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Published: January 26th 2024
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Hebridean Way
Day 1
Vatersay to Barra Ferry Terminal
32km (includes lost bits and backtracking), up 798m, down 805m.
Dawn drops me at the Vatersay Community Hall overlooking 2 lovely white sand beaches. First hurdle- finding start point… Got slightly waylaid by a cake box- little cupboards filled with cakes and slices and an honesty money box. Oh OK- a big fat slice of victoria sponge doesn’t weigh much…
Start walking, it’s on the road to Barras main village-Castlebay, past a 1944 plane crash site. The wreck is still there. Lots of sheep. Generally good walking conditions- sunny and windy. Overcast and windy. Rainy and windy. Rainbowy and windy. Just windy. Terrain pretty flat. Approaching the first causeway was a small fishing operation and a marked change in views. 8km down and I’m on Barra- island number 2.
From here it got a bit more serious, my first big hill climb-over 270m on a rough crossing of the shoulder of Beinn Tanghabhal - the highest point on the entire route. The climb was punctuated by the remains of a Neolithic settlement and a 2000 year old roundhouse. I meet one other hiker - young Belgian girl, at this point, she’s walking
specific bits of the Way. She’s the first person I’ve seen walking. Stunning views over the sea. It’s now sweaty and windy and the trail markers are largely absent. I manage to stay on a vague course at this stage.
The descent is even more vague and by the time I reach the intended destination of Halaman Bay I’m very relieved. So relieved that I get completely off track for about a km. Get blown into a small town, literally… the wind has picked up even more. I try to find a non-windy spot to have some lunch - it ends up being behind a church in a conveniently unlocked and wind-free storeroom. Thankyou Catholics of Crainston.
Time for the second “rugged moorland crossing” of the day (lucky I had that Victoria sponge cake for lunch) which leads to Loch an Duin. The Scottish calender scenery is in overdrive! As is some slippery, boggy walking (slipping). The sheep don’t seem to have any trouble as they run away at speed whenever I slip into their personal sheep space. Visual highlight of the day happens after another rough stretch of marker-less descent- views of Tràigh Mhòr - yesterdays beach landing strip.
The last part of the day was another section of mostly uninhabited road walking. It was a bit of a slog tbh- I arrived at Aird Mhòr, the terminal for the ferry to Eriskay (island number 3) pretty late, wind blown and tired. The last bus was long gone and I resigned myself to backtracking another 5km or so on top of my already >29km day.
However… help arrived in the form of an old bloke who pulled up as I was dragging my aching feet back along the road to the hostel. Would I like a lift? … Sure would. The shotgun in the front seat was a bit worrying though. He assured me it was unloaded… and that he’d pack it away.
Ok…
He also told me not to worry about the dead goose in the back.
Day 1 done- a big day. Big thanks to Alec McInnes- goose shooter, Good Samaritan!
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