Part 2
Spending the night at Uig campsite was ideal for catching the early ferry to Lochmaddy as it’s only a five minute walk from the booking office and jetty. Though I had awoken to a frosty morning and a thick layer of ice on the tent by the time I’d packed everything away the sun was shining strongly enough to have removed all trace of the previous evenings chill.
Despite the unseasonably warm weather I stayed below decks for the crossing choosing to examine and fret about my painful ankles and knees rather than join the rest of the tourists sightseeing on the upper deck. I’ve sailed round these islands often enough to know how they look from afar, on this trip I was more interested in seeing them from ashore.
As mentioned in my first post the previous days climbing had left my knees swollen and my left ankle painful to walk on. As it turned out I’d go on to have a much easier time cycling with these injuries than walking with them. Though the pain would persist for the next few days after taking the first couple of miles of each morning quite gently I’d soon loosen up and be able to pedal normally.
Disembarking on North Uist I took a few minutes to allow all of the motor traffic to clear off before starting out. Though the weather was still glorious it was forecast to turn stormy the following morning with 30mph winds and heavy rain from the North West. With this in mind, and somewhat reluctantly, I decided to curtail my original route around North Uist and instead simply aim to get as far South as possible, thus reducing the distance to be ridden through the expected bad weather.
SUNP0028 by
Joseph Bulloch, on Flickr
SUNP0034 by
Joseph Bulloch, on Flickr
SUNP0025 by
Joseph Bulloch, on Flickr
Some people will say that the scenery on North Uist can be quite featureless and bleak but the panoramic views of open landscapes and blue sky provided from the seat of my recumbent were wonderful. My photos don’t really to the scenery any justice. I went and left the good camera at home and ended up using either my phone or the cheap Go Pro clone I got for Christmas. Unfortunately having never used the little video camera for stills before I hadn’t realised just how bad pictures taken with it would turn out.
Just a few miles outside Lochmaddy I came across this overturned grittier. I guess it either says something about what the winds can do up here or it says something about the drinking habits of its operator.
SUNP0017 by
Joseph Bulloch, on Flickr
The A865 was surprisingly busy. The constant slowing down or speeding up involved in trying to time my arrival into passing places became quite a distraction from the business of just enjoying the ride. Most locals are quite adept at doing the same thing from the seat of their cars so I seldom had to actually stop in any of these passing places however there where the odd few who just barrelled through forcing me out of the way. I’m not sure if I’d be very keen on riding these roads in the summer when the island is full of motor tourists. I’d probably find the constant stopping and starting maddening.
Fortunately Both of the Uist’s provide opportunities to switch to quitter roads that often run parallel to the main road. Once on these roads the riding is perfect, mile after mile without seeing anything other than farm vehicles.
As the afternoon wore on I examined the OS sheet for camping spots. Right away a picnic area on the beach near Gearraidh na Monadh leaped out at me and what a wonderful site it was too. Right above the dunes and no one around other than me.
20170304_084943 by
Joseph Bulloch, on Flickr
The next morning heralded the arrival of the promised storm. After struggling to boil water for my morning brew in the strong wind I packed up and moved on as quickly as possible.
The gusting side winds were often challenging and bottom gear hills became impossible as I couldn’t hold a decent line. I just got my head down and put up with it for my short ride to the ferry terminal over the causeway on Eriskay. Thankfully the terminal had a heated waiting room where I could shelter for a couple of hours while waiting for the ferry over to Barra.
SUNP0042 by
Joseph Bulloch, on Flickr
Barra was defiantly that highlight of the trip. By the time I arrived the storm had blown itself out and I only had a slight breeze and the odd shower to contend with. I first rode North past the airport with its beach runway before about turning and heading South down the Eastern side of the island. Pulling into campsite at Borve I was met by the owner who happened to be cleaning the amenities in preparation for the coming season. As his first customer of the year I had the site all to myself and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It has everything the cyclist wants, its small, has great views and a small but superb set of amenities including a fully equipped kitchen.
Once the tent was pitched I set off again without my camping gear to explore Vatersay and its long sandy beaches. These beaches might be popular during the summer months but on this afternoon I was very much alone. Had I not already decided to use a campsite this could have been an absolutely brilliant site for a wild camp.
20170304_171515 by
Joseph Bulloch, on Flickr
The next morning required an early start so as to be at the ferry terminal for 0715. CalMac and Scotrail’s usual nack for synchronising services failed on this occasion and I was left with 4 hours to kill in Oban. Having visited Oban many times over the last couple of decades I had no interest in doing anything other than sitting in a café reading the papers and working my way through lots of tea. Mrs B suggested that I should cycle back to Helensburgh but I a) felt totally knacked, and b) really don’t like the A83 between Inveraray and Arrochar.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Though I immensely enjoy reading reports of extended tours in far off places, work commitments and a family which will always come first mean that short trips like these are the best I can do. The next one’s in April and will be a few nights around Keilder with my brother and 7 year old son.
