WESTERN ISLES © LonelyPlanetPublications Western Isles Isles Western 234 sandy beachesandacentralknotofrollinghillsaffordinggreat panoramicviews. among whichHeclaisaformidableobjective. Furthest south,Barraisadelight,withsuperb Eaval, almostsurroundedbywater. Alongchainofmountainsdominates slender SouthUist, billiard-table flatbutafew small,attractive theirheadsupskywards, notably hillspoke ing (799m),thehighestinWestern Isles. Continuingsouth, Uistismostly North mountainous oftheisles,containingdozens ofimpressively rocky,steep-sided peaks, includ- cliffs, secludedcoves andexcellentwalking. Harris,Lewis’ southernneighbour,isthemost andfacingthewildAtlantic outwest,youwillfindrugged illusion –inthefarnortheast, sandy beachesformonthsofexplorationonfoot. are scattered throughouttheisles,andthere are enoughhills,glens,rockycoastsandvast feeling ofunhurriedness. walkswithstronghistoricalandnatural-historythemes Waymarked stretched time. Western Islescommunitiesare lively anddynamic,butthere isarelaxed senseofspaceinthevastskyandlimitlessocean,afeelingan extraordinary of and landinthe of Uists, andthecompactness Barra. However, theyallshare twoqualities: from thepeatlandsofnorth Lewis andtherockymountainsof Harris, tothemosaicofwater travelling toislandsandyousoonrealise different theseislesare strikingly fromeachother; qualities thatsoonbecomereal, almosttangible. There’s alwayssomethingspecialabout The very nameWestern Isles( Eileanan Siar)expresses remoteness, difference andmystery,

HIGHLIGHTS The Isle ofLewis canseemratherbarren atfirst,butheadforthecoasttodispelthis

www.visithebrides.com Wandering along vast white-sand beachesontheisleof Wandering alongvast white-sand water-and-rockGazing downattheextraordinary patchworklandscapefrom highest peak, Revelling inthewild,ruggedmountainscapesofHarrisfrom thesummitofWestern Isles’ Lewis’ coast northeast Discovering afascinatingvarietyofhistoricalfeatures onthe Clisham

(p245)

www.thewesternisles.co.uk Barra Tolsta toNess ( p251) 27) ak on walk ( p237) Hecla 29) in (p249) www.lonelyplanet.com Western Isles Castlebay (Bàgh Pabbay a' Chaisteil) Borve (Borgh) Vatersay Monach Islands Howmore (TobhaMòr) A TLNIC Mingulay A865 O CEAN (Tràigh Mhòr) A865 Barra (Dalabrog) Daliburgh Sandray (Ceann a Bayhead Bhaigh) Airfield

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To To To WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES plans in the Western Isles. single factor likelyimportant your toaffect are almostunknownandwind isthemost rare duringsummer. Even so,calmdays prevalent inDecemberandJanuary, are aboveoccasionally struggles 20°C.Gales, est months, themaximumonly though ern Isles.JulyandAugustare thewarm- rainfallanywherethe highest intheWest- July; mountainous South Harris endures easterly breezes, bringingsummerwarmth. ludes of dry,calmweather correspond with ofsheets rainstreaking thehorizon. Inter- west, followedbylower,hazycloudand processions of depressions fromthesouth- clouds acrossthevastskyheraldapproaching ers forsheltered eastern parts.‘Mare’s tail’ load onthewestern coast,leaving onlyshow- winds thatexpendthegreater partof their nied bymild,moisture-laden southwesterly tudes carriedbytheGulfStream isaccompa- Relatively warmwater fromsouthernlati- areas to hourandbetween withintheisles. climate –itsvariabilityfromdaytoday,hour abouttheWestern Isles’ One thingiscertain CLIMATE pulverised intosand. tons of innumerablemarinecreatures were originated after thelast IceAge whenskele- ous speciesof birds)ontheAtlantic coasts flower-rich grasslands, homefornumer- mixture of andpeatproducesfertile, sand plain,wheremachair (the flat,coastal a beaches andeast coasts.Thelongsandy importance. botanical ofcomposed deadvegetation andof great large areas are covered withpeat–darksoil flat ground.Particularly innorthernLewis, ofmasses glacialmaterial invalleysandon shaped valleysinhillyareas, andleftbehind ridges,mountain sculpted corriesandU- Harris. ThelastIceAge honedthenarrow andonthecoastoffound inthemountains large outcropsof pinkandwhite granite are ern Europe,isnearlyubiquitous,though gneiss, theoldestrocktypeinnorthwest- edge of theBritishIsles. 130 miles(209km)longonthewestern 12 are populated. Theyformachain about Isles, often alsocalledthe , Of the50ormore islandsof theWestern ENVIRONMENT 236 The driestmonths are April through inletstypifythe anddeep Dramatic cliffs WESTERNISLES••Environment

Greyish Lewisian et alisauthoritative andcomprehensive. Monuments of cal heritage, HistoricScotland’s to theisles’exceptionallyrich archaeologi- out.Foraguide mostly shortishwalks,stands Mike Williams’ Among ahandfulof specialistwalking guides, years ago,thebasicfactsremain unchanged. publishedseveral the Western Isles.Though Fabian, GELittleandDNWilliams includes walkers’ Guide possible, bytheGaelicnames. English placenamesare followed,wherever for themajor towns. Inthischapter, the exclusively, withEnglishequivalentsonly 1:50,000 mapsshow Gaelicnamesalmost lish name. Similarly,theOSLandranger shown more prominentlythantheEng- aloneorareGaelic nameseitherstand On street androadsidedirection signs, Place Names The official Information Sources &the Western Isles Travel –Road1:250,000mapNo3 theOSFor planningandfamiliarisation &Books Maps INFORMATION with minimal strainonthe wires. with fences –find agate or stile,step over camping should beOK.Always take care grasslands),whereon themachair (coastal outunfenced ground ing; it’sbesttoseek much of thecountrysideisfenced forgraz- you findit(see p21 ). On and Barra Vatersayin thewild–askfirst thenleave yoursite as applies tocamping any problems.Thesame worth callinginandchecking thatthere aren’t ifthere’sNevertheless, nearby,it’s ahouse problems withaccesstothecoast and hills. as ageneral rule,youshouldn’t strike any defined and/orrecognised routes. Elsewhere, The walksdescribedinthischapter follow Access the isles, are available fromlocalTICsor ferries toandwithinthe flights, andbuses general backgroundinformation. transportlinksand ings andreservations, foraccommodationlist- website is useful The Scottish Mountaineering Club’sHill- The ScottishMountaineering Public transport timetables, coveringPublic transporttimetables, Western IslesCouncil Western Visit Hebrides Visit

the Western Isles The Islandsof Scotland Western Isles

(www.cne-siar.gov.uk). www.lonelyplanet.com

(www.visithebrides.com) isgood. , describing 34 , describing34 by Noel Fojut Fojut byNoel The Ancient The Ancient Western by DJ byDJ

% way TIC( p238 ). shouldbeavailabletails fromtheStorno- www.lonelyplanet.com Car Rental Car companies inandaroundStornoway, hireing oneontheferry. Of the several a carmaybemore economicalthanbring- If you’re foronlyafew staying days,hiring AROUND GETTING The Walks Guided PLANNING beaches. inlets, baysandsandy punctuated bynarrow ally scenic,withcliffs hillier. Everywhere thecoastisexception- peaty moorland;thesouthisrockierand lochs surroundedbyalmostfeatureless empty hinterland isspeckledwithmyriad sprawled alongthewestside. NorthLewis’ villages ontheeastcoastandseveral tal, the Western Isles,with Stornoway, thecapi- ( Lewis isthemostpopulousofLeodhas) LEWIS Sunday. in theday; remember, buses carefully toensure youaren’t stranded late tostudythetimetable you’llneed although Small cars costaround£26perday. delivers totheairportand ferry terminal. Lewis, Buses linkStornoway tooutlyingareas,Buses adherents respect intheWestern fortheirpractices. Islesnonethelessdeserve faith. Harris and Berneray andthe Isle ofSkyein2006. Sunday sailingsfordecades,wasbothreviled between andpraisedwhenitinaugurated services handlesSundayflightsandtheferry company,CalMac,Stornoway airport havingdesisted from andeven theuseofchildren’sSunday. You’llseesignsprohibitingsport playgrounds. However, provide mealsfornonresidents. Some B&Bproprietorsprefer nottowelcomeorfarewell guestson onSunday,almostallshopsandpetrolstationsare closedandonlyahandfulofhotelsservices ance oftheLord’sDay,Sunday,asadayrest anddevotion.Consequently,there are nobus standing stolidlyagainsttheelements. The Bibleiscentraltotheirbeliefs, whichrequire observ- smaller churches,includingthe Free Presbyterian Churchandthe United Free Presbyterians. century schismintheChurchofScotland.Later differences ledtotheestablishmentofseveral The Western IslesisthestrongholdinScotlandof Free Church,itsorigins lyinginamid-19th- SUNDAY INTHEWESTERNISLES 07798 667751) ofBirds Royal Society fortheProtection In today’smaterialistic, scepticalworld,thesebeliefs mayseemanachronisticbuttheir Things are different on South Uistand Barra, where mostpeopleadhere totheRomanCatholic Their congregations have churcheson builtmanyremarkable inparticular,

usually lastingacoupleof hours; de-

( % 01851 710548;www.arnolmotors.com) puts onfree guidedwalkson don’t run on (RSPB;

