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Today is the day of visiting a record number of islands. Yesterday were up to 25 islands so now we will see what the score will be tonight. What a difference a day makes. Travelling the first 8 miles was a joy with a 20mph wind on our backs and easy pedalling. After this we started to turn into the NE wind on several occasions to visit the small islands to the East of our route, but of course it was straight behind us again on our return. We visited Baleshare off North Uist. Next was Grimsay and off that was Seanabraigh. Benbecula followed Grimsay by a long causeway and this had the most small islands to,conquer; Floddaigh, Griomasaigh and Eilean na Cille. These small islands are either connected to the main islands by a bridge, or generally a man made causeway. On our way to Eilean na Cille we went over three very small unnamed islands about 200m long to get to it so we will have actually have done 45 islands when we finish, although Bill thinks they don't count. So we have bagged 33 so far. We had lunch at the greasy spoon situated just over the causeway
leading to our next island, South Uist, where we had fried haggis and chips plus a sample of “white pudding”, which is an oat and fat mixture a bit like haggis but less spicy. They were OK but not very healthy and it was only later that we spotted panninis on the menu. We continued South with the wind on our tail bit Bill seemed to lose his power so we ambled down to Daliburgh. This is the junction where you can go off to Lochboisedale or continue South to The Southern tip of the island and the long causeway. Since our next island is Eriskay we opted to stop here for the night. We went to the Borodale Hotel which were charging £120 per room. Bill got them down to £80, which was still plenty so we baulked, but when we saw the travel lodge and bunkhouse alternative, which was full of junk and smelt like a dead cat we opted to put our hand down. The Uists are quite flat with some quite large hills down the East side and the road (in the singular) down the West. They are littered with a maze of inlets and lochs which are a haven for bird life, especially waders. We saw Red Shanks, the usual Oyster Catchers, large black backed gulls, black throated divers, geese and goslings, ducks and ducklings, swans, song thrushes and several buzzards. Quite a proportion of South Uist is open moorland covered in heather and poor vegetation. During our time in the Outer Hebrides we have only seen one group of three farmers at work and that was in lewis. There are plenty of small tractors about such as Grey Fergies, Ferguson 35's, small Internationals and some Massey Fergusons, with enough scrap machinery to keep Scotland in steel for a while yet. The forecast for tomorrow is very good with the temperature rising to double figures and sunshine all day. I will now have to put away my wind rash cream and get out the sun cream - yippee. Life’s a bitch but someone has to do it.
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