OUTER HEBRIDES 4

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Saturday

wet, windy and grey...again but then the rain stopped.
Got bus to Solas to do a bit of the North Uist North coast and have a change of shopping. Bus stops outside the co-op and we headed back on ourselves along road to pick up a track from Greinetobht and go North along dunes facing Traigh Ear, which when the tide ie out is just a large expanse of sand where the grassland (machair) runs up to meet the high tide line, you can see the dunes being eaten away before your eyes with grass land covered in seaweed.
The weather stayed the norm, and we cut across to the West facing dunes, past yet more abandoned cars and vehicles in various states of rust, looking like mechanical fossils of times past...except some of them aren't that old!
It was a total change from the east facing bay, calm, low waters meeting the low machair and then you come to the West side (Traigh Iar beach) and the dunes are like cliffs with crashing waves and white sand, or at least I presume it is white in the sun!
From the West side we headed along the beach, from which you can see Vallay which does have a ford across the sands of Traigh Bhalaigh, approx 2 kilometres long and not one for us to attempt in rain and high tide times unknown.
We headed to the monument which lies next to the graveyard before heading back to the road, having seen the tops of the kite surfers on the beach, but unfortunately we only had three hours from drop off until bus back and time was pushing, so nipped into co-op and got our food before catching bus back to Berneray.
Shock horror, Carol and kids have gone, no note, no message, we feel like we have done something wrong, should we have begged to go for dinner last night after all? Hope their kayaking went ok and they had a safe trip onto wherever and then home, if anyone knows of them (Carol is Environmental Manager, hope I have title right? for Amey in Scotland) pass on our regards.
The sun finally made an appearance about 4pm and we had our first propser sit out, without waterproofs, since Wednesday. After a couple of hours of leaving clothes out to dry, cooking dinner etc etc we went for a stroll around Beinn Ghainche, the hill on the North tip of Berneray, walking around the coastal slopes and then back up and over the hill and down to the cemetary...getting to be a habit!

Sunday

At last, awoke to a bity of sun again but still not sure how weather is going to go. After some breakfast we headed off back around Beinn Ghainche and Beinn Shleibhe and around to the Western beach, spotting the odd seal along the way, but no other wildlife, unless you include the sheep.
We made the beach, windy but sun following us along our route, Marian stripped down to shorts and....bra....oooer but not for too long as the wind was winning over the sun.
Along the three mile beach, we saw a handful of people and the view, while pleasant, does generally stay the same so we headed across the dunes and across the pasture land on the West side of Berneray and had lunch at Cnoc nan Claigeann where there is a small stone circle on top of the low hill to get away from the wind...partly, if you duck down very low'
After lunch we visited the burial ground and monument of the birth place to Giant MacAskill (http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/skye/angusmacaskill/index.html - why the museum is on Skye and not Berneray?visit the web site)
Headed back around Loch Bhuirgh and back along road to tent. How can a walk on an island that is only three miles long by 1-2 miles wide feel like you have walked twenty miles?

VIDEO NOT AVAILABLE

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Photos

Sunset
from Berneray

Marian on beach
Berneray West beach

Giant MacAskill
Marian next to monument to his birthplace