demand for herring, lobster, hake and other fish and shellfish from the Hebrides.

After a pleasant hour exploring, walking, and photographing, I had thoroughly covered the whole of Vatersay. There are no cafés, washrooms, or any facilities for visitors here. Nor a gas station, stores, or gift shops. It is totally unspoiled.

Our tour of the Outer Hebrides was customized for me by McKinlay Kidd, award-winning experts in tours of Scotland and Ireland.

IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2014. All rights reserved

BREATHTAKING TIREE

Soroby Bay with byre for the Highland cattle

Windswept, treeless, quiet, Tiree is the most unspoiled place I've been to in a long, long time. The white sand beaches are empty of people and the sea is turquoise.

I arrived in fog, the air so humid it condensed on my face. The light was terrible and I wondered if I was going to see the island as I had always longed to experience it. Next morning the breeze blew away the fog and the sun shone all day giving me perfect visibility.

Scarinish Hotel and harbour

There are two hotels here and a handful of B&Bs. Mine is the oldest, the Scarinish Hotel on the main harbour, which is tiny. The hotel is tired, but the rooms clean and comfortable. It overlooks the small harbour entrance. This is a workers' hotel — the snug is packed at 5:30pm every day as they stop for a beer on the way home. It's old-fashioned with worn wood and hasn't been painted since the 1950s. it's noisy too. The dining room is clean and serves reasonable dinners, but mediocre breakfasts. Service in the evening is extremely slow — I waited 45 mins from ordering to getting my main course. But there is little choice here. Tonight I tried the Tiree Lodge, and it was terrible. Poor service, chips with everything, and kids running around the resto. However the bar is nice and serves good IPA from Colonsay.

© James S. Ferguson as I was driving!!

I drove around this tiny island taking the odd side trip today and it was nothing short of stunning. There were no tourists, except the odd cyclists and the roads are all single-lane with passing places, which made me happy to be driving a midget car. The houses are mostly converted crofts and stand out  from the grassy landscape as they are white-washed. The islanders farm, sheep and cattle mostly, and the livestock run at liberty all over the place. They are the only cause of traffic jams!

I'd been longing to see some Highland cattle — rust red with huge horns. Not only did I see them, I saw them close, along with one calf and several bigger youngsters. They came right up to the fence for close-ups and one posed for his photo. These had all won awards except the calf. Their owners run the only place I ate a decent meal. Farmhouse Café is unprepossessing on the outside but is friendly, fun, and serves home-made, delicious dishes with quite a flair. It has a lovely view from the back where the tables are.



Some old churches dot the landscape. Two were still in use, but others have been converted into homes. There are largish farms, but not many, and the occasional modern windmill provides power to homes. Some residences cluster together in tiny villages, but most are widely spread out. Almost all enjoy the spectacular views.

In fact there is a new vista round every corner and they had me stopping so often that I took from 10am to 3:00pm to travel around an island that is 10 miles long and about 6 miles at its widest point. From the west coast, there is no more land until you reach the USA.

Salum Bay on the northwest coast

Images: © Photos by Pharos 2014, except where noted. All rights reserved

HIGH SUMMER ON GALIANO

After a delicious breakfast in Galiano Inn's resto on our last full day on Galiano, we headed out in the hot sunshine to find some interesting places and people to visit. Once again we took one of the inn's Smartcars and it was just as well we did. We travelled main roads (two lanes) and narrow, country lanes wide enough for a small, very small car.
We wanted to find a few spots that were less well known by tourists and a couple that are favourites.

Heading north, stopped at the glass studio, but it wasn't our cup of tea, and crossed the main road in search of a few galleries on the map that we never found or were closed.

© James S. Ferguson

Next stop was easy—Cable Bay Farm in mid-island. This is the home of Galiano's photographer, Henny Schnare, and her family. What a great place to stop on a Tuesday! Tuesdays are the farm's weekly open house and market day. Henny has a thing about basil and it grows in vast abundance—she gave us a huge bunch for the chef at Galiano Inn. But the small acreage grows all sorts of organic produce for purchase and for the restaurants, pubs, cafés, and B&Bs on the island.

Henny is the most welcoming and enthusiastic person I've ever met. Wildly fun too! She invited us into her farm kitchen as my husband wanted to buy an enlargement of an image of hers. We also met her daughter and husband, who is a retired master mariner. We had a great time and walked out with a huge signed photograph that is now framed and graces our kitchen. Her skills with a camera are legendary on Galiano and you see her images everywhere. They're gorgeous.

Henny directed us to drive across the main road at the end of their driveway and follow the lane to the sea. Soon we could go no further and found Retreat Cove, tucked away and sheltered, with a small island in the centre. There's a cave to explore if you go through a gate on the left at the road's end. Idyllic, does not do this spot justice, especially in high summer. And, there were only six tourists and a couple of locals who were fishing off a rock. Here, Henny and her husband Tom moor their boat.


We drove south to visit the provincial park just off the road to Montague
Harbour. This is a forested park with camping and RV spots that ends at White Shell Beach. When we were there in mid-August, the campground was nearly empty and the beach had only two kayaks pulled up to the high tide line while their paddlers enjoyed a picnic. Galiano's shores are a kayakers paradise, sheltered and calm on the western side away from the Georgia Strait. Visitors can rent kayaks and canoes at Montague Harbour where we planned to eat lunch.

This is the main "town" on Galiano and is really a marina packed with boats in the summer. Many are anchored in the bay and their owners row into the marina for supplies and showers. We joined many of them for a good lunch at the Sea Blush Café with a pint of pale ale. The food is plentiful and mostly seafood, but the view is amazing. We sat and admired it and the marine traffic for longer than we were welcome, given the number of hungry patrons who were waiting!

As the weather was perfection, we returned to Whaler Bay, which we had visited on an overcast morning to meet a local artist whose work we had admired in a gallery. I wanted to get some good images in sunshine. It was worth taking the time to go again.

Whaler Bay is big as the bays go on Galiano and has a government wharf. It sits on the east coast facing the Georgia Strait but is long and narrow so provides sheltered moorage and anchorages with Gossip Island guarding its entrance. Today it was quiet and beautiful.

Of course, many moons ago, this was a place from which small whalers operated and logs were dumped. Today it is clean and a haven for wildlife from land, sea, and air, as well as residents and sailors. Stand still awhile and you'll see osprey, waterfowl, raccoons and mink. The waters are home to fish again.

Our last stop was a left turn at Sturdies Bay on Active Pass and down a windy lane called Gulf Drive. We found three lovely coves here and for about fifteen minutes watched seals playing in a bay as the ferries to Victoria and the mainland sailed by with their sirens blaring.

I found it almost impossible to tear myself away from these tranquil spots so far from the madding crowd. Tourists were few and the locals were always happy to chat and give advice as where we should go next.

Sadly, it was late and we were leaving early the next morning. But first we enjoyed our last dinner on our patio watching the super moon for the third night in a row.

IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2013. All rights reserved.