Although thereAlthough isn’tacontinuous path, on 50mormorevertically intothe sea below. buttake care drop the cliffs, asthecliffs marked to route close earlyonandstays the rocksatfootof thecliffs. canoften baskingon beseen rants. Seals winged fulmars, skuas,gullsand cormo- companionship birds–stiff- of thesea inlets (geos)rock isletsanddeep andthe the very stacks, sceneryof finecoastal cliffs, crossing thepeatymoorland.Thusitmisses tops, wellinlandfromthecliff route stays Thegreaterstaigh). partof thewaymarked ( Nis) andthevillage of Skigersta ( Sgiogar- northtothedistrictofTholastaidh), Ness north of thevillage of ( Ur Bail’ route from ( Garry Beach Ghearadha), Tràigh This walk isinspired bythewaymarked TOLSTA TONESS birds. Sutherland mountainsandabundantsea nants ofsummershielings,superbviews Summary Transport Ness Nearest Towns Finish Start Difficulty Distance Duration ( p239 ) The walkdescribed here leaves theway- Garry Beach Skigersta 10 miles (16km) 4–4½ hours moderate Spectacular coastalscenery,rem- Spectacular private LEWIS ••TolstatoNess Stornoway ( p238 ),

237 WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES North Lewis North tively, OS Explorer use 1:25,000 No460 and showsthewaymarked route. Alterna- Stornoway Lewis &North 1:50,000map No8The OSLandranger Maps PLANNING very few takers. He diedin1925. its people;apartfromStornoway,there were offered Leverhulme to Lewis cial difficulties, finan- indeep ports. Then,findinghimself was more thanmodernfishing important offrom WWI,forwhompossession land opposition fromlandlesssoldiers returning morials tothescaleof hisvision. He raninto asme- 3 milesout.Twofinebridges survive only gotasfarAbhainn naCloich, barely toPortofing aroadfromTolsta Ness,butit dustry. Oneof hismanyprojects wasbuild- thefishingin- for all,mainlybydeveloping launched ambitious planstoprovide jobs nate, bought and Lewis Harris in1918and fishing ortending andgatheringsheep. basic, provided shelter whileislanders were cottages), somequite elaborate, some pretty the route of thiswalk.Shielings (smallstone gral partof islandlife; there are three along probably datingfromthe13thcentury. is a’Mhorair( Caisteal Mormaer’s Castle), atthesouthernendofstack GarryBeach, Similarlylocated, atoparock (c 500BC). tory forts, Dùn Othailand Dùn Filiscleitir remains of atleasttwo Iron Age promon- Precariously topsare situated oncliff the ingly different aspectsof history. Lewis’ of evidence strik- During thiswalkyou’llsee HISTORY at leastfourhours. miles (16km),forwhich youshouldallow is10 easiest goingunderfoot.Thedistance in thebestof sceneryandthe thecoastal to Beach Dibidale ( Dhiobadail) wouldtake Alternative much todifferentiate. can bedoneineitherdirection –there’s not Thewalk orforgatheringsheep. diggings minor vehicle foraccesstopeat tracks,used At eitherendof thewalk, way isalong grassland withonlyafew patches. boggy the wholegoingunderfootisacross 238 awealthyEnglishmag- Lord Leverhulme, haveShieling settlements aninte- been LEWIS••TolstatoNess Anout-and-back walkfromGarry . covers thewalk £8/10, dm£12) 6LaxdaleLane;unpowered/powered sitesfor2 park.com; noway Thai cuisine;bringyourowndrinks. far sideof theMinch, withgenuine, quality Cromwell St;mainsto£3; Francis St). 26 CromwellSt) and akitchen, andthere’s abarbecuearea. has four-personcompact bunkhouse rooms noway, hasplentyof campingspace. The good breakfast. aparticularly centrally located, andserves Beach; mains£7-12; HolidayPark SLEEPING &EATING Sandwick Rdfillingstation all of Wednesday.Thesoleexceptionisthe p237 onpartor ); somemayalsobeclosed theboxedare onSunday(see closed text on or farewell guestsonSundayandthatshops that someB&Bhostsprefer nottowelcome town. Whenmakingyourplans,remember tropolis andfeels very much like acountry ern Isles,Stornowayisanythingbutame- Far and awaythelargest townintheWest- % Stornoway (Steornabhagh) TOWNS NEAREST bandb.co.uk; 18PlantationRd;s/d£25/56,dinner£15) modation reservations. andcanmaketransport timetables accom- ries and the like. withatastesomething foreveryone forcur- value formoney. wide varietyof snacksandoffers excellent a an extension of the publiclibrary,serves h St;dm£10) noway-hostel.co.uk; 47Keith camping stoves is Isles where youcanbuygascanisters for mapsaswell. sells particularly goodforlocalreferences, and and a light breakfastand alight isthrownin. cottage. aren’t Theroomscertainly cramped minutes’ walk fromtheferry, inatraditional Stornoway BaltiHouse Stornoway Backpackers Stornoway TIC An LeabharlannCoffeeShop Baltic Bookshop Thai Cafe Thai One of thevery few placesintheWestern Dunroamin B&B 01851 /pop6000 lunch &dinnerMon-Sat)

institution. Itsextensive menu has

, about1.5milesnorthof Stor- stocks maps,booksandpublic ( %

( 701811; 27ChurchSt;mains£6-8; % h

( ( % Sportsworld ( % 703088; [email protected]; 703088; [email protected]; % lunch &dinner) h 702802; 8CromwellSt) is areal findonthe 703234; www.laxdaleholiday 704578; www.dunroamin 10am-5pm Mon-Sat; www.lonelyplanet.com

( h ( ( % % 10am-4pm Sun) 703628; www.stor 706116; 24South

( ( isonlyfive % % is aStor- 705464; 1-3 708631; 19 i . is is ) , www.britishairways.com) hours) ern endof town. opposite theTICandotheratnorth- terminal, and twoCo-opsupermarkets, one permarket opposite theexitfromferry flights MondaytoSaturday). flights Saturday) andInverness (40minutes, four Mondayto Glasgow (onehour,fourflights crossing. money if you’re makingmore thanone fares will save you considerable sums of between seasons anddaysof theweek. seasons between Fares on thefollowingroutes varywidely THERE&AWAYGETTING www.calmac.co.uk) .com) land Airways (one hour,dailyMondaytoFriday). Monday toSaturday) vehicle £12/56,2¾hours, at leasttwodaily UllapoolandStornoway (passenger/ tween day toSaturday). Stornoway (40minutes, three Mon- flights ways.co.uk) airways.com) Eastern Airways Eastern there’sFor self-caterers aSomerfieldsu- British Midland British British Airways/Loganair British Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian 643416; then south.Descendacrossashallowglen,gouptocrest thendowntoGarenin village. cliffs busywithseabirds. Withfineviewsinabundance,continuegenerallywestandsouthwest, firm dryground.Then comemore undulationsandtheroute passesthedeepinletofFibhig, its open up.Crossawide,shallowglen,passrockycove andclimb,mostlyclosetothecoast,on toilets). Goupsteps besidethemore recent ofthetwocemeteries. Soon,excellentviewsnorth well inland.The route crossesundulatingcountrysideanddescendstoDalmore (where there are the rightandbegin tofollowgreen posts,generallyalongafence waymarker ontheseawardside, breakfast £3, of Carloway (ontheA858)nearentranceto There are carparksattheendofDalbegroad(offA858) andabout1.5milesnorthwest two hours. UseeitherOSLandranger1:50,000mapNo8orExplorer 1:25,000mapNo460. between thevillagesof Dalbeg ( Dialbeag) and ( Gearrannan), a4-mile(6.3km)walk;allow Coastal Walk cluttered withstacks,precipitous clefts,smallcoves andbeaches. The waymarked The gentlyundulatingcoastalfringeofwestLewis spillsover intoanintricately indented coastline, SHORT WALK restored avisit,asisthe andiswellworth the fliesdailyfromEdinburgh (1¼ From theDalbegcarparkwalkuproadtoasharpleftbend;crossfootbridgebelow Garenin Hebridean Hostel .

operates between Inverness operates between and www.gearrannan.com; linksAberdeen andStornoway

lunch £5,dinnermains£11-13; ( % operates a ferry service be- operates aferry service from Bragar to Garenin explores themostimpressive stretch, thebestofwhichlies

0845 4502245; ( ( % % operates flights from operates flights 08703 669100;www.eastern 08706 070555;www.flybmi

(CalMac; (CalMac; . IslandHopscotch

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May-Sep) % www.highlandair 0870 8509850;

