Day 38: Loch Mhiabhaig, Isle of Harris to Otternish, North Uist
Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021
11th February 2021: 105.02km walked today taking the total to 3894.19/8854km. 11% of 120 entries submitting 954.69km.
Today we walk over the remaining part of the Isle of Harris, take the ferry to Berneray which we walk round, before crossing the causeway to North Uist.
From the Eagle Observatory Car Park, we follow the road around the coastal lochs of Loch Mhiabhaig and Loch a Sair, back to Tarbert to join the road taking us south.
The A859 winds its way from Tarbert west across South Harris, rugged and less mountainous but still beautiful. We pass several inland lochs then our vista opens out to white sandy bays and the North Atlantic. We take a single track to the south of the lochs before rejoining the main road briefly, turning right to head along the north coast of Loch Fincastle and, beyond it, Luskentyre Bay and Beach. There is an almost 5 kilometre stretch of breathtaking shell-rich, white sands as we walk, some of it obscured from view by massive sand dunes, whilst inland early summer sees masses of flowers on the machair. The sea has the most tranquil aquamarine hues when the sun is shining, which have inspired many artists' creations. It is listed as one of the best beaches in the UK and the world! We wander the minor single track to the Luskentyre settlement and headland beach, looking over to the Isle of Taransay, just 3 kilometres across the Sound. Though it has been inhabited in the past, Taransay is the largest unpopulated island in Scotland today. It was here that BBC’s ‘Castaway’ was filmed in 2000; a social experiment putting people together as a community for a whole year. Ben Fogle participated in this and it launched his career as a broadcaster, adventurer, and writer.
We retrace our steps to the A859 to continue south along Luskentyre Bay. The coast here is rich in geodiversity. The habitats include sand beaches, intertidal sandflats, sand dunes, saltmarsh and dry machair to acid moorland: as a result, it supports a wide range of birdlife throughout the year. The views of the bay are just as stunning as we wind our way around the coast to Seilebost, a crofting settlement which has lovely beaches with fantastic views over Luskentyre, Taransay and the North Harris hills. Any surfers among you please note that the west coast is known for being one of the best places to ‘hit the surf’ in Europe, with big rollers crashing in from the North Atlantic.
South of Seilebost, we come across a headland where MacLeod’s Stone sits near the cliff edge at the village of Horgabost. The village is situated between 2 stunning beaches, Traigh Niseaboist and Traigh Lar; the stone is accessed via Traigh Lar. Over 3 metres tall, it has stood here for over 4,500 years and was used for navigation into the shore or for marking the time of year. There is also evidence roundabout it of cairn construction but there is nothing confirmed. Just on from Traigh Lar is an impressive building owned by the West Harris Community, Talla na Mara, ‘Centre by the Sea’. Opened in 2017 it is aesthetically pleasing and thoughtfully designed, and functions as a versatile arts and entertainment space for locals and visitors alike.
We press on through more small settlements, passing small bays and Loch an Duin to reach the beach of Traigh Mhor, Borve. As we make our way past Steinigidh Bay we enter Scarista. Right by the shore is the Isle of Harris (Hearadh) Golf Club, a 9-hole course set up in the 1930s, which prides itself on having the best setting in the world to enjoy the game. We also spot a couple of dwellings on the hillside; award-winning ‘hobbitesque’ cottages that are extremely appealing in nature. Beyond the Golf Course, the beach opens out to another beauty, Scarista Beach. This links to another beach near the village of Northton which is surrounded by salt marshes where we can also see the peak of Ceapabhal (368m) in the distance. On arrival, we take a well-earned break at the community-owned Temple Cafe near Northton Beach. Designed in 1999 by Stuart Bagshaw, it has the essence of a black house and hobbit house rolled into one. Serving home-made delights, it is a cosy place to disappear when the weather isn't as gracious. On a good day, the view facing north is breathtaking.
It was on the 5th of September 1940 that a lifeboat containing 10 sailors made landfall at Northton near Leverburgh, after surviving the sinking of the SS Severn Leigh. She had been sailing in convoy from Hull to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, when torpedoed by a U-boat 40 miles off the Isle of St Kilda on 23rd August 1940. They had survived 14 days at sea on only condensed milk, a small amount of water and sea biscuits.
