The Road to Tolsta

Tuesday 16th June 2015

After the problems that I had endured over the past couple of days with selecting my route to Stornoway, on this walk my problems were more mundane: persistent rain. For over a week in the Outer Hebrides I had enjoyed good weather with almost no rain, but now the rain was back and showed no sign of ever going away. My problems a few days previously had been due to trying to decide between whether to follow the route taken by Peter Clarke as described in his book, "The Timeless Way", or to try and find the route of the Hebridean Way, which was under construction when I was in the Western Isles. With hindsight I wish I’d followed the Timeless Way as for most of the way I couldn’t find the route of the new Hebridean Way, mostly because was still being built. From Stornoway I no longer had to choose between the routes as the Hebridean Way ends in Stornoway until further funding can be located to extend the trail all the way to the Butt of Lewis.

With only the Timeless Way as my inspiration I set off from Stornoway and immediately deviated from the course that Peter Clarke had taken as he had crossed the mud and sands of Tong on a route that even he concedes he was advised against on the grounds of safety by local officials. Just as on the fords between the islands of Uist I stuck to the safer option of walking beside the road and headed out of Stornoway taking the right turn in Newmarket for the Tolsta road (and a certain song came to mind until I realised that I wasn’t going to Tulsa!). The weather was already poor, grey and miserable, and what is called in Scotland ‘dreich’, but at least it wasn’t raining yet as I walked beside the road, the B895, to the township of Tong. It was obvious that rain was going to come soon and when I reached the sea above Tràigh na Fainge the rain finally started to fall.

Peter Clarke had tried to avoid following the road as much as possible and the first off-road diversion he took was around the cliff-tops of Tong Head where a faint path could be followed above the rocky foreshore. At the northern end of Tong Head I came upon the extensive Coll Beach, which would have been a great place for me to have walked beside the sea, but since it was raining I cut through a caravan park back onto the road. At the end of the beach, on the outskirts of the township of Coll I took a track that passed between the sea and the narrow fields that mark up the crofts of Coll. It was very windy at this point, which was not making it pleasant or desirable to be walking, so when I reached Brevig Harbour I stopped and headed inland as I didn’t want to continue walking in such poor weather. I headed into the township of Back until I reached a bus shelter where I could finally get some respite from the never-ending rain.

The weather was so awful at this point I was wondering whether it was worth continuing and even why I was doing this, but in the end the rain eased and I headed back to the coast following a faint path above the sand and pebbles of Tràigh Rèbac. With the broad sands of Gress Beach looking gloomy under the grey skies I returned to the road just south of Gress Bridge and after passing the monument to the Gress Land Raiders I decided that I would just stay on the road for the rest of the day. Beyond Gress the road passes through an area of unpopulated moorland where occasional loops of the old road gave me opportunity to get off the modern road while at other times I was able to walk on a wide verge beside the road. Earlier in the day there had been a marked footpath at the side of the road that made the walking feel easier and safer than it had been the day before on the scary road to Stornoway. However the road was so quiet I never felt any danger in walking beside it.

The rain continued to fall as I walked through the township of Tolsta and started descending towards the coast where I glimpsed a hint of golden beach, a tiny piece at the northern end of the huge Tràigh Mhòr. I couldn’t ignore the diversion so I dropped down to a small car park where, on a tongue of land created by the sweeping river, I noticed that someone had pitched a tent. Despite it still being early, about four-thirty, I decided that I would also stop and camp up at this point as the rain was continuing to fall. This didn’t feel like the sort of day to keep going, but rather to stop and wait for another day when the weather may be better. This was not a great day and I had no wish to prolong it any further.

Later in the evening the rain stopped for a while so I took the opportunity to get out of my tent and have a wander down to the great beach of Tràigh Mhòr where I was able to have the most fun I had had all day by playing with the waves and enjoying the stunning views along the length of this two kilometre beach. This was a welcome end to a wet and trying day mostly spent walking along a road. Ever since entering the Isle of Lewis I had been walking along roads and I was fed up with it. On Tràigh Mhòr I was reminded of the fun and sunshine that I had enjoyed earlier in my holiday on the beaches of West Harris, Berneray and South Uist.