(www.syha.org.uk; dm£8) 08705 650000; h . Lived inuntiltheearly1970s,thisvillagehasbeenfaithfully High- café 10am-5pmMon-Sat,restaurant dinnerThu-Sat) Blackhouse CaféBlackhouse andRestaurant Na Gearrannan Village Blackhouse B8015 Skigersta road. from itsjunctionatLionel(Lional) withthe about 1.5milessouthwestalong the A857 groceratSwainbost(Suainebost), a licensed ments after thewalk. .co.uk) evening meal£20) evening dm/s/d£9/45/80, SouthGalson; farm.freeserve.co.uk; Galson Motors Galson THERE &AWAYGETTING FarmGalson GuestHouse SLEEPING &EATING miles of theA857. ties, are scattered alongthenorthernmost village. villages, Itsseveral withfew facili- Ness isadistrictratherthanparticular % (Nis) Ness mains to£10) at Ullapool. gow andInverness connectwiththeferries the small bunkhouse has a kitchen. the smallbunkhouse arein theguesthouse large andluxurious; miles (10km)southwestof Lionel. Rooms fromtheA857,6 property ashortdistance between Stornoway andPortofbetween Ness (£3, The nearest shop totheendof thewalkis Scottish Citylink The 01851 , inoneoftherestored cottages. bus services fromEdinburgh, Glas- busservices CrossInn isthenearest pubforrefresh-

( % LEWIS ••TolstatoNess isabeautifullyrestored

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239 WESTERN ISLES WESTERN ὄ

WESTERN ISLES 240

(Suainebost)

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E M I Dùn T H N C H noons, one service Saturdayafternoon) noons, oneservice twohoursone hour,every after- weekday stop atLionelenroute toStornoway(£3, Galson Motors Galson to thejunctionwithA857atLionel. near Skigersta itis2milesalongtheB8015 800m beyondNewTolsta. to thecarparkabove about GarryBeach, alongtheB895andfollowitTurn right noway forjustover 1miletoNewmarket. from thevillage. to thecarparkabove 800m Garry Beach, andparallelsthecoast level tosea steeply the main(andonly)road;itdescendsquite simply walknorthoutof thevillage along reach of thestart thewalkfromNewTolsta, (£2, 50minutes, MondaytoSaturday).To Stornoway tothevillage of NewTolsta the crinkled coastal cliffs, you cometothe cliffs, the crinkled coastal asyoumoveconstantly north. acrosstheeastern skylinechangesmountains tops. Thepanoramaof ers, followthecliff continuous paths, andwalk- madeby sheep much more sceniccoastwhere more-or-less- coast tocrossthemoor. Instead, sticktothe the waymarked route swingsawayfromthe a prehistoric fortonarockypromontory, the knoll.Alittlefurtheron,past sideof and pickupthepathonseaward moorland. Aimforapostonheatheryknoll the marked route, leadingnortheastacross the driestgroundshould beupslopefrom posts withayellowband.After about50m downstream), theroute ismarked bygreen (where slightly thewaterfall isbestseen concrete bridge across Abhainn naCloich acrossthe can beseen . Beyond on aclearday,someof the Sutherlandpeaks vehicle track headingtothecoast.Fromhere, Past theriver, theroadbecomesmore of a across River Garry ( Abhainn Ghearadha). to crosstheincongruous Bridge toNowhere roadasitdipsdown sealed along therough, out set From thecarparkatGarryBeach THE WALK % IslesCouncil Western TO/FROMTHEWALK GETTING Saturday). Mondayto one hour,atleastfourservices From thecarparkatendof thewalk By car,followtheA857northfromStor- After nearly2milesof fine walkingabove 709747) operates bus service W5from operates busservice

( % 840269)

(Comhairle nanEileanSiar; buses on service W1 onservice buses www.lonelyplanet.com Dùn Othail . , overlooks thesteep-sidedglenof (about 1¾hours Theknoll fromthestart). ruins of astonecottage onagrassyknoll www.lonelyplanet.com Harris hasplenty of respectable, though glens and remotelong, deep lochs. South toweringoverother 700m-plus mountains est peakintheWestern Isles, andseveral ous, with Clisham (799m)being thehigh- of Harris iswilderandmore mountain- Harris from therest of theisles.Thenorth real, glaciated moonscapesthatdistinguish freshwater lochs, andsea butit’sthesur- landscape –there’s plentyof water too,in the northernshores of Loch Resort. southernendandwestalong Loch Langavat’s boundary runsthrough across Loch Seaforth, parts’.TheLewis/Harris means ‘thehigher wordthat probably comesfromanoldNorse ing thesouthernthirdof their island.Itsname Harris ( Na Hearadh) occupy- adjoinsLewis, HARRIS rounding village of in the1920sforresidents of thesur- come totheremains of atinychapel, built slope neartheburn.Upothersideyou curious stonestructures builtintothesteep wonder about,theremains of acluster of on theOSmap.Here find,and youmight stream belowtheplaceshownasMaoim line. geos inthe cliff grassland andabove themanyspectacular sorts ismuch lessobviousfromhere, across way,you’llfindthatthepathofent coastal course. Ifyou’re pursuing theindepend- The marked route continuesitsinland other sidetoacluster of ruinedshielings. waymarker upthe posts,andclimbsteeply cross theburnataconfluence,following the site of ashielingvillage. Dropdownto village of Skigersta. area roadnearthe atthe endof thesealed here it’saboutanhour’swalktotheparking former shieling village of ing westtoreach thevehicle trackatthe with thecoastto Abhainn Dubhthenhead- a vehicle trackthatleadsinland,orstay you canrejoin themarked route, following overlooking aspectacular edge,cupies animprobable site atthecliff hours fromDibidale). Dùn Filiscleitiroc- Rock istheoverwhelming feature of the Turn inlandtocrossthenextsizable Filiscleitir natural arch Cuiashader (abouttwo Dibidale . From . Here , nourished byarushing stream. protectedprimroses, from thewindand withwillow,aspenandfragile standards) oasis(byHarrisis aluxuriantbotanical northwestern cornerof Loch Trolamaraig into theinterior of Harris. Inthesheltered which bites deep trance toLoch Seaforth, of totheen- Loch Trolamaraigandclose ascent isinvolved. androckyinplaces; around400mofboggy to follow,although The pathiseasyenough down totheshores of Loch Trolamaraig. walk upandover arugged ridge andsteeply vives andprovides scenic anoutstandingly place forvisitors. Mostof theoldpathsur- perhaps tookawaysomeof themagicof the made life much fortheresidents, easier but by boat.Thenewroadover themountains paths, which were hazardousinwinter, or could onlybereached onfootalongrough village (Reinigeadal)Until 1990Rhenigidale Tarbert TIC( p242 ). shouldbeavailablehours; details fromthe The Walks Guided PLANNING texts on p246 andon p254 There are more suggestions intheboxed. options,andtheothertoClisham.level andlow- withhigh- isolated settlement, Harris, onefollowingahistoricpathtoan machair. magnificence of itswest-coastbeaches and andisrenownedlower, mountains forthe walks onHarris, RHENIGIDALE PATH hngdl (p243) Rhenigidale the ruggedpeakofToddun. chance toexplore villageorclimb adeserted the isolated hamletof Rhenigidale, withthe magnificent mountainandcoastsceneryto Summary Transport Nearest Towns Start/Finish Difficulty Distance Duration Rhenigidale sitsonthenorthernshoreRhenigidale This section describestwowalksinnorth This section RSPB ( 7 miles (11km) 4–4¼ hours moderate bus % HARRIS •• Rhenigidale PathHARRIS ••Rhenigidale Follow ahistoricpaththrough LacasdaleLochsbridge 07798 667751) abr (p242), Tarbert

usually lastingacoupleof runs free guided

241 WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES Harris the area (estate), alongthe Huishinish home for crofters fromthe evicted Forest of originated inthe1820sasanew Rhenigidale HISTORY 8.5 miles(13.5km). Lochs, theoverall inwhich case is distance be incorporated inthereturn to Lacasdale (see Rhenigidale p244 ). Thiswalkcould perched above Loch Trolamaraigopposite ofsettlement Molinginish ( Molingeanais), 1010m of ascent. to cover the11miles(18km)andinvolves Thisoptiontakesto Rhenigidale. sixhours about 800mwestof of thestart thepath stroll downtotheTarbert–Scalpay road, which providesGlen Lacasdale, aneasy hal; 389m)anddowntothepathinlonely Reithe. Thenit’sover Stralaval ( Strathab- leads downtothesouthernendof Loch an cutting diagonallyacrossitswestern face, over An Reithe,fromwhere abroadgully, the summit.Fromglenbelow,continue west fromToddun,about150mnorthof views (see p244 ). all-round spectacular Toddunaffords tains, apart fromthemainnorthHarris moun- a surprisinglyapproachable peak.Standing 528m), wedge-shaped andprecipitous, but vicinity. Thisfirst isto Toddun ( Todun; there’s scopeforatleasttwowalksinthe Alternatives 242 Another possibility is to visit the deserted Another possibilityistovisitthedeserted You canmake itafulldaybydescending Hebridean Hostels Trust main benefitbeingpublicity.Runningofthehostels stayedwiththecrofters andthe with thelocalcrofters whoownthehostel buildings. In1987theSYHA adopted thehostels, the moved acrosstoHarris. opened ontheislandof Scarp (offHarris’westcoast)butit closedin1969whentheislanders boat. Howmore Hostel, alsoathatchedcottage,followedin1964.The year,ahostel next was cottage wassoonmadeready andopenedinEaster 1962,whenaccesswasonlyonfootorby the SYHA toextend itsempire. that theisleswere theidealplacetoestablishsimplehostels, hetriedunsuccessfullytopersuade 1940s andwascompletely captivated; 20years. annualvisitsfollowedforthenext Convinced to youngpeopleandtheyouth-hostel movement. Hediscovered theWestern Islesinthelate Gatliff,anEnglishmanbornneartheendof19thcentury,dedicated mostofhislifeHerbert HERBERT GATLIFF –VISIONARY indefinable atmosphere ofcamaraderieandfreedom. accommodation withbasicfacilities,includingheating(althoughnotcentralheating),andan HARRIS •• Rhenigidale Path HARRIS ••Rhenigidale Herbert Gatliffdiedin1977buthisworkiscarriedonbythe Herbert Gatliff Trust,inpartnership Undaunted, toopenahostel Gatliffseized at anopportunity Rhenigidale. Anemptythatched The fourHebrideanhostels –Garenin, Rhenigidale, BernerayandHowmore –provide no-frills Using asabase, Rhenigidale

