A few pics from the Western Isles.

[G.C.]

We started at Barra and worked our way North. I have never seem so many creels at the side of lochs/roads. I'm told they are left out in the sun to bleach.
Barra.

Scene of the plane crash in Vatersay 1944. 3 Died but 9 survived.
The wreckage is still there.

Barra airstrip !

Then on to Eriskay South Uist and Benbecula.

Stinky corner aint that stinky!
You catch em and Ill eat them.

Some of the best beaches I have ever seen.

This was on Bernaray.

We ate lots. This was a starter !

Squeezy cheese and oatcakes for lunch.

Some wee French twat apparently landed here when the Redcoats were after him. This is on The Isle Of Lewis.

Ill try and get some more done later.

 

[boatman]

nice pics there GC its a guid bit o the world tae visit when ye need a bit o space i went up after the gotc this year. defo going back wi more time tae take it in cheers boatman

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Barra!

Nice pics.

We camped next to the airport terminal on Barra than when everyone had gone home I had the HP2 over 100mph on the sand 'runway'........! The tide came in to less than 10 feet from our tent porch.

We ate a lot at the 'Kisimul Cafe' in Castlebay which was nice.

The beaches were indeed excellent and the food was good wherever we ate.

We eventually made up to Stornoway then on to Skye and up to Ullapool and Durness etc.

It was our first time on the outer Hebrides and it was all good including the weather but I liked Barra best and can't wait to go back there!

FP.

 

[garfield]

outstanding G.C. I'm planning something similar next year I hope....more pics please....

 

[Posh Pete]

Good pics Gordon

Did the same trip in reverse last week or tried to ... guess which numptie thought he wouldn't have to book the Lochboisdale ferry? ("It's only a couple of bikes. They can aye squeeze us on.") Ended up going from Tarbert to Uiginstead after checking with CALMAC in Stornoway. Thank goodness I did or we'd have been well stuffed. Lesson learned for next time: BOOK ALL THE FERRIES!

The beaches are truly stunning out there and the weather was great too. Same last year apparently?

Here's a couple of pics of Luskentyre beach ...

And one on the other side of the bay, on the Huisnis road ...

Saw the minaret ... near Lochs? and didn't stop to look, so thanks for the info re himself. onyack

Interesting also to be in a part of Scotland where English was not the automatic first language of the natives or at least the older generation anyway. How did they react when the "biker chick" Kathleen spoke in the Gaelic?

Hope you don't mind me piggy backing on your post!

 

[Aidan1150]

Simply beautiful Gordon. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

 

[Greg Masters]

Stinky Corner can be VERY stinky!



Greg

 

[Den]

Gordon .... have you been at camera classes. Great shots. Especially the beach with the blue string.
Glad you got the weather.

 

[Thor]

Stunning photaes

 

[Uinneag]

Gordon .... have you been at camera classes. Great shots. Especially the beach with the blue string.
Glad you got the weather.

Naw he took 25,000 pics and showed me them aw on his way back


Crackin pics G.C.

 

[skyenet]

Crackin pics G.C.

+1

Went down the Western isles on my Honeymoon. Weather wasn't that good, so spent a lot of times indoors

 

[G.C.]

Ta for the comments, Johnny’s right, we took hundreds of pics working on the 5% rule.
Took a run out to Rodel on Harris, the church was built around 1500 by the Macleods of Dunvegan and Harris.

Folk leave coins and little prayers on ledges.

Its been about 20 years since we were last there, the hotel has improved.

That’s the old bar on the left, whisky galore legends abide. Had some good nights in there.

Kathleen tends to go covert till someone says something that they shouldn’t have then she’ll say something in Gaelic to me. Gets some good reactions.
The Lochs are just down from the minaret, the brownies were small but plentiful.

Some more random pics.....

Taking life seriously

F.P. the Kisimul Café was full but the food looked really good, next time.
The ferries were chocca, which has got to be good for the Islanders. There was talk of jobs going on the missile base in Benbecula again last week. We took a run through the launch site, it’s a bit strange there now.

Americans, Swiss, Germans and our own air force used to test their missiles here, Kathleen’s uncle tells me that the Americans were arses but the Germans were great.

Petrol wasn`t cheep.

Back on Vatersay.

10 Islands in 6 days, very relaxed pace, loads o single track, loads of food. Highly recommended.

Just in case you missed the earlier post, by the time we arrived in Oonyackistan my bike was in need of a wee rest !!

Nothing wrong with hismaj`s drive, just got my foot caught and the weight was too much to recover.

My pics are getting a bit better but its just a side effect of this site, learning from other folk and taking loads.
I like this one.

Slainte

 

[arcboutant]

cheers for that Gordon...........

had promised myself that trip later in the year,not sure whether south to north or vice versa (ooh ,isn't he multilingual). Have done N to S on 4 wheels a couple of times. The machair to the west of Berneray is something else too - camping here we come!!!

 

[Blackal]

Taking life seriously

Thought you'd just spotted Ronno's dad

Al

 

[arcboutant]

'Thought you'd just spotted Ronno's dad '

mmm! mair like Ronno himsel' frae the death mask look on his face!!!

 

[Big Jets]

Brilliant Gordon its very special overthere

 

[Deleted account rno]

Top, top pics there, Gordon.

That looks a great trip and one I'm even more determined to do havin' seen yer photies.

 

[Jazbee]

+1
G.C. How about giving us a low down on the trip - ferry's and route etc? It looks a cracker and wouldn't mind doing it as well

 

[AndyT]

Nice one GC. I meant to do a similar trip myself this year but it hasn't happened yet. Next year for sure hopefully around a week as Iwant to take in the North dide of Scotland and a trip to Orkney too. Great pics by the way

AndyT

 

[G.C.]

G.C. How about giving us a low down on the trip - ferry's and route

We started in Oban and finished in Mallaig.

Calmac Hopscotch 23 - Barra, Uists, Harris & Skye.
The cost for the bike and the two of us on the 5 ferries was £120.
That’s about half the price it was last year.

We planned our route on a tea towel over a bottle of wine, is there any other way !
The outline was to stay on the West side as much a possible, that’s where the best beaches are.
Kathleen grew up in Benbeccula and still has some family over there so we made a few wee detours.
Stayed in B&B the first night on Barra. We arrived in Castlebay to find the landlady hade fresh homemade scones ready waiting for us in our room

B&B again the next two nights in Benbeccula. Close to the Dark Island hotel, the plan was that I could park up for the night and go for a pint. I didn’t bother the second night

The last two nights, well, extravagant self indulgence comes close to describing Ardhasaig House.
Katie's food was outstanding.
More than I would normally spend but its nice to indulge yourself now and again.
Ill dig out the B&B addresses when I get home later, both were excellent and very reasonably priced at somewhere between £25 and £30 pppn.
We booked our accommodation and all the ferries well in advance.
Did lots of touristy stuff and some stravaigin in between. When Kathleen spots a jewellery workshop sign at the side of the road, then that’s the next hour taken care of . But, equally, I get to stop at the occasional hill loch and get my fly rod out for an hour.
We made sure that we arrived at the Berneray ferry with a couple of hours to spare, and carried on past the terminal. We had been told to look out for a small windmill and take a left past it.
That’s the pic of me playing in the grass and the best beach.
The Islands aren't very big less than 3 tanks of fuel and just over 600 miles.
HTH