Gatliff Trust Hostel - South Uist

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It's been a little while since I updated my blog on my travels around Scotland and with my flight to India imminent I've written it all up and will bash it out in the next few blog entries - fast forwarding through the rest of my time in Scotland.

When I left Barra I thought it would be fun to try and hitch hike up to the ferry. I dropped off the hire bike and started walking with my pack on my back up the east coast. The first thing you'll meet on the road north out of Castlebay is a ruddy great hill. After 10 minutes up hill my pack is already starting to feel heavy and the prospect of walking, at a guess, 6 or 7 miles is looking less than fun. I'm curious as to why all the cars I seem to see are going past me in the wrong direction. Thinking back to my bike ride round the island the day before it did seem to me that the majority of cars were driving clockwise. So I've started to believe there is an unwritten rule that states on this particular island, with its single track roads, its courtesy to drive one way round. I was about to give up, turn back and wait for a bus when a postman in his van stopped for me. Phew, he was taking letters he had collected that morning to the ferry; heading for the main land sorting offices. Brilliant! That's where I'm going too. But I never did find out about the mysterious highway code of Barra.

South Uist is very flat except for a few mountains which rise up on the East coast. The west coast is exposed and there are no trees so it can be very windy. There isn't much there, houses, a nature reserve, the odd shop, cows and sheep, walkers and perhaps a few fishermen. I stayed in a Gatliff Trust Hostel that I'd been told about for one night. It's the only hostel on the island and is a renovated black house. Gatliff Trust Hostels were set up ages ago for young people without much money who wanted to visit the islands. The crofts consist of two or three rooms and are built from dirt and stone walls with a peat and heather thatched roof. They've been converted with electricity, heating, gas and hot water, showers etc which makes for a very rustic but comfortable experience. Basic cooking facilities and cutlery are provided as well as pillows, sheets and duvets in the bedroom but you bring your own sleeping sheet or sleeping bag as the linen is not changed. A local member of the community pops in every so often to change the tea towels etc and collect money. Other than that it is completely unmanned so you can't book or check for availability, you just turn up, find an unoccupied bed, put your money in a tin and settle down for the evening. If you know how, you can fire up the coal stove sitting in the living area. It consists of a table, seating and kitchen area. Food that is left behind by other people is put on the free food shelf and it goes without saying that if you cook, also wash up, dry and put away. The condition of the croft is down to the goodwill of the people who stay there and the maintenance is often down to volunteers from local tradesmen or visitors. It's a non profit organisation so everyone mucks in to keep the place tidy and help each other out. All in all a very pleasent and friendly experience.

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Photos

Ferry Leaving Barra
Goodbye Barra, just jump on the ferry and pay in the ticket office.

South Uist Beach
The beach runs the entire length of the west coast of South Uist. Thats quite a bit of beach.

Wildlife
I managed to get close to this flock of birds

Atlantic Weather
Rain comes in from the Atlantic in this picture. Due to the gulf stream the Western Isles rarely see tempatures drop below zero. But at times its still bloody wet and windy.

Comments

[Richard]

Excellent
Glad you enjoyed the islands, especially the Gatliff Trust hostel. Looking forward to the next installment, as part of my own prep for a trip.