(www.gatliff.org.uk; 30FrancisSt,Stornoway) .com; Pier Rd) village was abandonedin1965. lived there, tosupportaschool. The enough at least12familiestime asRhenigidale; had tobeshippedinfromTarbert. (forfertiliser), peat (forfuel)andseaweed boat handlers asalltheirsupplies,including of which are Theywere stillstanding. expert most occupying 17houses, in Rhenigidale, in the20thcenturyaround90peoplelived (Huisinis) road(B887)westof Tarbert. Early accommodation reservations. A useful re- Auseful accommodation reservations. a smallrange of booksand canhelpwith for late-arriving ferries. Itstocksmapsand commodation possibility. ( Lord Leverhulme p238 ), andisanotherac- has aninteresting historyconnected with burgh, asmall village onthesouthcoast, the westandMinch totheeast.Lever- south Harris, withtheAtlanticOceanto a narrowneckof northand landbetween The maintownonHarris, Tarbert straddles % (Tairbeart) Tarbert TOWNS NEAREST map No14 HarrisNorth Consult eitherOSExplorer 1:25,000No456 Maps PLANNING aroundthesame Molinginish wassettled Tarbert’s 01859 /pop480 , neartheferry terminal, opens Tarbert &Loch Seaforth. TIC . or OS Landranger 1:50,000 orOSLandranger

( % 502011; tarbert@visithebrides www.lonelyplanet.com Gatliff urday) Mondayto Sat- (£3, one hour, fourservices W10linksStornowaywith Tarbertservice ner mains£7; section. and bottledHebridean alesare available. Vegetarian above dishesrise theordinary fare, andsteak specialities. withseafood opposite the ferry terminal, hasstandard www.leverburgh.co.uk isthelocalwebsite, source forLeverburgh CalMac CalMac THERE&AWAYGETTING meal£15) house.org; 12WestSide;s/d£28/50,evening . Harris; thenearest isinStornowayonthe There are noformalcamping groundson SLEEPING &EATING drinks; corkage isnotcharged. includes avegetarian dish.Bringyourown ner –themenuchanges dailyandalways and restaurant. tobookfordin- Youneed site theTIC, isanexcellentcottage tearoom forallB&Bs. standard recommended the comes highly assetting south of Tarbert, inasuperblocation,and vides anexcellentintroductiontothearea. thewell-knownlocalexpert,pro- Lawson, Isles. books onHarris andtheotherWestern Though small,roomsareThough wellequipped. has afineoutlookover innerLoch Tarbert. 7 Direcleit; s/d£35/60,dinner £8-17; Berneray ferry. FacilitiesBerneray are excellent. Harris, especiallyifyou’re headingforthe west of thetown,iseasilybesthostel on car £6/25,onehour, uptofourdaily). (passenger/ toLeverburgh from Berneray across theislet-studdedSoundof Harris on theCalMac ferry viaafascinatingroute hours). ComingfromNorthUist,you’ll sail Skye andTarbert £9/39, 1¾ (passenger/car daily ferries UigontheIsleof between .com; Ferry Rd, Munro’s off-licence groceryhasabutcher Munro’s off-licence Harris TweedShop Harris Am BothanBunkhouse Clisham Keel Restaurant Clisham Keel Firstfruits Ceol naMara Ceol Avalon GuestHouse Hebridean Transport Transport Hebridean h Harris inHistory &Legend

( and Leverburgh. % lunch & h

08706 650000;www.calmac.co.uk) Leverburgh; dm£14) ( % lunch Mon-Sat,dinnerTue-Fri)

dinner) 502439; Pier Rd;lunchmains£4-7,din- ( %

502464; www.ceolnamara.com; ( , intheMacleod Motel ( % %

( % . (

502493; Main St) 502493; Main % ( 502334; www.avalonguest £20) % 520251; www.ambothan , 20milessouth- 01851 705050) 502364; Pier Rd;mains isafew miles byBill carries , oppo- runs bus

a goodtwo-laneroad. way alongtheA859,almostallof which is H AK THE WALK Lochs, 2milesfromTarbert.Lacasdale the bridge over thestream flowing outof Tarbert–Scalpay road,justacross (Scalpaigh) (signposted ‘ToYouthHostel’) onthe andfinishes atacarpark The walkstarts TO/FROMTHEWALK GETTING laidh) andtheB887junction. Ardvourlie(Airda’Mhu- A859 between of aminorroad,which branches fromthe isattheend(about3miles) Rhenigidale THERE&AWAYGETTING the is inRhenigidale The onlyplacetostay (Reinigeadal) Rhenigidale utes, four services Monday toSaturday). utes, four services ofpassing thestart thewalk(£1,five min- Tarbert therunbetween does andScalpay, and 2.5milesfromRhenigidale. roadfromtheA859 down theRhenigidale Maaruig (Màraig)junction,lessthan1mile Thenearest telephone isatthe first served. bookings are notaccepted –first come, theboxeddean hostel (see text, opposite ), a shopinthevillage. As Hebri- aGatliff bagandsupplies;therewith asleeping isn’t tocomeself-contained quillity. Youneed simple accommodationwithaspecialtran- to theshore of soon copes withtheextremely drop steep Side Tripon p244 path ). TheRhenigidale the ofthe start thepathtoMolinginish(see marking you passaneatcairn ontheright, Trolamul to thenorth.Withinfive minutes, tween a’Chaolaistothesouthand Beinn there’s alarge cairn)onthelong ridge be- utes youreach (where afairlybroadsaddle Abhainn ant-Sratha. After about40min- nearthetumblingalmost straightaway, toclimb From thecarparktrackstarts afternoon service. afternoon service. morning run,orby3pmlatest forthelate- must bebooked before thenight forthe are limited and Monday toSaturday).Seats Tarbert Pier(£2,30minutes, twoservices and Rhenigidale between a minibusservice Tarbert is37miles(59km)fromStorno- Scalpay CommunityMinibus Services Car Harris Rhenigidale Hostel Rhenigidale HARRIS •• Rhenigidale PathHARRIS ••Rhenigidale Loch Trolamaraig

( %

(www.syha.org.uk; dm£8) 01859 502221)

( % in a series of inaseries 01859 540356) Map Map p244 operates 243

,

WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES the pathsignposted toUrgha andTarbert From theroadwestof follow Rhenigidale, 3 hours,4miles(6.5km),550mascent SIDE TRIP: TODDUN Lochs bridge route. bythesame from theshinglebeach). ReturntoLacasdale 800m d slope, uptotheroad. pathcutintothe along thenarrow,grassed mal fodder. Fromhere it’sashort distance andani- soil forthecultivationof potatoes toenrich thepoor hauling loadsof seaweed ‘lazy beds’–humpslaboriously created by low, parallelridges inthenearbyfieldswere cottages andstone-walledenclosures. The ( stone Lotaigear), withsubstantial Gearraidh silent remains of thevillage of stream crossing.Continueup,soonpastthe soon headsdownacrossthespurtoagated (25 minutes fromthesaddle). Trolamaraig, withashinglebeach nearby Cheann a’Locha, thestream inrugged Glen lower down,toabridge across Abhainn brokenextraordinary zigzags,through cliffs 244 (12mi) (Huisinis) Huishinish To TARBERT North HarrisWalks The path rises sharplyfromthebridge but The pathrises

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250 100 Mulla-fo-dheas Buidhe Mò (743m)

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To Leverburgh

A859 300

350 250 (Tarsabhal) Tarsaval (376m) ( NaHerdh)

(An Cliseam) 200 400 Rhenigidale Clisham (799m)

H ARIS

(Tairbeart) 150 Tarbert

350

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Garry-aloteger Maaruig East Loch

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100 isbarely (729m)

