Mike's Natural Musings: Isle of Harris, Day 3. Luskentyre, Scarista and The Bays Road.

Sunday 4 June 2023

Isle of Harris, Day 3. Luskentyre, Scarista and The Bays Road.

After two long days of travelling to get here I slept well in our warm and comfortable bothy - we look forward to trying the sauna. I was woken early by the sun streaming through the blinds of the bedroom. A cup of tea and shower later I was out taking some photographs of our immediate surroundings. There is a fabulous view of the bay from our front door and I was reminded of last night's stunning full Strawberry Moon rising out of the sea. Breakfast and unpacking completed, we set out for a walk to explore Grosebay and the Golden Road. It gets its name by dint of the cost of construction. It is

otherwise known as The Bays Road and runs along the east coast of South Harris. Returning to the cottage, a quick packup was put together and we headed out for the west coast; first stop Seilebost/Luskentyre beach. I have known of Luskentyre for years, partly through photography connections and the detective novels of Peter May, some of which are set in the Hebrides. Our first glimpse, as we descended from high ground, was tantalising. We chose the slight peninsula on which sits Seilebost school. We joined only a very few other visitors and when we reached the beach we had the vast area mostly to ourselves - amazing. As we walked across the dunes from the car, the beach began to come into view with the cerulean blue of the sky and the more muted dark greens and browns of the Harris mountains behind. In the foreground was a whole pallete of blues in the sea: indigo, peacock, turquoise, dark egg and sky, interspersed with stripes of golden sand and the acid greens of seaweed. I have waited years to experience this spectacle.

We continued our drive with a visit to Scarista for tea and cake before checking out the ferry terminal at Leverburgh. We decided to return via The Bays Road and what an experience: narrow, precipitous,undulating and spectacular. Pretty, no! An alien landscape of Lewisian Gneis, more lunarscape than landscape; it was used to depict Jupiter in the film 2001 a Space Odyssey. During the clearances of the early 19thC many crofters from the fertile west were forced to move here to eke out a living or emigrate.

It was of course beer o'clock!

The Bays Road runs past the cottage.

The cottage.....

....and sauna.

The view from the cottage.

The old school