The Road to Stornoway

Monday 15th June 2015

My course for this day had been set the day before at Bowglas when I decided I would follow the main road north from the Isle of Harris to the Isle of Lewis rather than following the route of Peter Clarke’s Timeless Way across the Morsgail Forest past Kinlochresort. The Morsgail route would have taken me through difficult and wild, pathless terrain with few signs of civilisation and no shops to restock on food. When I had last stocked up with food, in Tarbert, two days before this walk, I hadn’t bought enough food to keep me going for the long excursion through the Morsgail Forest, which was partly because I hadn’t fancied carrying the weight up the zigzags on the Postman’s route to Rhenigidale. However, the main reason why I decided to take the more direct route to Stornoway was because I was beginning to get tired of the whole idea of walking the length of the Outer Hebrides. I had come to Scotland two weeks before and I still had another week to go, which was longer than I’d ever taken on a holiday before and it was beginning to wear on me.

Another reason for walking along the road was to see if I could find signs of the new Hebridean Way that was being constructed at this time, and in the Aline Community Woodland I did find this long distance trail, but elsewhere it hadn’t been constructed or construction had only just been started. I ended the previous day on the road to Balallan where I walked along a peat road onto the vast Lewis Moor where I wild camped beside Loch na Craoibhe. The weather was so stunning in the evening that after dinner I went out onto the moor to explore and to see if there as any trace of the Hebridean Way on the moor. I knew from Public Contracts notices that the trail went near Loch Cuthaig so I continued along the peat road further into the moor to where the people of Balallan had been cutting the peat and stacking them up to dry before taking the peat home to burn over the winter. It was fascinating to see signs of this ancient labour still being practiced in this day and age. Near the northern shore of Loch Cuthaig I climbed to the top of the small hillock of Cnoc Dubh Iaruinn and from there I spotted a line of cut turf running from the west to join the peat road.

This was a raised, turfed path, created by digging either side of the track and laying the spoil down on the track in between. This was clearly the Hebridean Way and joins the peat road at the eastern end of Loch Cuthaig, but where the Hebridean Way proceeds from there I couldn’t be certain as the eastern branch of the peat road disappeared into a morass near Cnoc an t-Siomain Bhig. This was a fabulous evening with stunning, sunny weather and gorgeous views across the moor. Lewis Moor has some detractors, but on that entrancing evening with bright sunshine and a stiff, cold wind it was a fabulous place to be. Unfortunately the following morning it reverted to expectations with overcast skies, no wind and an abundance of midges. I had my breakfast and packed up very hastily before setting off back along the peat road into Balallan to begin my excruciating walk along the road into Stornoway.

I really did not enjoy this walk as there was not a grass verge to use so I was dangerously close to the cars speeding by as I walked on the side of the main road from Balallan through Laxay. This walk was dangerous at worst, and at best it was just tedious as I trudged along the road through a scary, bendy section until I reached a road junction that is described on bus timetables as Cameron Terrace, near the township of Leurbost. There I reached a petrol station that has a well-stocked shop where I was able to get a few more calories inside me before continuing along the terrifying walk beside the busy road to Stornoway. So far the road that I had been walking along was quiet by mainland standards, though not by Hebridean standards, but I was now walking at the side of the fastest and busiest road in the Western Isles with the traffic from Uig and the west coast of Lewis joining the traffic from Harris for the straight run down into Stornoway. With hindsight I wished that I had stocked up with more food and tackled the route of the Timeless Way across Morsgail Forest.