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le (Glea 150 casda nn La 200 n La casd le a i l) G Lacasdale aloteger andontothebridge over Abhainn west of togodownpastGarry- Rhenigidale, Follow theapproach pathfromtheroad 3 hours,5miles(8km),150mascent SIDE TRIP: MOLINGINISH your steps toRhenigidale. the SouthUist‘hills’tosouth.Retrace Clisham; theShiant Islands massiftothenorth,dominated by tainous other places,youcangazeuponthemoun- hour fromthemainpath).Amongmany lar stonewallonthesummitof cairnshelteredto thesurvey byacircu- scattered cragstothesummitridge. Goon theingly easytofindawayupthrough Keep ground–it’ssurpris- tothehighest northwest, shortlycrossinganotherfence. well-defined ridge andfollowitgenerally south. Cross this fence thenclimbtothe afencewest untilyoumeet runningnorth- to afence; bearleftandfollowitgenerally further on.Walknorthupthebroadspur across abridge andleave thepath10m theremainsthrough of Garry-aloteger, (the pathfollowedonthemainwalk), START/

FINISH

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(an 300 eastern ridge from theA859is straightfor- north–south glen. deep, cently rugged groupof peaks byalong, fromanother magnifi- massif isseparated to thesouthwest.Towest,Clisham’s forth andoverlooking WestLoch Tarbert fromthewesternsteeply shore of Loch Sea- narrow, graniticridges andpeaks rising ‘rocky cliff’. being of originandpossiblymeaning Norse butaneducated opinionhasit uncertain, meaning andderivationof itsnameis happen fromtimetoonHarris. The on theclear,not-too-windydaysthatdo worth climbingfortheexceptionalviews Clisham 799m/2622ft)iswell (An Cliseam; path. junction withthemainRhenigidale andthecairned 30 minutes uptothesaddle westacrossthemoorland.Allowabout rises condition, withfew bogstonegotiate asit slope. Thetrackiswideandstillingood alargethrough gapinthefence acrossthe dale), crosstheburnandpickuptrack (or tomake aroundwalkbacktoRhenigi- beds above. the edge of theshinglebeach, withthelazy small, partlysheltered downto glenright crammedintoaMolinginish materialise, suddenly theruinedandroofed cottages of todescendand 35 minutes thepathstarts ofuse slenderrockyledges. After about stream crossingneeds inplaces.Thesecondrocky andboggy across theprecipitous slope;it’snarrow, gle beach andsoonbecomesclearasitcuts takes upfromtheshin- ashort off distance Cheann a’Locha. TheMolinginish path www.lonelyplanet.com CLISHAM CLISHAM glens. perb all-roundviewsofpeaks,lochsanddeep a steep, rocky,straightforwardascentforsu- Summary Transport Nearest Town Start/Finish Difficulty Distance Duration The conventional approach upthesouth- dominatesThe peak acomplex arrayof to For thewalkthrough LochsLacasdale 4 miles (6.5km) 3½–4 hours moderate bus The Western Isles’highestpeak– Maaruig River bridge abr (p242) Tarbert great care , making the start by the same route –more bythesame the start orless! in Wester Rossand Sutherland.Return to extends easttothemore prominent peaks fromhere, andtheview Isles youcan’tsee good daythere isn’tmuch of theWestern wall (about 1½hours Ona fromthestart). cairn issurroundedbyasheltering stone pact summitof along theslenderrockyspineto the com- andleads distinct, aclearpathmaterialises ing direction toclimbnorthwest. to gaintheskylineridge, graduallychang- northwards amongtheboulders andscree From here, make of gooduse grassyleads the footof southernslopes. Clisham’ssteep make at yourwayuptothebroadsaddle to ways easytofollowbutit’snotdifficult above the Maaruig River. Thepathisn’tal- leads generally northwest,tending west, muddypath From thecarparkaslightly H AK THE WALK ( The toRhenigidale. off River bridge, about1milewestof theturn- northern sideof theA859atMaaruig ataparkingareaThe walkstarts onthe TO/FROMTHEWALK GETTING map No14 HarrisNorth Use eitherOSExplorer 1:25,000mapNo456 Maps PLANNING Huishinish navoneader (BunAbhainn onthe Eadara) can take adifferent approach, fromBu- Alternative slopes of Clishamitself. head northwestandwesttogainthesteep ofof therockybluff Then Sròn Carsaclett. Maaruig River, climbtoapointwest asteep variation isthespurof thesouthernsideof wet,arecommendedground isseriously onthemainridge.ground andhigh Ifthe pathoverenough someof thelower,boggy ascentis640m.Therethe total isaclear almostunrelentinglyward, although steep; at the Rhenigidale turn-off. at theRhenigidale Tarbert–Leverburgh (see service p243 ) stops east toClisham,returning viaTarsaval. fo-dheas (743m)andthescramblyridge % Once theridge narrowsandbecomes 01851 705050) Experienced andagilewalkers Experienced

Tarbert &Loch Seaforth road, viaMóBuidhe,Mulla- or OS Landranger 1:50,000 orOSLandranger busontheStornoway– Clisham HARRIS ••Clisham ; the survey (trig) ; thesurvey Hebridean Transport Hebridean Map Map p244 . 245

WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES listings. the island andincludes accommodation source of.com isauseful informationabout The community website www.uistonline Information Sources ofdetails the Check attheLochmaddy TIC( opposite ) for Guided Walks PLANNING becula ( naFaoghla) inthesouth. Beinn north and ( Grimsay and Griomasaigh) Ben- linking itto ( Berneray inthe Bearnaraigh) ern, butextremely convenient, causeways bythemod- compromised perhaps slightly NorthUist’sidentityasanislandis between. andcroftsside andmanyhouses scattered in loch, there are afew villages onthewestern from theextraordinary,island-studdedsea ( Loch namMadadh), which takes itsname theprincipaltownof Beyond Lochmaddy north coastandarugged eastern coastline. milesoftains, magnificentbeaches onthe quarter), some smallbutattractive moun- of dryground(mainlyinthe northwestern of rockandsoil.Butthere isactually lots justwater byscraps separated to comprise At first North Uist( Uibhist aTuath)seems UIST NORTH 246 program of guidedwalksonNorthUist. at acarpark(withtoilets)14miles(22.5km)west.A day ingoodweather. ofTarbert); AccessisviatheB887fromA859(2.5milesnorth itends of Scarp. A5-mile(8km)walkfollowinganoldtracktosecludedbeachescan painlesslylastall fers alongtheruggedcoast,withfineviewsofuninhabited scenic,low-level island walking The Harris,sheltering peninsulaatthesouthwestern extremity ofnorth SHORT WALK short descenttothesaddlewhere yourejoinshort theoutwardroute toreturn toHushinish. of sheeppens. yourwayacrosscountry,over Make thecrustyhill( Gresclett) fromwhere it’sa the beautifulcreamy white sandsof Tràigh Mheilein.Walksouthwestthenturninlandnearaknot grassyswardto acrosstheshort corner,nearatinybeach,headnorthwest From thenorthwest minutes south.Tocontinue,cross shore west.Loch naCleavag’soutletthenfollowitsnorthern cottage, acrossdriergroundto Loch Cravadale;thesandybeachatheadoflochisa few disappears.From here Descendtotheshore itvirtually ofLochnaCleavagandgoonpastawhite hillside, closetoasheerdroptheseainplaces,thentraverses apotentially marshysaddle. the seawardendofafence andtheoldtracksoon becomes clear. Itcrossesthesteep, rugged 1:50,000 mapNo13. ing school terms, two services Tuesdaying schoolterms, twoservices andFridayduringschoolholidays) bus runsbetweenHushinishandTarbert (£2,45minutes, MondaytoFridaydur- three services NORTH UIST••Eaval NORTH Begin tothecoast;gothroughagate byfollowingasandyvehicle totheeastat tracknorth RSPB’s

( % 0779 5047294) summer airways.co.uk) and Inverness Highland Airways Highland MondaytoFriday).becula (twoflights viaBen- GlasgowandBarra flies between British Regional Airlines Regional British THERE&AWAY GETTING athon from Barra to Lewis, involvingrun- toLewis, athon from Barra Hebridean Challenge, anannualteam mar- sometimes featuring on theroute of the At 347m(1138ft), isfamousforEaval onward connectionsnorthorsouth. take youtoLochboisdale orLochmaddy for Monday toFriday) NorthandSouthUist(twoflights tween airport,be- Stornoway landatBenbecula .britishairways.com) EAVAL EAVAL ClachannaLuib ( opposite ) as farsouththeIsleofRum. chans andlandthatcomprisetheUists, and a superbpanoramicviewofthemaze oflo- Summary Transport Nearest Towns Start/Finish Difficulty Distance Duration Western IslesCouncil 8 miles (13km) 3½–4 hours moderate private flies daily between Benbecula Benbecula fliesdailybetween The highest peak in North UistgivesThe highestpeakinNorth Drim Sidinish . Buses meet most flights to mostflights meet Buses ohad (opposite ), Lochmaddy inter-island from flights

( % . 0845 4502245;

