A Day at Elgol

 For the first time in this trip we had rain overnight and an overcast, but still very warm day. A scratch breakfast in our room was followed by excellent coffee and cake in Sky Skyns at the back of the car park and then it was time to hit the single track roads again from Broadford to Elgol, a tiny harbour at the road head with superb views across Loch Scavaig to the Cuillan Hills. Although I had been grumbling about brassy blue skies which were horrbile for landscape photography, I was now confronted by too much cloud over the mountains. Photographers are never happy with the light. Still, there is no such thing as bad light, just light. Or so the saying goes - usually by someone who is not taking photographs. There were boats buzzing backwards and forwards across the loch and a cruise ship: Adventure Canada, anchored on the far side. After I had completed my photography we enjoyed sitting in our chairs with a packup and watching the world go by. Just as we were leaving a small fishing boat we had been watching came in to land its catch: masses of crabs and lobsters. The fisherman was very chatty as he looked for a single crayfish in a box full of lobsters, destined for the seafood shack above the harbour, along with some lobsters and crabs. He said that, although a small proportion of his catch went to local restaurants, the majority went abroad. How sad!

Returning to Portree, we indulged in the most magnificent fish and chips which we ate sitting on the harbour wall.

Bla Bheinn from the Elgol Road.

Bla Bheinn from the Elgol Road.

Bla Bheinn across Loch Slapin

The Cuillin from Elgol

The Cuillin from Elgol

The Cuillin from Elgol

The Cuillin from Elgol

The Cuillin from Elgol

The Cuillin from Elgol

The Cuillin from Elgol

The Cuillin from Elgol

The catch

The Cuillin from Elgol

Harbour detail

The Cuillin from Elgol

Portree Harbour

Over the Sea to Skye

It was time to say goodbye to our cottage, the tame chickens who always come out to greet us and to the Isle of Harris. It has been a wonderful week and we are are determined to return. It didn't take long to pack and we were soon loaded and on our way back to Tarbert to park in the queue for the ferry with plenty of time to visit the distillary - well it would be rude not to!! It is a new distillery and currently only selling gin. The first batch of whiskey spirit is made, though, and in barrels maturing, but this will no doubt take 10 years or so. Although hazy over the Minch it was still warm at 23C and when we landed back at Uig it was clear again. It was a quick drive to Portree and we soon found Rooms on the Highstreet, our accommodation for the next three nights. We found the ensuite room beautifully clean and comfortable. Having settled in it was time to explore, starting with some rehydration at the main hotel out on the terrace. We soon found that a lot of eateries were booked up but we managed to get a very good pizza in the excellent Cuchullin.

Resident chicken

The most important place in town.

The harbour

The harbour

The ferry

The ferry

The ferry

The ferry

The ferry

The ferry

The road to Portree with a distant view of the Cuillin

Portree Harbour with the Cuillin Hills in the distance

Portree Harbour

Portree Harbour

Portree Harbour

Staying Out Late

The water was bitingly cold but if other people could do it so could I! It was 9.00 in the evening and I was walking out into the shallow water of Horgabost beach. Within a few yards I had lost all feeling in my feet. Nonetheless I persisted and continued until I was belly button deep and then rapidly took the plunge and even more rapidly departed from the briny. Honour was satisfied. It can hardly be said that I swam but I did get my head under! The evening air was warm and soft and I was tempted, only tempted, mind, to go in again but common sense prevailed. A wet suit is needed next year, I think. My current one seems to have shrunk and I can't get it above my waist!!

 Having had a few long days with a lot of driving we decided to to have a lazy morning: sauna and reading in the sun. After lunch we set out and drove down to Leverburgh to check out the ferry times and then revisited all of the Harris beaches before settling on Horgabost to wait for the sunset. Post 'swim' it was time for scampi and chips of the beach and then settle down to the long wait for sunset.

Horgabost

Horgabost

Horgabost

Horgabost

Horgabost

Seilebost

Birdsfoot Trefoil

Birdsfoot Trefoil

Onthe way round to Luskentyre

Luskentyre

Horgabost sunset

Horgabost sunset

Horgabost sunset

Horgabost sunset

Seilebost sunset

Seilebost sunset

Isle of Harris, Day 6. Time and Tide Bell and Golden Eagle on Great Bernara

We wanted to be up early this morning and were aided by the incessant calling of a cuckoo outside the cottage. Away quickly we stopped at the filling station/store for provisions before continuing steeply up into the stark, majestic Harris mountains with the mighty An Clisham rising on one side and dizzying views down to the inky depths of the sinuous, fjord-like Loch Seaforth on the other. The roads up through the mountains and on into the rolling scenery of Lewis were exceptionally good even when we turned off the main Stornaway road. Eventually, though, as we approached Great Bernara and crossed over the bridge to another island, it narrowed to single track with passing places. Just before reaching the road head carpark we pulled in to allow an oncoming car through and noticed a sign warning of disturbance to nesting golden eagles. Looking around, unbelievably, we spotted two soaring above the hillside. Even more unbelievable was when one bird returned and was just above us. This time I was quick enough to grab a photo. But what stunning views of this majestic bird. Just as stunning was Bostah Beach, a scimitar like curve of pure white sand. The sea was the usual pallete of colours ranging from Quink blue-black into turquoise, jade green and even white where the shallowest crystal clear water ran over the sand. In the bay was a perfect white yacht with polished mahogany superstructure. When it raised its sheets and sailed out past the craggy Floddaidh Isles it completed the picture. To one side of the bay was the main objective of our visit: a Time and Tide Bell fixed to some seaweed clad rocks surrounded by limpid turquoise water. We had found our first Time and Tide Bell at Mablethorpe on the Lincolnshire coast and have since visited others in Aberdovey and Morecambe. They are designed by artist Marcus Vergette  and are a statement about climate change and sea level rise. When the tide comes in the bells ring and as water levels rise the tone of the bell alters. Before leaving we went to the pictish, iron age roundhouse for a fascinating talk in the subterranean stygian gloom of the building. The reconstructed remains of one of five that have been discovered, it dates from 850 AD and would once have housed around twelve people.

Eventually it was time to leave and we retraced our tracks until we reached the stone circles of Callanish. Evocative, haunting and believed to be older than both Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza, they are hewn from otherwise undentable Lewisian gneiss. A central, lichen-draped, monolith 12 feet high is surrounded by a circle of 13 lesser stones, while lines or avenues of other stones lead away to all points of the compass. The fine grained, pea-green stones were erected nearly 5000 years ago. Amazingly there is no entry fee and it is open 24hours.

Beer o'clock was now approaching so we headed back home to be greeted by our tame local chickens running down the road to meet us. Pasta bake consumed, it was time for a malt in front of the log burner and bed.