Ultimately I was in the Outer Hebrides too early to try and follow the route of the new Hebridean Way, as I should have waited a year or two before attempting that walk. Instead I should have committed myself to following the route of the Timeless Way and I would have probably thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I’m sure the Hebridean Way is going to be great walk when it is finally officially opened but until then I was wasting my time trying to follow it. When I finally reached the outskirts of Stornoway I immediately came off the road and entered the grounds of Lews Castle where I wandered for a few hours around the magnificent woodlands thankful that I was still alive after my hair-raising walk. The consequence of taking this direct route to Stornoway was that I was in the largest town in the Outer Hebrides a day ahead of schedule and I had no intention of going any farther. I wandered down a path in improving weather beside the River Creed (aka Abhainn Ghrioda) with the tensions of the morning slowly draining away.

When I was previously in Stornoway I hadn’t taken the opportunity to walk around the castle grounds so I was appreciative of being able to on this occasion. I followed the river all the way to the mouth of the Creed where I turned left and followed the coastline opposite the ferry terminal heading inland beside the Bayhead River until I eventually left the castle grounds through the arch of the Porter's Lodge and into Stornoway where I managed to get a bed in the popular Heb Hostel. Until I reached Stornoway this had been a very gruelling day with an abundance of road walking that was not only dangerous and tedious, but gave me my first blisters of the holiday. I would not wish anybody to have done the day that I had just had, but once I reached Stornoway I had a thoroughly relaxing walk through the grounds of Lews Castle and that is something that I would recommend for anyone who is in Stornoway, and was just what I needed to clear my head of the frustrations and terrors of my walk along the road.

The Road to Balallan

Sunday 14th June 2015

When I awoke at the Rhenigidale Youth Hostel on this day it was to fantastic sunshine. I had been in Scotland for almost two weeks and I had not seen such good weather in all that time; I could hardly believe it could be this good. The weather had been very poor on the first week of my holiday, but for this second week of my holiday there had hardly been any rain with the weather simply getting better day by day until the fabulous weather that I was now enjoying on my second weekend in Scotland, unfortunately the weather would deteriorate as I moved into my third week. Due to its isolated location, when I left the hostel I had only two routes to choose from. There was the old postman’s path west to Tarbert that I had taken the day before or the modern road north, and since north has been my ultimate objective throughout this holiday then it was along the road that I started the day. I would end up spending most of the day walking alongside roads, which should have made for a poor day, but the day held far more interest that you would have thought.

The road out of Rhenigidale was pleasant to walk along in the warm weather as I passed several small lochs before descending steeply to Loch Mhàraig, an inlet of Loch Seaforth, before climbing to the main road below the imposing bulk of An Cliseam, the highest hill on the whole chain of islands that make up the Outer Hebrides. I walked up An Cliseam when I was on the Isle of Harris in 2011 and as I now walked passed this hill under glorious blue skies I longed to abandon my trek up the length of the Outer Hebrides and once more walk up An Cliseam exploring all the fabulous hills of Harris. Instead I resumed my walk along the Harris Walkway that I had started the day before by taking a track that comes off the road below the radio masts on Gormul Màraig. This is the final section, the northern tip of the Harris Walkway, but unfortunately it isn’t in a very good condition and is a poor reflection on the excellent sections of the walkway in South Harris. At one time I’m sure this was a great, well-made track, but it is now in need of maintenance as poor drainage has made the route very boggy in places. The poor state of the path was compensated by the stunning scenery with the awesome Harris hills looming spectacularly and the long, narrow Loch Seaforth glistening in the distance.

Eventually, and tragically with relief, I finally reached the end of the Harris Walkway beside the road above the valley of Gleann Sgaladail where I now had no alternative but to walk beside the road over the bridge that spans the Abhainn Sgaladail. After passing the Scaladale Centre I was able to walk along the remains of the older narrow road from before the present straighter, wider, two-lane road was built. This enabled me to keep off the road until I reached the car park at Bowglas where I could stop, have my lunch and consider my next direction. On this holiday I had taken my inspiration from two different sources, and was consequently always picking between two different routes up the Hebrides. Peter Clarke’s book, "The Timeless Way", describes a walk along the length of the Western Isles and suggests taking a track from Bowglas across the northern slopes of the Harris hills before descending to the bogs of the Morsgail Forest past Kinlochresort. However, by this point in my holiday I was beginning to feel like I just wanted to get to my destination, the Butt of Lewis, as soon as possible, so instead I decided try and find the route of the new long distance path currently under construction, the Hebridean Way.