British Airways/Loganair British

. UseOSLandranger ( www.lonelyplanet.com %

( % 0870 8509850;www (Huisinis),of- 01859 502213)

www.highland

the A865. dach Chairinis, which isabout1milefrom country totheendof aminorroadat Cla- nam Muca-maraandfinallyheadcross- inletofway aroundthelong,deep Oban Youcanthenworkyourand Grimsay. of NorthUist thenarrowstraitbetween ing southwestfromthesummittoshore walkispossible,descend- ments, athrough Alternative eastern cornerof NorthUist. steeply onallsides,itdominates thesouth- isalmostanisland.Risingnearby, Eaval Loch Eport( also Euphort) andtheopensea smallerlochsseveral onthree sides,and waters of ( Loch Obisary and Obasaraigh) curately describes itssituation.Withthe ey fjall back route. 350m of ascentandisasimple out-and- very tide. Thewalkdescribedinvolves high should bedryexceptafter heavy rainandat notfarfromthestart unavoidable causeway viewsnearandfar.fords outstanding The butthesummitaf- not beparticularlyhigh Drim Sidinish( Itmight Druim Saighdinis). way fromtheendof theLocheport roadat there’s aclear,ifoften muddy,pathallthe ning, cyclingandkayaking.Consequently, North Uist. studded loch, Lochmaddy isthe portfor beside the islet- a superblyscenicsetting A quiet village ontheeastcoast enjoying % Lochmaddy (LochnamMadadh) TOWNS NEAREST map No22 1:50,000 isontheOSLandranger Eaval &BOOKS Maps PLANNING good range of booksandmaps. opens for late ferry arrivalsand hasapretty No 454 ternatively, OSExplorer 1:25,000map use and identificationof locallandmarks.Al- Harris &St Kilda adjoining maptothenorth,No18 and entertaining. isbothinformative published BillLawson The name Eaval, from two Norse words fromtwoNorse The nameEaval, The North UistNorth inHistory &Legend 01876 , meaning‘islandfell’ or‘hill’,ac- TIC North UistNorth &Benbecula

With suitable transportarrange- Withsuitable ( % Benbecula &South Uist 500321; [email protected]) , is useful for orientation fororientation , isuseful . bywidely Sound of ; the

(80km) fromLochboisdale. miles (9.5km)fromOtternish and50miles .net; Carnach;dm£14; .co.uk; s/d£51/96,mains£8-12; to camp site andhasgoodfacilities. of isthenearest theislandof Benbecula, hotel.co.uk; s/d Carinish; Western IslesCouncil Western consultthetions southwards;fordetails andLochmaddy, withconnec- Berneray car £6/25,onehour,uptofourdaily). (passenger/ toBerneray from Leverburgh Harris, catch thesmallCalMac vehicle ferry at leastthree daily).ComingfromSouth of £10/46,1¾hours, Skye(passenger/car ates theferry toandfromUigontheIsle Shell Bay Caravan & Camping Site Site &Camping Shell BayCaravan SLEEPING &EATING The followingisjustatinyselection. andBenbecula. and southtowardsGrimsay modation tothenorthwest,alongA865, almost splitintwo. There’s plentyof accom- maddy, atapointwhere NorthUistis A865), 7.5miles(12km)southof Loch- around amajor road junction(A867and Clachan naLuibisascattering of houses % Clachan naLuib CalMac THERE&AWAYGETTING date within, traditional buildingontheoutside,up-to- Lochmaddy Hotel SLEEPING &EATING h post office. home bakingandgreat coffee. rolled intoone. Thecaféoffers brilliant centre, place caféandcommunitymeeting na Luib. beside alovely beach sandy west of Clachan hostel,proclaims. It’sa comfortable right inGaelic,astheowner proudly ther’s house’ powered sitesfor2£12/14) [email protected]; By road,Lochmaddy isontheA865,6 Taigh MoSheanair Taigh Chearsabhagh Various buscompaniesoperate between There’s asmallgrocer’sshopnearthe Temple Hotel View Bus and Ferry Services, UistBus andFerryServices, andBarra 01876 10am-5pm Mon-Sat;

( % 08705 650000;www.calmac.co.uk)

specialises in seafood. inseafood. specialises

( % Liniclate, Benbecula;unpowered/ NORTH UIST••Eaval NORTH i

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i onthesouthwestcoast ( (www.cne-siar.gov.uk) ( 500331; www.lochmaddyhotel % % )

means‘mygrandfa- ) ( is a museum, arts isamuseum, % 580246; carnach@amserve 580676; www.templeview h 500293; mains£2-4; lunch &dinner) ( % 01870 602447; h guide oper- lunch & 247 ,

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a WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES las onthenorthcoast. There isalarger Co-opsupermarket atSol- mapsandsandwiches. Clachan naLuibsells able lounge diner. isaspecialityinthecomfort- Local seafood main road,hasbeautifullyfurnishedrooms. ner of Lochtothefootof Obisary thespur northern endof Loch Surtavat andthecor- lowermost slopesof Buraval. voluted shores of most of theway,leadsabove thevery con- Buraval ( tofollow Burabhal). Apath,easy southeast towardstheprominentbulkof Fromherea bouldercauseway. continue ruined cottage onthefarshore, andonto on agrasstracktolarger cove, witha old stonepieronLoch Eport.Head east which leadsdowntoasmallcove withan another gate andthenfollowanoldtrack, the nearbycottage. Crossafield,through agateFrom thecarparkgothrough beside THE WALK miles (8km)fromtheA867. A865 nearLochmaddy. Theroadendis5 along theA867fromitsjunctionwith na Luib,or6.7miles(11km)southwest east of theA867/A865junctionat Clachan which branches theA867800mnorth- off attheendofThe walkstarts theB894, TO/FROMTHEWALK GETTING dinner) 248 Madadh) (12mi) (Loch nam Lochmaddy Luib (5.5mi); To Clachanna Eaval

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i t t M l e . The Mhòr, is achallenging walk,covering a ing in Corradail enroute toBeinn Beinn round of peaks, tak- SouthUist’shighest to theshore of Loch Skipport.Thefull northeast across thelochan-strewn moor negotiated thenot-too-formidable crags) la’s summitto Maoil Daimhthen(having long spurextending northwestfromHec- route. Aroundwalkispossibleviathe Alternatives but nobeaten highways. and indeterminate paths ground, onhigher a trackalongtheshore of Loch Skipport route-finding There’s broken through cliffs. groundtraversedrough andtheintricate ascent, it’sgradedasdemandingduetothe Sgioport) toitsnorth.Involving600mof and-back route from Lochskipport ( Loch scribed here out- isafairlystraightforward and equallyscenicouting.Thewalkde- thatHeclabe said offers a more interesting peakontheisland,itmust Mhòr, thehighest bite intoitsnorthernface. deep the workof glaciers duringthelast IceAge, plain.Twofinecorries,reflectingcoastal andtapers westtoaflat fromthesea steeply veryand Loch Aineortinthesouth.Itrises Loch Skipportinthenorth Uist, between cluster of peaksandridges incentralSouth atthenorthernendofstands avery rugged (620m). Made of gneiss,HeclaLewisian than itssouthernneighbour Mhòr Beinn ‘comb-like’. It’sonlyafew metres lower of or Norse originandmeans‘serrated’ The name Hecla ( Thacla; 606m/1988ft)is .com. the community-based site www.uistonline HECLA ohosae (right) Lochboisdale views.with fantastic,wide-ranging walk tothesecond-highestpeakonSouthUist, Summary Transport Nearest Towns Start/Finish Difficulty Distance Duration If you’re drawnmore toclimbingBeinn For informationabout theisland,check 10.4miles(16.5km) 7–7½ hours demanding private A challenging andhighlyrewarding There isscopeforvaryingthis Lochskipport omr (right), Howmore visithebrides.com; Piervisithebrides.com; Rd) .co.uk; s/d grocery. to thehostel,off isawell-stocked licensed welcome andanexcellentbreakfast. two very rooms;expectawarm comfortable 7 miles(11.2km)southof Howmore, with space aroundthecottages topitch atent. each tocollectfees. evening There’s plentyof Thewarden,alocalcrofter, calls first served. Bookings are notaccepted –it’sfirst come, bag. tobringyourownsleeping you’ll need thatched). Facilities includeashower but in traditionalstonecottages (oneof them of theA865,offers simpleaccommodation the boxed text on p242 ), lessthan 1milewest 2 £8,dm£8) Lochside Cottage SLEEPING &EATING of island life. The ontheordinary business boisdale isfocused The principaltownonSouthUist, Loch- % Baghasdail) (Loch Lochboisdale miles (19.5km)northof Lochboisdale. andabout12 causeway of theBenbecula Howmore isabout 6.7miles(10.5km) south THERE&AWAYGETTING Hostel Howmore SLEEPING &EATING most directly westof Hecla. thenorthandsouthcoastsal- tween and westof midwaybe- theA865,roughly villageHowmore along isatypicallydiffuse % Mòr) (Tobha Howmore TOWNS NEAREST & South Uist. 1:50,000mapNo22 Landranger No 453 eithertheOSExplorer 1:25,000map Carry Maps PLANNING Corradail. Beinn lot of groundandnarrowridges rough on 1.5 miles westof theferry terminal. of services of Ben MhorStores, justsouthofBen theturn- B&B Caloraidh 01878 01878

£23/46) Benbecula &South Uist , oneof theHebridean Hostels (see . , besideits ownfishing loch, is

(

(www.syha.org.uk; unpowered sitesfor % ( % SOUTH UIST••Hecla 700472; loch-side_cottage@tiscali TIC 710224; 3 ; s/d£28/50) 710224; 3Milton; offers theusualrange

