BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE AND WILD HORSES

Eriskay in front; South Uist in distance

The ferry from Barra sailing north deposits visitors on Eriskay, a delightful isle filled with romance — for example, the famous Love Lilt and the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed. He set foot on a beach here in the summer of 1745 on the west of Eriskay. I stood on the exact spot.

The isles from Barra north to North Uist are Catholic and statues and

The prince set foot on the sand just below the grass

shrines to the Virgin Mary are dotted along the highways here. I noticed the ticket office on the ferry had several crosses pinned to the walls. The churches are small but exquisite.

I ate a lousy lunch at the pub, MV Politician, memorializing the wreck of this ship that Compton MacKenzie wrote of in Whisky Galore. The movie of the same name was filmed here and on Barra. It took me just an hour to drive all the roads on Eriskay before crossing the causeway onto South Uist to the north.

Loch Druidibeag

South Uist is a long narrow island deeply indented with sea lochs on the east and is one long sand beach and dunes on the west. Inland is moorland rising up to small mountains in the centre of the isle. The Isle of Benbecula separates S. Uist from N. Uist and they are connected by causeways. Today it was very warm with little wind and good visibility.


I stopped at Kildonan Museum and was struck by the hard lives of those who eked out a living here before WW1. They survived by fishing and digging peat. Today they still fish but also farm sheep and some cattle. These roam freely and are often found in the middle of the roads.

I also took some detours from the main north-south road and saw thatched crofts, castle ruins, and many Mute Swans on the lochs. The history here dates back to Neolithic times and Christianity arrived very early. I tooks some photos of some ruined chapels that were built in the 13th century but probably were a Christian worship site much earlier.

A wild pony on N. Uist

My highlight on North Uist was a side trip to Lochs Druidibeag and Sgioport, down a long winding lane to the east coast. At the very end, beside the ruin of a croft were two wild ponies. They are small, like Shetlands, and were quite unfazed by my presence. On the way back to the main road, I stopped and photographed a herd of blonde ponies grazing beside the road and stepping delicately around the heather.

After seven hours of driving, I arrived at the Hamersay House in Lochmaddy on North Uist. This is a modern hotel with a bar and a recommended restaurant. However my duck breast was overdone, which was disappointing.

It was a long day of driving, but rewarding. I'm happy that I have three nights here and, hopefully, a rest before moving on to Harris and Lewis.

This tour of the Outer Hebrides was customized for us by McKinlay Kidd and saved us the bother of figuring out and booking ferries and hotels. They also gave us the places we should see on our travels here. So far, it has proved to be perfect.

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