Berneray

Thursday 11th June 2015

After several long, tiring days walking across the island of North Uist, I felt like I really needed a rest so took the opportunity when I reached the island of Berneray. I was half way up my trek along the length of the Outer Hebrides and thought this was a good place to stop for two nights to rest and explore this delightful island, so once I had posted a parcel of dirties and used maps back home I set off. The many delights that this island has to deliver were encountered as soon as I walked out of the door of the youth hostel from where a broad spit of sand and rocks extends into the sound of Harris for a least a mile. Peter Clarke, whose book "The Timeless Way" was an inspiration for me on my holiday (and is chairman of the Gatliff Hebridean Hostels Trust that looks after the hostel), describes Berneray Hostel as a place where “the passage of time and the outside world quickly become of no concern.” The wonder of this place extends to the machair grasslands north of the hostel and the stunning east beach that starts near the hostel.

I set off across this machair that is replete with wildflowers including daisies while below me the sea glistened spectacularly. The weather was not great on this walk with overcast skies most of the day and it was rather cold with none of the sunshine that I had enjoyed on my long, wearying walk the day before to Berneray. At the northern end of the bay by the houses of Ruisgarry I found a footpath sign and followed the route it indicated up the short slopes of Beinn Shleibhe to the highest point on Berneray, but only a meagre ninety-three metres above sea level. Nevertheless there were stunning views across the Sound to the hills of Harris, brooding under grey clouds, but promised me delights for the days to come. The whole island of Berneray was arrayed before me with a line of low hills to the east and extensive machair flats to the west, not unlike South Uist. It was very windy at the top of the hill so I put my cagoule on and headed down the other side following the marker posts down to the beach.

This gorgeous beach extends for a long way, from the northern slopes of Beinn Shleibhe all the way down the whole length of the western side of the island to Rubha Bhoisnis in the south-western corner of Berneray. I slowly meandered along this beach occasionally dipping my feet into the surf while taking many pictures of the sand and the many islands in the distance that dot around Berneray. The beach goes west for a mile before bending south-west stretching on for another two miles before reaching the end, and on the occasions when I tired of walking along the sand I climbed up onto the dunes between the beach and the grasslands in order to get a look at the expanse of machair that takes up half of the island. I spent most of my time on the beach wandering slowly over the sands taking my time and enjoying the unspoilt views where the only footprints in the sand were my own as I slowly made my way south. Eventually I reached the rocky headland of Rubha Bhoisnis that marks the end of West Beach and there I sat on the grass looking back along the sands and had my lunch.

Resuming my walk I rounded the point and headed along the south coast of the island over beautiful wildflower-rich grassland and past a memorial to Angus MacAskill – the ‘Nova Scotia Giant’, who was born on Berneray. Soon I reached the tidal inlet of Loch Bhuirgh and this pleasant walk continued besides the loch heading back into the island until I reached a rusting old wreck where I turned away from the loch and across the grass until I reached a road. This led me across the vast fields of the machair to the community hall on the edge of the town of Borve where I came off the road in order to climb the hill of Beinn a’ Chlaidh that marks the southern end of the line of hills that begin on Beinn Shleibhe. At this point I had good views across the causeway to North Uist and the hills of Beinn Bhreac and Beinn Mhòr with the tops of Maireabhal, which I had passed over the day before, sitting hazily on the horizon. Continuing down the slopes I headed south towards the causeway and the stores of Ardmaree.

On reaching the road I slowly headed back along the coast around the seal-populated Loch a Bhàigh to the stunningly located youth hostel at the eastern tip of the bay. This was a very short walk that only took me about five hours dawdling the whole way, but it was just the sort of break that I needed in my relentless progress north along the Western Isles. It gave me the chance to recharge myself and to explore this wonderful little island. Unlike other islands that I have encountered on this holiday I was impressed by the well-signposted footpaths all over the island and greatly helped with my enjoyment of this day. A sign next to the hostel detailed all the walks available on the island and it was a pleasure to walk all over the island doing the walks described. It is a pity that other islands in the Outer Hebrides are not as welcoming to the walker.