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Published: July 25th 2010
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Plane at Benbecula
landing on the sand Monday
Woke up to a grey day, packed up and got some breakfast from local cafe in childrens centre at Castle Bay and then got bus up Western side of Barra to the airport at Traigh Mhor (beach). We should have walked but heart wasn't in it today.
Saw a plane landing on the sands and made our way South and East along road past Aird Mhor to the jetty. As day was still young we decided to make our way on ferry to Eriskay.
We are aware Barra has lots more to offer but with packs we were carrying we could not have gone cross country, but will be back to do it justice!
Sky cleared a little and we boarded ferry, keeping a careful watch on the sea for the full crossing but no wildlife seen except for usual Gannets dive bombing into the sea.
Alighted at Eriskay at the slipway and immediatley found our pitch spot on the South end of the beach (Eilean na Coillieg) just down the ramped walkway. Ideal with the jetty toilet and shower block which we made full use of.
The beach is fantastic white sand with clear sea changing from a light
blue to a lagoon green in places, skirted by the green slopes of the hills around.
After setting up camp, we were approached by Carol who was holidaying with her two children, Aimee and Keiron and discovered that hers was one of the tents we had seen in the bin at Vatersay. They had slept in car the night after and were booked into a B&B for that night but her father was trying to have a tent sent over from Oban.
We headed off to the village of Rubha Ban via the beach where you can follow all the way round to pick up the road near the cemetary, and from there its only a short walk to the pub...how convenient!
The "Am Politician" pub (refer here for history - http://www.isle-of-south-uist.co.uk/whisky-galore.htm) is not what we were expecting, I had visions from the film of a small old stone building with small bar but the reality is a seventies looking airy building which was a dissapointment to us, but each to their own. We had a couple of pints Carol arrived with kids and ordered dinner...it would have been rude of us to just sit there and watch them eat,
so we ordered ourselves...wild camping, you can't beat it! I had haddock and chips and Marian the Lasagne, food was nice.
We went our separate ways and headed back to our camp on the beach, watching the sunset until well after 10.30.
Good nights sleep.
Tuesday
Awoke and after breakfast went for a walk to the South of the island, following the coastal slopes and up over Beinn Stac where we had lunch, followed by walking around the Eastern slopes around the small Loch a Chapull and onto Acairseid where we passed an artists house complete with bronze stag and an Ibyx (curly horned sheep type animal I think)
and up through Pairceanan and Am Baile and onto Rubha Ban to get some shopping in.
We crossed the causeway from Eriskay to South Uist...and back again, the water a lovely green and white sands.
One local was walking in the shallows of low tide and on our way back he showed us his net of clams "just enough for tea tonight"...none to spare for us and not sure we could handle the ice cold water ourselves so we give it a miss.
All round the walk you notice how clean
Eriskay Beach
from the road near jetty the island is and how clear the waters and the mix of rocks and plants make for some great views that you just can't recreate with the camera.
Carol and kids were at the beach, with Carol having received the tent.
The saga is that her father managed to order a tent from Oban. The shop gave the tent to a lorry that was going across on the ferry to Lochboisdale on South Uist. The lorry driver gave the tent to Calmac ferries. Carol collected form the Calmac office.
I headed off for a shower while Marian assisted Carol with putting up the tent which should have taken ten minutes...forty to fifty minutes later the tent was up.
We had dinner, cooking in our improvised kitchen while Carol and kids went off for dinner out.
Fantastic sunsets again.
Wednesday
Weather grey, cloudy and damp so we decamped and caught post bus from the jetty to Berneray, intending that we would bus up and then walk South over next week or so.
Saw alot from the bus and journey takes over two and half hours (post bus takes some diversions) but at only £5.50 each it is great value and a
Am Politician
the mirror in the bar good way to see the main points of the populated areas for giving an idea where to head for later. Changed bus at Baile a Mhanich near Benbecula airport and again at Lochmaddy on North Uist with all drivers friendly, particularly first and last who filled us in on local information and places.
Arrived at youth hostel at Bernerey, weather still not improving, got tent set up (away from hostel) in strong winds, just on edge of a double row of low dunes where at high tide we are only about twenty feet from some crashing waves.
More white sand beach, blue and green sea and plenty of islands together with views across to South of Lewis and the green hills of Bernerey. Caught bus back to the local shop, only about two miles away and walked back.
Had dinner at tent and went for a short walk around Ruisigearraidh area where one of the sights was a gull hung by rope on a fence, not sure if some sort of fox bait or local kids or something else entirely.
Weather closing in, hide tide has some crashing waves and with wind and rain another night of little sleep looms.
Kitchen at Eriskay
TV cooks eat your heart out
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