Riding the Hebridean way NCR 780

[yoav]

I’m sure someone on here has ridden this. Any advice or tips for me?
Thanks.

[mcshroom]

Calling windy to the peat powered Monday-Saturday only courtesy phone

[bhoot]

I have never ridden the Hebridean way as a complete journey but I am reasonably familiar with the southern end of it as I have a friend living on Berneray and visit quite often. We did a 200km DIY audax ride there in June - see https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=97562.msg2295155#msg2295155

I will try to put some notes together for you on what I know, but if there are any specific questions please PM me or put them here.

[FifeingEejit]

I've sort of ridden it over 4 days a good few years ago; camped on the Machair on Vatersay, Gatlif hostels at Howmore, Berneray; Gaerening was shut but the Blue Pig put us up in their shed, and then got to the Butt of Lewis to find someone playing an alp horn, before heading to Laxdale near Stornoway.

What sort of tips are you looking for?
The uists are flat, Barra and Vatersay are lumpy, Harris is Mountainous and Lewis is a peat bog.
It'll be windy everywhere, you'll get wet at somepoint and by the end of it you'll be able to tell a local from an incomer quite easily.

[phantasmagoriana]

Haven't ridden it, but having just spent the week in the Outer Hebrides (sans bike), I definitely want to!

[yoav]

Since posting this, I learned of some of the practical difficulties and how to avoid, or at least reduce them. Although a ferry from Oban to Barra would be fine for the start, getting back to Oban from Butt of Lewis, in a time-limited holiday is not easy. Luckily, there is a company which will pick you up from the Uig Ferry at Lochmaddy and take you and your bike to Barra to the start and collect you from Butt of Lewis to Tarbert to the ferry back to Uig. The car can be left at Uig. We are going to ride it over 5 days.

Given unlimited time, I would have cycled taken the Stornoway-Ullapool ferry and cycled to Inverness for a train, but this wasn’t on. We are going in 3 weeks’ time.

The company that does the transfers is called Hebshuttle (hebshuttle.co.uk)

[sojournermike]

Outer Hebrides are great. We’ve holidayed there several times and the youngest is waiting for the next trip.

As said, it’ll be windy and sunny and wet. Winter comes in quickly and lasts a long time. It’s noticeably colder now than 3 weeks ago. But, probably my favorite place. North Uist and Harris (road to Scarp worth a visit) are great. Barra and Vatsrsay also brilliant. We’ve sheltered in Stornoway cafes often enough for it to look like a habit.

I am jealous. Enjoy.

[SpaceBadger]

I've ridden it, as far north as Stornoway. Didn't go right to the top as I was told there wasn't much to see, other than to be able to say you've done the whole thing (I did do the few miles south of Castlebay onto Vatersay, just to say I'd been to the very start of the route, though  ).

I didn't camp, but stayed in B&Bs along the way. If you're thinking of taking this approach, book in advance. There aren't many options. On a separate trip, I have used the Gatliff hostels, which are rustic and I really liked.

On Sundays, pretty much everything is closed unless you happen to be in Stornoway. The closures are more noticeable the further north you go. I believe the religious influence increases with latitude. The hotel in Tarbert is open every day and was a saviour for us when we needed food and a beer.

We left our car in Oban. After Stornoway, we retraced our riding back to Tarbert and took a ferry to Skye. Then rode across Skye, followed by the ferry to Mallaig, then caught the train south along the West Highland Railway back to Oban, courtesy of a few changes. The West Highland Railway really is stunning.

However, I would advise anyone and everyone not to cycle across Skye as we did. Find another way. In 25 years of being a proper cyclist, I have never been so shit scared on a road as I was on Skye. The extensive moronic driving starts just north of Portree and continues until you take the fork south towards the ferry, leaving the Skye bridge traffic behind. I stopped more than once to try and persuade someone with a van to take us past the main road section without success.

I followed the NCN pretty much to the letter, but if you want gpx files, let me know and I'll post links.

[SpaceBadger]

Recommended things along the way:

1. Callanish stones.
2. Harris distillery tour in Tarbert. I don't like whisky or gin, but it was a really interesting visit. Book it in advance.
3. The airport on Barra.
4. Café Kisimul in Castlebay
5. Kildonan Museum on South Uist.
6. Lobster Pot Team Room on North Uist.

If you buy the combined CalMac ferry ticket to cover the route, it doesn't save you any money, but saves the faff of buying individual tickets.

[bhoot]

6. Lobster Pot Team Room on North Uist.

Now the Berneray Bistro and open some evenings too during the summer months at least. Highly recommended, pretty well stocked shop alongside too

[yoav]

Thanks for that. We are going Monday to Saturday (ha!) and have booked b&b’s along the way. Expecting bad weather so anything better will be a bonus. The route looks fairly straightforward and we have a map and guidebook.

[FifeingEejit]

If your navigation goes wrong on the Western Isles then either:
You're about to find a dead end
Or you're going round in circles; you can fix it by taking a left turn next time you find a junction that is signed to somewhere.

The Scoon Art Café at Geocrab on the golden road is good.