( % 700286; lochboisdale@ ortheOS Benbecula

249

is WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES the B888toEriskay. burgh, nearthejunctionof theA865and monkfish marinadedinbasilandginger. chefs are notafraidtoexperiment–imagine banished, localproduceisforemost, andthe Sound of Thefoodisgreat; Barra. chips are friendly, very relaxed placeoverlooking the from theoriginal1695inntoapopular, the western sideof Mòr.Caolas Fromhere, Skipport totheruinedstone buildingson asitskirtstheshoreclear enough of Loch (south)alongawidepath. It’s turn off right and section beyond theend of thesealed Follow theroadtoapointabout 120m THE WALK from theA865.Park beside theroad. of Howmore. Lochskipport is4miles(6.5km) from theA865about2miles(3.5km) north port, attheendof theB890,which branches andfinishes atLochskip-The walkstarts TO/FROMTHEWALK GETTING CalMac THERE&AWAYGETTING 250 hours, fourweekly) Lochboisdale £21/77,5½ (passenger/car Obanand between erates aferry service car £6/35,twohours, three weekly) ontheIsleof (passenger/ Castlebay Barra 12) Pollachar; s/d£40/70,lunchmains£6-8,dinner£9- (Staoinebrig) Stoneybridge To Hecla Howmore , 7.5milessouthwestof town,hasgrown There’s a Co-op supermarket atDali- Polochar Inn Hostel (Stadhlaigearraidh) SOUTHUIST••Hecla Stilligarry

( % B865 B865 08705 650000;www.calmac.co.uk) (Tobha Mòr) Howmore (Loch Baghasdail)(10mi) To Lochboisdale

(

% 100 Madadh) (30mi) To Lochmaddy (139m) Thatharsal 700215; www.polocharinn.co.uk; . (Loch nam There’s alsoa linkwith 50 ( Uibhsta'Dea)

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300 Beinn Corradail 300 (527m) (Thacla) (606m) START/ FINISH Hecla west, past twosmalllochans andacross from the top).Thedirection isthen north- north shore of Loch Bèin(nearlytwo hours north faceof thisbump,andgoontothe to avoid onthe thealmost unbroken cliffs down tothewestinitiallythenswing north down toMaol Martaig. Fromhere, drop together alineof grass,rockandheather, east, andtheHarris ‘hills’inthenorth. lins andflat-toppedMacLeod’s Tables tothe Skye’sRed andBlackCuil- the view,notably a veritable feast of in islandsandmountains Scalabhat).There’s (35 minutes fromBeinn up totherock-and-grass summitof (564m) thendipacrossthebealach andgo ridge toreach thenextcairn-crownedtop Bèin). Traverse thesouthernslopeof the of Scalabhat(1½hours fromLoch Beinn groundtotheminorsummit such-rough rest of thewalkisrelatively easy,over not- h-Aire. Onceyoureach thisrockyeyriethe there’s nocontinuouspath,upto na Beinn the wayover ground,although thehighest notalwaysinlineof mark Cairns, sight, thecragsofopens up,through Bèin andasurprisinglyeasylineof ascent the outlet(aboutanhourfromstart). cross theburnfrom Loch Bèinjustbelow tiny, diamond-shapedlochan, andonto moorland, over asmallstream draininga on itsfarsidethenheadsoutheastacross issuing from Gouptheslope Loch Spotail. totheshorekeep close andcrossthestream Fada Loch

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100 Maol Martaig Maol Sheallacro (128m) Uisinis S Rubha e a o f t Hecla h e H e b r i d e s . map No 452 (1¼ hours fromLoch Bèin). becomes clear. Followitbacktothestart track thatyoufollowedearlierintheday and crossanothershallowvalley,where the Pass ruinof thesubstantial astonecottage ashallowvalley. then headwestthrough bay onthewestern shore Mòr, of Caolas totheshore,erally close pastanothertiny leads tothenextsmallinlet.Continuegen- Loch outletstream; Spotail’s apathof sorts www.lonelyplanet.com map No 31 1:50,000 eitherOSLandranger You’ll need Maps care toleave notraceof yourpresence. tothebeaches) isOK;take(usually close discreet wildcampingonunfenced ground There’s noformalcampinggroundonBarra; PLANNING wildflowers duringsummer. fine stretches of machair, carpeted with west coastisgracedbysuperbbeaches and indented and relatively sheltered, whilethe Ocean. Typically,theeastcoastisrocky, bulwarkagainsttheAtlantic a spectacular Tangaval ( Tangabhal;Beinn 333m)forms of dryland.Inthesouthwestcorner, Ben as theisland’sairfield)andaslenderstrip the islandbytwovastbeaches (oneserving hills andmachair, isjoinedtotherest of ligarry ( Eòlaigearraidh), which isalllow end. Thenortherntip,centred around Eo- Heaval ( Sheabhal; 383m)atthesouthern point, nearly itsfulllength,withthehighest gneissstretchesLewisian northtosouthfor miles (11km)wide. Arugged, rockyridge of linked byacauseway. toBarra and beach walksonVatersay ( Bhatarsaigh) and beaches inthenorth,andmountain central undulatingridge, outlying‘hills’ of goodwalkingonbothislands,withthe ness of theAtlanticOcean.There’s plenty most keenly aware of thepowerandvast- feeling; hereedge-of-the-world youcanbe lated partof Scotland.Theyhave aunique Western Islesandthemostwesterly popu- Vater- neighbouring aresay thesouthernmostof theinhabited and (Barraigh) Barra BARRA Barra isabout8miles(13km)longand7 Barra Barra Barra &Vatersay or OSExplorer 1:25,000 . of theMadonna andchild, symbolising the stands amarblestatue of theSea, Our Lady southernslopesof onthe steep High Heaval burial cairn,built around5000years ago. Bharpa, aNeolithic(StoneAge) chambered Further on,theroute takes youpast Dùn land life; it’sopenmost days insummer. aboutis- amuseum Gaelic), which houses you could restored, thatched cottage ( ascentis555m. rock. Thetotal most of thegoingisover grassandbroken nor anycairnsotherthanonthesummits; walk, there isn’tacontinuousdefinedpath, itisquiteclimbing. Although apopular and variedinvolvessteep lessseriously the island’scentralspine,ismore scenic buttheapproach describedhere,tain, along crossing thesouthernfootof themoun- Heaval ( Sheabhal; 383m)fromtheroad todashupanddownIt’s easyenough ( p252). are available fromtheTICinCastlebay Publictransporttimetables timetable. tight especiallyifyou’reessential, nottiedtoa aren’taround, soyourownfourwheels ( runby The island’sbusservices, AROUND GETTING modation list. accom- andincludesadetailed to Barra .com, provides aninformative introduction The island’sownwebsite, www.isleofbarra Information Sources There’s alsoa arriving anddepartingferries andflights. are frequentconnectwith buses enough; 890366) % HEAVAL moorland ridgedissected bydeeppasses. prehistoric andmore recent features andthe unsurpassedall-roundviews,ra’s highestpeak: Summary Transport Finish Start Difficulty Distance Duration Near the start ofNear thestart thewalkyou’llpassa 01871 810262) Craigston operate MondaytoSaturdayand atea (p252) Castlebay 5.5 miles (9km) 3½–4 hours moderate bus Heaps ofvarietyintheclimbtoBar- hire a bike abike hire taxi service and BARRA ••Heaval ( R Macmillan %

01871 810284) ( % dubharaidh 01871 810590)

H Macneil ( % toget 01871 251 in or

WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES donaich.com; Nasg;s/d close totheferryclose terminal. bookings. and bookscanhandleaccommodation opens forlate ferry arrivals,stocksmaps from theroadtoVatersay. Theroomsare Dunard Hostel SLEEPING &EATING helpful ofin thesouth,is‘capital’ The Barra. and huddledaroundthesheltered harbour alargeCastlebay, village ratherthanatown, % Chaisteil) a’ (Bàgh Castlebay TOWN NEAREST for this6.5-mile(10.5km)route. walk atGrianan.Allowabout three hours many subtlevariations,tojointhemain a definedpath,headgenerally south,with Bheireasaigh of tothesouth.Inabsence ChliaidtothenorthandBeinn Beinn tween point,be- ontheA888atitshighest starting walk intoasuperbfull-lengthtraverse by Alternative thebestlineofto find,beingoff descent. islanders’ mainreligious faith;it’snoteasy 252 Castlebay; tw&d Main St; Main Faire Mhaoldonaich to reach thecarpark fromwhere youstarted. the shore of Vatersay Bay. Eventually, walkalongthebeachtoawide gapinthefringing dunes gauntly neartheshore. Turn acrossaslight saddlethenswinggraduallywest to follow north grassland. Soonyou’re above awideglen,where remains theskeletal ofEorisdalevillagestand to overlook Bagh a’Deas;descendtotheshore. Fromtheeastern endofthebay,goupacross andeastacrosscountrywall; turnrightuptoastandingstone. Climbalittlethencontinuenorth of Dun Bhatarsaigh.Descendsouth acrossatinyburnthengosoutheasttoanoldgrassedstone southern endcrossastileatfence corner,traverse theslopeandgoupto slightremains village. Soonyoupassthe Annie Janememorial thendropdownto Bagh Siar( West Bay). At its endofVatersayat thenorthern Bay. Monday toSaturday).Therethree services are noshopsontheisland;asmall cafémaybeopen post officeandVatersay ofthewalk(20minutes, atleast village,about 400msouthofthestart operated by Pabbay and allowtwoto2¼hours.Mingulay; Carry OSLandranger1:50,000mapNo31.Buses oftheislandandaffordsfinewideviews,especiallysouthtouninhabited islandsofthis part croppedgrass. walkcircuits A4-mile(6.4km)waymarked delightfully easy,mostlyacrossshort, three outstandinglybeautifulbeaches,allinitsgentlyundulatingsouthernhalf. here is Walking The smallislandof SHORT WALK 01871 BARRA••Heaval The walk is waymarked from a small car park on the east side of the road, 400m north ofthe The fromasmallcarpark ontheeastsideofroad,400mnorth walkiswaymarked h TIC daily) It’sperfectly possibletomake this ( %