That meant staying on the road into the Isle of Lewis, which you would expect would mean crossing the sea channel between the islands but that is not the case. Not far from Bowglas, and with a spectacular view south down Loch Seaforth I crossed a small bridge over a tiny stream and suddenly I was greeted with a sign saying welcome to the Isle of Lewis. The reasons why they are considered as two islands are lost in history, but suffice to say that I was now on my ninth and last inhabited island of my Hebridean trek. On the outskirts of the Aline Community Woodland I discovered a wide, gravel path under construction that plunged into the wood and climbed the steep hillside. Convinced that this was the new Hebridean Way I eagerly set off up the path wondering where it would lead me, despite starting to get a bit concerned with the path’s unrelenting climb. I was afraid this path would abandon me at the top of a hill beside a new communications tower, and eventually it did bring me to the top of Griamacleit with spectacular views overlooking the wood and the Harris hills behind, but it was also the end of the path. The contrast between the hilly Isle of Harris behind me and the much flatter moorland of the Isle of Lewis was clearly to be seen from this excellent vantage point and more than compensated for being abandoned by the path.

After looking out over my surroundings for a while I eventually saw red and white survey posts heading back down the hill that seemed to indicate the continuation of the path, so with renewed confidence that I was actually on the Hebridean Way I followed the pasts down the heathery hillside back into the Aline Woodland. A rough walk through felled woodland beside the Abhainn Ruadh brought me to a makeshift bridge over the river and the top of a pre-existing woodland path known as Steep Stag Hill. This good track was a pleasure to walk along as it took me through the woodland beside a river almost as far as the road where I took another path, the West Board Walk heading north, which brought me to the car park for the Aline Community Woodland. Soon after leaving the woodland I went onto a section of the old road where a new path is being built to link it with the pre-existing paths in the Aline Woodland. Excited that I had found the route of the new Hebridean Way I set off along this old road enjoying the sense of isolation as this old road keeps a sizable distance from the modern road and made for a pleasurable walk through the stunning Lewis moor until I eventually reached the township of Arivruaich.

On the outskirts I saw a sign that actually mentioned footpath construction and so after my success in the Aline Community Woodland I excitedly set off along this new path, only to have it stop a short distance from the gate. I attempted to follow a route beyond but  came across so many barbed wire fences for the crofts of Arivruaich that I eventually made my way back onto the road and dejectedly set off along the road to Balallan. Following this failure I had lost my heart for further exploration and since I could see no further sign of construction I concluded that there wasn’t any yet. As I made my way into Balallan I decided that despite a large amount of road walking the sunshine and stunning views had made this a great day. The great weather continued into the evening as I took a peat road out of Balallan to a spot where I could camp beside Loch na Craoibhe with stunning views across the Lewis moor.

The Harris Walkway

Saturday 13th June 2015

I woke up at the start of this day overlooking Luskentyre Sands, which has been voted the best beach in the UK, so I couldn’t resist a quick trip back down to the edge of the vast sandy bay before setting off. Beside the road, on the southern edge of the sands, near the township of Seilebost, is a sign marking the start of the Harris Walkway, which was to be my objective for this walk. However that was the only time that I found any sign that specifically mentions the walkway even though there are plenty of signposts along the route. Once I had packed up my tent I set off along a track that soon became a well-constructed footpath and passes through the Bealach Eòrabhat along a track known as the coffin route. This was the route taken by those who carried coffins from the unyielding lands of the east coast to the cemeteries of the west coast of Harris. The weather was undecided during my traverse of the coffin route with attempts at rain interspersed with flashes of sunshine. By the time I got to the other side of the pass the sunshine had won out and so it remained, but a strong, cold, northerly wind continued throughout the rest of this glorious day.

