Our first stop was Leverburgh where we caught the 8.15am ferry to Ardmaree on the Isle of Berneray. The Isle of Berneray is a small island (roughly 2 miles by 3 miles) and is joined to North Uist by a causeway. The island has approximately 130 inhabitants with crofting and fishing as the mainstays of the economy.
The ferries between the islands of the Outer Hebrides are smaller than the one from the Scottish mainland across the Minch to Stornoway. If you have good weather, and we got lucky as the sun was shining on the day of our crossing to Berneray, the views are spectacular. As we went south though, we were to experience the legendary Outer Hebrides four seasons in a day.
We drove from the pier on Berneray across the causeway to the Isle of North Uist where our next accommodation was situated in an area called Langass.
The Lodge we were staying in had extensive grounds so we decided to take a walk. Near to the Lodge was a tower sitting in the middle of a loch so we went to investigate.
The Loch was Loch Scolpaig and we were not able to get too close as much of the ground around the Loch was boggy. The tower was erected in 1830 by Dr Alexander MacLeod who was the factor of the North Uist Estate. The reason for its construction was to provide employment for local people to help them during a period of famine. The North Uist Estate was granted to the MacDonald family of Sleat, Isle of Skye in 1495 and in 1855 it was sold to Sir John Powlett Ord. The current owners are the Granville family who own and manage the estate through a factor and the North Uist Trust. The estate supports more than 400 crofters and provides stalking, shooting and fishing as well as providing guided walks and boat trips.
After the Loch we walked to higher ground to enjoy the views. It is said that on a good weather day one can see St Kilda from this area even though it is 40 miles. Maybe that is possible but we couldn’t on the day we visited even though the weather was pretty good.
We hiked up the hills on our way back to the Lodge where we were staying and the ground underfoot was generally wet which was fine until the sole completely ripped off one of my Berghaus hiking boots. We were probably 30-40 minutes hike from the Lodge, so with it being wet underfoot we headed for the road which would lead us back to the Lodge.
Once on the road the inevitable happened and the other sole ripped off. The boots were 18 years old and I hadn’t worn them for about a year. The rubber soles and the welding holding them together had got hard and perished. We managed to get back to the Lodge although walking even on a road with no soles was uncomfortable and not a pretty sight.
This curtailed our exploring for the day but gave us time to plan for the next day’s visits.
Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024