[αdαmsκι]

We went and Pippa wrote up this ride report

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=72433.msg1495431#msg1495431

How was that trip 5+ years ago?

[yoav]

Thanks for that, a good read and great pictures.

Did I meet you and your dad at Alston last year doing the LEL?

[bhoot]

A quick brain dump of cafes and shops that we know from recent trips (because that's all cyclists need to know about.....):

Coop for food - Coops are your friend! One on Barra, about 1/2 mile from ferry, Daliburgh (South Uist), Creagorry (Benbecula, the biggest shop), Solas (North Uist). It won't affect you but for future reference some are now open on Sunday afternoons!
Other shops - Eriskay village, Leverburgh (west of the ferry from Berneray), Lochmaddy, Berneray (with the Bistro), Maclennans supermarket Benbecula

Cafes we have used - Barra airport (definitely try to see the plane landing/taking off), Eriskay (small cafe combined with the shop), Kilbride Cafe at the camp site (South Uist, not far from Eriskay causeway), Kildonan (at the museum/heritage centre, we have also just stopped off to use the loos here!), Hebridean Jewellery coffee shop (South Uist at the north end, not on the main road but signed and worth a detour), Grimsay Kallinn shellfish (a detour from the main road between Benbecula and North Uist - Kallin have a shop and also at the old harbour a little sit in cafe), Taigh Chearsabhagh (arts centre in Lochmaddy), Lochmaddy hotel, Berneray Bistro (note the owner is also a fisherman so local crab sandwiches are often on the menu), Butty bus near the ferry at Leverburgh Harris (may have limited opening times).  This is not an exhaustive list - we haven't been to everything on the Uists (yet!). Also things change - what was the Island Deli in Benbecula has apparently now reopened as Charlie's Bistro (and seems to get great reviews)

Also newish (but no use to YOAV if B&B is booked) there is now a very smart bunkhouse on Berneray called "John's Bunkhouse". We had a guided tour from the owners this summer and it's fabulous, with lots of thoughtful touches and an excellent drying room.

Have a great time.

[FifeingEejit]

Two bunkhouses on Berneray!!!
Given the Gatliff's published visitor nights are terrible compared to other operations you have to wonder how they could run their places any worse (although I get that idea that's the aim)!

The Biggest Shop on the Uists is probably at Balvallich; MacLennans, the military/QinetiQ personnel currently make it feasible, not sure what'll happen when that winds down.
Also the hospital there apparently has a canteen that the locals use.

Local Co-Op in Leverburgh
Two yes Two! general stores in Tarbert
Estate shop on the Huisnish road (packed local meats crisps and sweets)
Café at the garage at the Leurbost junction - This is most amusing as you're greeted in Lancastrian, it's the only place on the island I've seen locals come in and change language to English, they usually seem to avoid the incommers busineses...
Honesty box shop at the Blue pig on the Gaerenin road
North of the leverburgh butty bus I can think of
Temple Cafe - Northton
Scoon Cafe - Geocrab
Scalpay cafe and shop
hotel in Tarbert
Shop at Kershader
Shop at the garage at the Leurbost junction
Calansih cafe
Garage at Barvas
Can't remember where on the road to the butt, but there is a cafe linked to the Linda Norgrove foundation
Pub/Cafe at PortNis
Possibly at Café at Eorpie

[bhoot]

Two bunkhouses on Berneray!!!

Both were doing very good business when we were there in June. John's bunkhouse is bookable so you know you have a bed, and is near the ferry rather than at the far end of the island.

I forgot the shop at Bayhead which might be useful if you take the western loop around North Uist (not been in there personally though). I didn't put the tea van at Balranald campsite on my first list - that might not be open in September and is limited hours only, usually closed by the time we come back from a walk but we did get very generous slabs of cake there on our last visit.

And on the subject of food and drink, the big Calmac  ferries do decent food - in fact their Cullen Skink pie is rather nice, and breakfast is a proper "full scottish" affair. Of course whether a meal on the boat is an attractive proposition or not might depend on the weather!

[αdαmsκι]

Did I meet you and your dad at Alston last year doing the LEL?

Briefly. You'll have interacted a lot more with my mum - Dianne.

[yoav]

Indeed I did. What I have just done on this thread was to put two and two together and realised you were the same person I met in Alston. I was happy to hear you’d both made it, despite injuries.

[FifeingEejit]

Two bunkhouses on Berneray!!!

Both were doing very good business when we were there in June. John's bunkhouse is bookable so you know you have a bed, and is near the ferry rather than at the far end of the island.

I forgot the shop at Bayhead which might be useful if you take the western loop around North Uist (not been in there personally though). I didn't put the tea van at Balranald campsite on my first list - that might not be open in September and is limited hours only, usually closed by the time we come back from a walk but we did get very generous slabs of cake there on our last visit.

And on the subject of food and drink, the big Calmac  ferries do decent food - in fact their Cullen Skink pie is rather nice, and breakfast is a proper "full scottish" affair. Of course whether a meal on the boat is an attractive proposition or not might depend on the weather!

Calmac breakfast on the Calley Isles this morning, the worse the weather the more imortant it is to shovel the food into you, takes your mind off it, and gives you something to