On the other side of the pass, near Bayhead, I turned left over a hill and followed blue ringed posts that I presumed marked the route of the Harris Walkway. These signposts were a little odd, not because the places were in Gaelic (e.g. Ceann a’ Bhaigh instead of Bayhead), but that the distances were in kilometres, which is hardly ever seen in Britain where miles are the standard unit of measure on signposts. These signs took me onto the Golden Road, which follows the craggy south-eastern coast of Harris, near the head of Loch Stocanais. A short walk up the road towards a cattle grid brought me to a footpath that was an utter delight. With the sun beginning to peak through the clouds and the stunning Harris hills for a backdrop I had a fabulous walk along a clear, beautifully made path through the rock-filled Harris landscape. Harris is easily the most spectacular island in the whole chain of the Outer Hebrides, even if you don’t include the beaches of West Harris that I had walked past the day before.

The rugged, rock-covered hills are, to me, more appealing than the softer beauty of the beaches. There is a lot more to see with the hills and they invite exploration enticing me to climb these rock-bound monsters. I was in awe of the amazing surroundings and longed to stay in this area for the rest of my holiday so I could explore them to my hearts-content, but instead I continued along the path past delightful wildflowers including spotted-orchids. I really enjoyed walking along this wonderful path as it took a cleverly-made route through the craggy hills with views over the Stockinish Bay while the sun shone brightly overhead. Near Stockinish I turned left at a junction of paths and headed over the hill on a footpath that was just as much of a delight to walk upon passing Loch Mhic Neacil and through more great scenery. Unfortunately this great path ended in a mud-churned field where a solitary, sorry-for-itself horse was stood at the far end.

I am not keen on animals, but I did feel sorry for this horse as whereas I could open the gate at the far end to get out, the horse couldn’t escape. After expressing my regrets to the horse I passed through the township of Grosebay and walked along a road through more of this undulating, rocky Harris landscape that is dotted with sheep, heather and lochs. Eventually another path led me to the delightfully named township of Plocrapool beside the large lake of Loch Phlocrapoil. After a quick lunch I headed north along the road with stunning views across the East Tarbet Loch and with weather that continued to be so good I couldn’t believe the views that I was seeing out to sea. After passing through Drinishader I reached Meavag where I finally turned off the road onto another good path that follows the coastline of Loch Ceann Dibig until eventually I climbed up a tarmacked drive onto the main road through Harris.

After a short walk along the road I managed to find a route on an old track that kept me off the road all the way into the ferry port of Tarbet. This is where I came into the Outer Hebrides on my previous visit, in 2011, and after stocking up on food I headed along the same route that I had taken four years ago along the road to Lochannan Lacasdail. At that point I left the road and, as before, climbed the steep hillside following a path that is known as the Postman’s Road, the route that was used to get the post to the tiny settlement of Rhenigidale before the modern road was opened in 1991. It is a tiring route, especially when you are carrying all the food that you are going to be eating while staying at the hostel in Rhenigidale. A long climb eventually brought me to the top of the pass between Trolamul and Beinn Tharsuinn, and was the highest point on this holiday that I had climbed while carrying my rucksack. On the far side of the hill is the “zig-zags”, a seemingly never-ending series of hairpin bends, and I counted eleven turns as I descended one hundred and fifty metres straight down to sea level at the head of Loch Trolamaraig.

A smaller climb negotiated the rocky terrain on the other side of the sea loch before descending to a beautiful track that closely follows the coastline past the abandoned village of Garry-loteger before finally reaching Rhenigidale two and half hours after leaving Tarbet. This route to Rhenigidale was reminiscent of the paths that I had been on earlier in the day through craggy South Harris that were constructed many years ago and are a memorial to the genius that constructed them. If the new Hebridean Way can come close to matching these age-old tracks, and I would hope that it uses most of the route of the already established Harris Walkway, then it will be a long-distance path to rank with the best in Britain. The joys of the Harris Walkway is in using these old paths and while the weather has added to this walk it was the fabulous scenery and the excellent footpaths that made this the best day of my holiday.