Fisherman
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I thought I should comment on our recent trip to the outer Hebrides, possibly anyone considering a visit there may find my comments useful.
We did this trip south to north starting on Barra and Vatersay then worked our way all the way north to the But of Lewis. To keep ferry costs down next time we will travel through Skye and arrive in Lochmaddy and return to Uig in Skye from Tarbet. Due to our van just being over 6m the ferry costs were £560, double the cost of vans 6m and under.
One thing you have to prepare for is the weather there. It’s colder than the mainland, and most days it’s windy particularly at the coast. And I am not talking about light breeze, I mean really windy. Possibly next time we will start our trip early May and return early June. But don’t let the weather put you off the places we seen (and you can’t do it all even in three weeks) were stunning. The scenery particularly on Harris and Lewis was beautiful, and the beeches with their white sand and blue waters were a joy to behold. The beeches go literally for miles, and it’s entirely possible you will be alone.
The roads are excellent, hardly a pot hole anywhere, even the single track roads had lots of passing places are were generally good to drive on. The locals were very appreciative when you pulled in to let them by, most putting on their hazards to say thanks. We found the locals very welcoming, but there are a small minority who clearly don’t like us, particularly in Harris and Lewis, but they were as I say a tiny minority.
Most of the shops are Coops and well stocked, and we found they were most competitive of all the shops on the islands. There are some filling stations but operating their unmanned pumps could be challenging. At Leverborough on Harris, I had to ask a local how to operate their set up, he kindly showed me exactly what was required. Fuel prices were only slightly more expensive than the mainland.
Book your ferries well in advance, we saw a Motorhome trying to go from Eriskay to South Uist being told there was no spaces for two days.
If you stay in Eriskay try out the AM Politician for a meal, the food is great, and good value, but book in advance. And if you are a customer you can park up in their carpark for the night, first come first served.
Wild camping is no problem, but most park ups ask for donations. Most were £5 or £10 but one asked for £15 we only left £10. The campsites we used were all excellent and reasonable. There are plenty to choose from apart from South Uist which only has one in Kilbride to the south of the island. The RSPB have set up some nice park ups and ask for a £5 donation.
On Harris and Lewis I felt they were out to take advantage, asking for donations in public carparks, or even lay byes by the road. We used the Aire at Urgha which cost £15 inc EHU. I felt that was ok, until next morning when I went to empty my cassette only to find I had to pay an additional £3. I left it open for others to use for free.
Would I recommend the outer Hebrides, definitely. The people mostly extremely helpful, kind, and pleasant. They enjoy talking to you, and seem pleased that you visited their islands. I can sum
this trip when after almost three weeks we arrived in Stornaway. If felt weird navigating roundabouts and traffic lights. The high street although small by our standards seemed big in comparison to where we had been. The people in Stornaway were not unfriendly, but not as friendly as those living in rural parts of the islands. Stornaway had two large supermarkets and Tesco and a large Coop. One word of warning the islanders are more religious than we are on the mainland, and on Sundays the shops are mostly closed.
I hope this has been useful, feel free to add to this, or ask any questions.
I also met Davep10000 and his wife when we were in Vatersay, thanks for the tips Dave, nice meeting you and your wife.
We did this trip south to north starting on Barra and Vatersay then worked our way all the way north to the But of Lewis. To keep ferry costs down next time we will travel through Skye and arrive in Lochmaddy and return to Uig in Skye from Tarbet. Due to our van just being over 6m the ferry costs were £560, double the cost of vans 6m and under.
One thing you have to prepare for is the weather there. It’s colder than the mainland, and most days it’s windy particularly at the coast. And I am not talking about light breeze, I mean really windy. Possibly next time we will start our trip early May and return early June. But don’t let the weather put you off the places we seen (and you can’t do it all even in three weeks) were stunning. The scenery particularly on Harris and Lewis was beautiful, and the beeches with their white sand and blue waters were a joy to behold. The beeches go literally for miles, and it’s entirely possible you will be alone.
The roads are excellent, hardly a pot hole anywhere, even the single track roads had lots of passing places are were generally good to drive on. The locals were very appreciative when you pulled in to let them by, most putting on their hazards to say thanks. We found the locals very welcoming, but there are a small minority who clearly don’t like us, particularly in Harris and Lewis, but they were as I say a tiny minority.
Most of the shops are Coops and well stocked, and we found they were most competitive of all the shops on the islands. There are some filling stations but operating their unmanned pumps could be challenging. At Leverborough on Harris, I had to ask a local how to operate their set up, he kindly showed me exactly what was required. Fuel prices were only slightly more expensive than the mainland.
Book your ferries well in advance, we saw a Motorhome trying to go from Eriskay to South Uist being told there was no spaces for two days.
If you stay in Eriskay try out the AM Politician for a meal, the food is great, and good value, but book in advance. And if you are a customer you can park up in their carpark for the night, first come first served.
Wild camping is no problem, but most park ups ask for donations. Most were £5 or £10 but one asked for £15 we only left £10. The campsites we used were all excellent and reasonable. There are plenty to choose from apart from South Uist which only has one in Kilbride to the south of the island. The RSPB have set up some nice park ups and ask for a £5 donation.
On Harris and Lewis I felt they were out to take advantage, asking for donations in public carparks, or even lay byes by the road. We used the Aire at Urgha which cost £15 inc EHU. I felt that was ok, until next morning when I went to empty my cassette only to find I had to pay an additional £3. I left it open for others to use for free.
Would I recommend the outer Hebrides, definitely. The people mostly extremely helpful, kind, and pleasant. They enjoy talking to you, and seem pleased that you visited their islands. I can sum
this trip when after almost three weeks we arrived in Stornaway. If felt weird navigating roundabouts and traffic lights. The high street although small by our standards seemed big in comparison to where we had been. The people in Stornaway were not unfriendly, but not as friendly as those living in rural parts of the islands. Stornaway had two large supermarkets and Tesco and a large Coop. One word of warning the islanders are more religious than we are on the mainland, and on Sundays the shops are mostly closed.
I hope this has been useful, feel free to add to this, or ask any questions.
I also met Davep10000 and his wife when we were in Vatersay, thanks for the tips Dave, nice meeting you and your wife.
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