We are now on the south coast of Harris heading for one more stop before we catch the ferry to the Isle of Berneray. Our route takes us along the Sound of Harris, the channel between Harris, Berneray and North Uist, which also gives ships sea passage from the North Atlantic to The Minch. We pass Loch Steisebhat, then walk through Leverburgh for now, heading for Rodel. This village was once the capital of the island and the ferry for Skye once left from this port until Tarbert took the title in 1894 with its booming fishing industry. We walk into the village and look out over its loch before turning west to head back to the ferry port. There is a16th century church here dedicated to Pope Clement I, St Clements Church, constructed for the 8th Chief of Clan MacLeod. The church fell into disuse after the Scottish Reformation and has been repaired several times over the years. It is now cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. A notable 17th-century Scottish poet, Mary MacLeod, is buried in its graveyard. BBC’s ‘Call the Midwife’ Christmas Special 2019 used the church as their place to stay during their visit to the island!
Just past the church, we pick up a walking trail across moorland back into Leverburgh, the second largest village on Harris. It was once called Obbe, Norse for ‘bay’, but its name was changed by William Lever, Viscount Leverhulme (remember he bought Lewis in 1918). He bought South Harris in 1919 with an intention to make Obbe a major fishing port, changing its name to Leverburgh in 1920. His dream started to become a reality but was cut short by his death in 1925, after which his fishing facilities and estate were sold to a local Campbell family. From here you can also take a day trip to Hirta, St Kilda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site managed by the National Trust for Scotland. St Kilda is a group of remote islands which were abandoned in the 1930s. It is a fascinating visit and you might see puffins who take up residence there from April-mid August. We head down to the harbour to take our 80-minute sail to Berneray. The channel is dotted with many islands, islets, rocks and reefs, and is therefore regarded as one of the most treacherous stretches of water in the UK. Only 8 miles wide but no wonder it takes so long to sail it!
Berneray is taken from Norse and means ‘Bjorn’s or Bear Island’, and despite its small size, is known for its sandy beaches and sand dunes. The coastal plain ‘machair’ also features highly here. Most of the islanders speak Gaelic as their first language and live in spread-out settlements on the east side, the main one called Borve. Its mainstays are fishing, crofting and tourism today. The island has been inhabited for over 5000 years so there are a lot of ancient sites, stone circles and historic buildings, which we will see a number of as we walk the Berneray Circular Walk.
We land in Berneray and head northeast along the coast. To our east is the Sound and to our west is Beinn a’Chlaidh, Hill of the Graveyard; a pagan site with Cladh Maolrithe, a standing stone rising 8ft from the ground. Berneray Harbour comes into view on Bays Loch, ‘Loch a’Bhaigh. Ferries have come into harbour here since as early as 1705. As we pass Nurses Cottage, the base of the Berneray Historical Society Museum, to circle the Bay, we watch the common seals lounging on the rocks in the Loch. We pass one of the most beautiful Youth Hostels near the shore, operating in restored blackhouses! Continuing north we reach East Beach, ‘Traigh Bearsdaire’, a fantastic white beach popular with wind and kite surfers. We press on passing Beinn Ghainche, then climb Ben Leva, ‘Beinn Sheibhe’. We pass an old graveyard, whose stones speak of their age, on our ascent to enjoy great views at its peak of the Isle of Harris before taking the path down the other side to the west coast shore.
We arrive at West Beach, curving around the tip of the island to open out onto a 3-mile stretch of dune-backed white sands. As we walk the length of the beach we enjoy views out to the North Atlantic and the uninhabited Pabbay Island, to arrive at the headland of Rubha Bhoisnis. We walk along the grassy south coast to reach the Monument to the Giant Angus MacAskill erected in 1991. The Monument stands at the place of his birth in 1825. His father was only 5ft 9in, but Angus was 7ft 9in! During the clearances, his family emigrated to Nova Scotia where he was known as ‘Big Boy’. Despite his size, he had a soft voice and a gentle nature. Queen Victoria heard of his fame and he appeared at court in Windsor Castle as he toured the world with PT Barnum’s Circus and appeared alongside Tom Thumb. In 1981 he was added to the Guinness Book of Records as the world strongest and tallest non-obese man. There is a Museum dedicated to him in Dunvegan, Skye, which we passed earlier in our travels, where you can view a life-size model of the man. We join the road by Cladh Shiabaidh Cemetery and follow it back into Borve, where we head south to cross the causeway to North Uist.
We cross the 870-metre Berneray Causeway which was opened by Prince Charles in 1999, who had spent time here crofting in the 1980s. Here we join a section of the Hebridean Way, a 156-mile route which makes its way through the whole of the Outer Hebrides. We will dip in and out of the route on our visit. We make landfall at Otternish, North Uist, and join the only main road (A865) for 15 kilometres to the island’s main town, Lochmaddy. North Uist’s landscape is mostly flat and almost drowning with fresh and saltwater lochs. To the west are stretches of white sandy beaches and coastal grassland, ‘machair’, whilst the east is ‘waterier’. Great place for walkers, bird watchers, cycling and fishing.
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