Beaches of the Outer Hebrides
The stunning, white beaches of the Outer Hebrides sparkle like salt and pepper on a plate. The green and turquoise sea can fool any surfers into thinking they are many miles away on a tropical island. On day five of our tour a real adventure awaited with beaches, a magical ferry ride and lots of empty windswept beaches to explore.
Harris to Berneray Ferry
The vagaries of the Scottish weather means that ferry travel in the Scottish Islands can never be taken for granted. The forecast was good and the ferry timetable had been adjusted to take account of the very low Spring tides. As the small queue of cars and local vans gathered at the check in kiosk it seemed this small ferry was going to be even more busy than usual. Check was only 20 mins ahead of departure so that was a big clue that not too many cars were being loaded on.
One last chance to stock up on some Isle of Harris Ale from the Isle of Harris brewery at the pier, and the ferry slipped her ropes and slid out to sea. The captain needed all his experience to slip around and between the many islands between the tiny port of Leverburgh on the southern tip of Harris, and the Island of Berneray.
Beaches of Berneray
The Island of Berneray, which has only 60 residents, was only linked to the Uists in 1962 with the building of the Balesear causeway. This became a lifeline for the residents but also made travel between Lewis and Harris to the Uists alot easier. From top to bottom the Outer Hebrides spans over 150 miles but before crossing over the causeway there was alot of exploring to do on some of the most spectacular beaches in Scotland. In the UK. Or on a great day - in the world!
Thanks to the remoteness, and the perception of the unreliable weather, it is most likely the beaches will be gloriously empty. When we arrived, apart from a couple of surfers, the beach at a very low tide, beckoned with open arms.
We saw the amazing archipelago of St. Kilda on the horizon, sea eagles soaring overhead, seals on the rocks and deer feeding happily at the roadside. All in all a wonderful introduction to the Uists.
