We awoke in our respective tents to the unwelcome sound of rain but managed to pack up quickly and were soon on the ferry to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris. There was time to write up the previous days blog AND sample a famous CalMac breakfast before riding off to make a first stop at the Isle of Harris distillery to update the website.
There were no base visits planned for the day. Instead, we became tourists on this jewel of the Outer Hebrides and were soon marvelling at the beauty of Luskintyre and its famous beach. We met Steven, a volunteer Coastguard team member and swapped search and rescue stories before heading South past Horgabost to shelter from a heavy shower in the Bothy cafe in Leverburgh. After a brew, we made a cultural visit to the remarkable church at Rodel with its medieval tombs.
Andy was amazed by this part of Harris. The scenery is almost lunar and the single track roads wind in and out of rocky outcrops and tiny settlements. Concentration was needed on the bikes in order not to cross the loose gravel at any angle of lean!
The weather started to turn really nasty in the early afternoon with squally rain soaking us and blasts of wind knocking the bikes around. Despite being two tough and leathery old outdoor types, we unashamedly decided to bottle out of a second nights camping and found beds at the comfortable Backpacker’s Stop hostel in Tarbet as recommended by Steven earlier in the day.
Once we’d dumped some gear in the dormitory, I persuaded Andy to ride with me to Hushinish, a thirty mile journey to see where the North Harris eagle observatory is located and visit the beach at the road’s end. We passed the old whaling station on the way back, a reminder of grimmer times on Harris. The squalls continued and we were two soaked bikers by the time we made it back to Tarbet.
We treated ourselves to a bowl apiece of delicious Cullen Skink in the Hotel Hebrides bar along with a couple of cheeky IPA’s before retiring to the hostel common room and some banter with a trio of Dutch gents on a walking holiday.
The next day would involve travelling up through North Harris and neighbouring Lewis and resuming the quest to visit MRT bases…