, justnorthof theferry pier, ( £30) % R Macmillan 810336; [email protected]; 810336; [email protected];

isasmall,friendlyplace 810443; www.dunardhostel.co.uk; £28/50)

Vatersay ( % overlooks thebay 810441; www.fairemhaol

( % , tiedtoBarrabyacausewaysouthwestofCastlebay, isgracedby 890366) and H Macneil least three callatCastlebay. weekly) £6/35,1¾hours,dale (passenger/car at hours, atleastthree andLochbois- weekly) £21/77,5¼ ries fromOban(passenger/car Bharraidh. communityshop, Co-ChomunnBarra’s op supermarket, grocerand alicensed with theloneoffering. Vegetarians willhave tohopethey’re happy 20 minutes) (£30, andBenbecula alsolinksBarra service Loganair Mhòr(‘bigbeach’).is Tràigh subject toTide’ isn’tajoke. airport Barra’s are Flights warning‘Barra The timetable’s THERE&AWAYGETTING breakfast isfirst-rate. furnished (askforNo2)andpleasantly sauces tocomplement sauces very usingarange wellindeed, ofit does hour, two flights MondaytoSaturday) hour, twoflights fromGlasgow(£75,oneoperates flights & dinner) (Borgh);s/d .co.uk; Borve good breakfasts. andenjoyingplace forwatching sunsets airport. For self-catering supplies,there’s aCo- For self-catering Ocean View B&B Ocean View Castlebay Hotel Castlebay CalMac

( %

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( %

( £22/40, dinner£7) % 810223; mains£9-15;

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(Thartabhal) 250 Grianan , Hartaval

(358m) (294m) 100 mountains ofmountains Harris to the southernmost – fromthe 383m). The viewisunsurpassed to the survey cairn on to thesurvey ofa gapthenquickly dispose thefinalclimb asyoudipacross north–south orientation Grianan. Fromhere theridge regains its Hartaval edly tothewest,andupmain topof across anarrowslitastheridge bendsmark- miniature cairn).Thengosharplydown, a minorsummitat353m(marked witha and rockyhillside,southeastthen southto grassy From thegap,angleupsteep, and finishupeastof andbelowthe gap. a’ Bhealaich, care taking nottoovershoot to hour fromthedùn.Descendsteeply Beul to thesummitof vious gapontheridge thensouthandup gullytotheob- Climb upabroad,grassed very steepwestern sideof the centralridge. across flattishmoorlandtothefootof the with ahuge capstone(orlid)ontop. is alarge, sprawlingmoundof small stones, a shallow gapinaneast–westridge, thedùn 45 minutes fromthemainroad).Sittingin of theSea Our Lady Go backover thestilethenheadeast 50m ContourInterval (353m)

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(Earsairidh) 100 Earsary BARRA ••Heaval (294m),aboutan S EAOFTH Heaval H EBRIDS Ferry (2.1mi) To Airport(1.5mi); ( Sheabhal; North Bay A888

253 WESTERN ISLES WESTERN WESTERN ISLES North Harris MotorServices Harris North MondaytoFriday); at leastthree services bert andthemainvillage (£1,25minutes, miles/5km); alonger return and rougher to atiny chapel onthesouthern shore (3.2 ris, offers avarietyof walks:aneasy ramble Head,Toe the northwestextremity of Har- Toe Head( Goban Tobha) Minibus dranger 1:50,000mapNo14.The (104m). Theroute isshownonOSLan- point, the island’shighest Scoravick Ben (oneof Scotland’searliest),and lighthouse of theislandtakes in Eilean Glas,ahistoric varied, 8-mile(13km)waymarked circuit trance to Loch Tarbert.East Ascenically mainland byabridge, guardingtheen- Scalpay isasmallisland,linked tothe (Scalpaigh) Scalpay HARRIS MORE WALKS Heaval’s summit). downhill fromhere (aboutanhourfrom The centre of islessthan1mile Castlebay a stilehere, agate about100meast. oruse about 200meastof asharpbend.There’s nent quarryonthesouthsideof theroad and southeast,aimforasmallbutpromi- lenting, over grassandrock.Heading south at yourfeet. (ancestralhomeofCastle theClan Macneil) inhabited), andwith and Castlebay Kisimul isles of Mingulay and (bothun- Berneray 254 sells takeaway rollsandhotdrinks. takeaway sells on theisland; the carpark.There aren’t anycafésorpubs Harbour. Turnlefttoreturn tothevillage or road; itleadstothemainroadabove North an Duin.Followavehicle tracktoaminor slope ahead.Theyendneartheoutletof Loch end thenpickupthewaymarker postsonthe immediately. Followthewallalmosttoits to thegate inthestonewallandturnright comes after you’ve Return leftthelighthouse. road; generally, it’seasytofollow. about30mbackalongthe The route starts to Outend, where there’s asmallcarpark. followroadsfromthevillagestart, (‘Baile’) therunonSaturday. Toreachdoes the The descentisextremely andunre- steep The only potentially confusing section The onlypotentially confusingsection MOREWALKS••Harris

( % 01859 540356) Scalpay Mini Market Scalpay Mini plies between Tar- pliesbetween

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laigearraidh), besidetheA865. office on theleft.Formore informationvisit waymarked nearLoch Druidibeg section, ofroad andcontinuewesttothestart the Walk backalongtheroad;cross themain causeway. 4.7 milessouthof theBenbecula road, which branches fromtheA865road walk isfromacarparkontheLochskipport thebirditself. than tosee hear thelonelypipingof the golden plover are deer andit’seasierto possiblesightings, cuckoo. Onthemoorland,red and grouse here justheara inearlyspringyoumight only mature ScotspineintheUists;ifyou’re includesthe skipport roadasmallplantation theLoch- livesgeese aroundtheloch. Beside Scotland’s few native populationsof greylag one ishometoacolonyof heron. Oneof Isles, trees (juniper,willowandrowan), arelativelycan see rare intheWestern sight idibeg isdotted withislands.Onsomeyou moorland. Extensive andshallow, Loch Dru- ish lagoontotheloch andsurroundingpeaty grassland onthewestcoast,acrossabrack- aremountains cloudedin;allow2½hours. this diversity andisjustthethingwhen walkexplores A 5-mile(8km)self-guided intheUists. most of easilyseen thehabitats Scottish NaturalHeritage (SNH), protects managedThis 1660-hectare by reserve, Reserve Loch DruidibegNationalNature UIST SOUTH Transport Hebridean small carparkontheleftabove asmallbeach. About 30mshortof theroadend,there’s a Northton, 2milesnorthwestof Leverburgh. walks are approached fromthevillage of 1:50,000mapNo18.These OS Landranger Chaipaval365m-high (4.2miles/6.6km).Use HeadToe (8.6miles/14km);andaclimbto walk aroundtheeastandnorthcoastto a 6-mile (9.5km)partly waymarked walk historicsites. Here,island’s most important The northerntip of has twoof Barra the (Eòlaigearraidh) Eoligarry BARRA services Monday to Saturday). MondaytoSaturday). services via Northton(£3,33minutes, atleastfour TarbertW10 between goes andLeverburgh The mostconvenient the placetostart extends fromthemachair The reserve

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( % atStilligarry(Stadh- 01851 705050) www.lonelyplanet.com bus service busservice SNH’s (102m) anddowntothelong Eais Tràigh Iron Age fort,thenit’sover Eoligarry Ben comes Dun Scurrival( Dùn Sgùrabhal),an stones.Next fascinating ancientcarved and asmallbuildingprotecting some Bharra), datingfromearlyChristiantimes, the remnants of Chapel St Barr’s (Cille- ferry pier. Itvisitsacemetery inwhich are andfinishesattheformerSouthUist starts www.lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright theterms and conditionsonoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake Macneil ated by oper-dranger 1:50,000mapNo31.Buses and backpasttheairport.Use OSLan- Mhór), a truly amazing sight. Mhór), atrulyamazingsight. arrival of at aflight airport( Barra Tràigh car, trytotimethewalkcoincidewith Monday toSaturday).Ifyougoby services Eoligarry (£2,30minutes, atleastthree

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H WESTERN ISLES WESTERN