DOWN THE ISLES

Lose the crowds and wander on untouched beaches of Scotlands Outer Hebrides

Lose the crowds and wander on untouched beaches of Scotlands Outer Hebrides
IT WAS MONDAY morning in Uig on the Isle of Skye. We stood on the quay in the rain waiting for the ferry to take us across the Lochmaddy in North Uist. The weather was bleak. In this part of north-west Scotland,a land with its head in the clouds,the best chance of any sunlight and warm winds is only during the first two weeks of June. We were here on our way to the Western Isles or the Outer Hebrides under a gloomy sky in the first week of April.

But despite the weather,the charm of the Isles is hard to miss. We reached North Uist around midday. Each of the five main islands that make up the Western Isles Lewis/Harris,North Uist,Benbecula,South Uist and Barra is split down the middle: on the west are picturesque beaches of fine,white sand backed by dunes and grassland,known as machair,which come alive in early summer with thousands of wild flowers; on the east,a craggy wilderness of bare rock and small lochs,with desolate moorland in between.

North Uist,half drowned by lochs,is famed for its fishing. For bird-watchers,this is paradise with wading birdsoystercatchers,lapwings,curlews and redshanks at every turn. But when it comes to humans,within minutes out of Lochmaddy,you sense an austere isolation. The few houses that dot the horizon look stark with almost no trees or visible gardens. Gardens,if any,are hidden behind high stone walls since these islands are among the windiest regions in the world.

We drove along with no one in sight till we saw a young girl cycling slowly ahead of us. Who else could she remind me of,in far Hebrides,but Wordsworths solitary reaper?

The extremes of Britain may be lonely and remote,but happily enough they are easy to reach and explore,thanks to an excellent network of roads. The human population was severely depleted during the clearances of the 19th century when tens of thousands of tenant crofters in the Highlands and islands were evicted by landowners to make way for sheep.

As the Protestant north merges into the predominantly Catholic south,one is greeted with the softer,greener landscape of South Uist. This includes the vast Loch Druidibeg nature reserve,which supports more than 200 species of flowering plants,a large colony of greylag geese,and the corncrake,a rare and elusive bird.

As we proceeded towards our guest house,we came across road signs in Gaelic. The Outer Hebrides are a fierce bastion of traditional Scottish rural life and Gaelic is widely spoken on the islands. During our meandering drive,we saw huge stacks of peat piled behind most houses for fuel and narrow strips of crofting tenant-farmer land.

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The guest house belonged to a couple of retired nurses from Lancashire. Our room was small but cosy,and our hosts cooking was excellent. We had a full English breakfast next morningfried eggs,bacon,sausages,mushrooms,baked beans,hash browns and tomatoesbefore making our way to Berneray where we would board the ferry to Leverburgh on the Isle of Harris.
Harris,the southern part of the Outer Hebrides largest island,is the scenic jewel in the necklace of islands that comprises the Outer Hebrides. The northern part of the island is known as Lewis and its main city is Stornoway,the capital of the Western Isles.

Unthreatened by development,the islands archaeological remains are among the best-preserved in the British Isles. After a fairly long drive from Leverburgh,we reached the most important prehistoric monument in the Hebrides. This ceremonial site,a cruciform of some 50 Callanish stones,with a circle of 13 around a central monolith,is reportedly older than Stonehenge. Unspoiled,uncrowded and set on a rise over a sea loch,this monument was a fitting start to what would be a fabulous day.
We then proceeded to the vast expanse of Luskentyre beach with its bleached white sand holding back a turquoise sea and backed by steep dunes. It wouldnt have looked out of place in a Caribbean tourist brochure. All this was set against a backdrop of mountains to the north and the beautiful uninhabited island of Taransay.

We drove to Tarbert,the largest village on the Isle of Harris withhold your breath 400 inhabitants. There were a number of shops near the harbour selling items made from Harris Tweeda handwoven cloth made from pure new Scottish wool,dyed using indigenous plants. We browsed around a bit and then boarded the ferry for Skye. Soon we would be at Leicester,a bustling town in Englands East Midlands. I felt we were journeying back too quickly from a slow-paced,quiet world into a noisier one .

Fast Facts
Getting there:
Take a train or a flight from London to Glasgow. Flights are available from Glasgow to Stornoway. Alternatively,hire a car http://www.thrifty.com and drive down to Skye. Take a ferry http://www.calmac.co.uk from Uig in Skye to Lochmaddy North Uist or Tarbert Isle of Harris.
Best time to visit:
May-August
Accommodation:
Ardnastruban House,Grimsay,North Uist. http://www.ardnastrubanhouse.co.uk Bedrooms available from 27.50 per person per night.
Eating:
Langass Lodge Hotel,six miles south-west of Lochmaddy,is famous for its fine seafood and game,including grouse and snipe.
Shopping:
The Harris Tweed Shop on Tarberts Main Street sells the famous cloth.