For our May holidays we decided to explore the Outer Hebrides, Sitka wanted to come too so we took the car instead of the bikes. We set sail from Oban on the ferry to Castlebay in Barra, passing Eilean Musdile Lighthouse, Tobermory and its Lighthouse, Ardnamurchan Lighthouse and Coll and Tiree.
Our ferry approaching
Eilean Musdile Lighthouse
Sitka finding his four sea legs
Castlebay Harbour Barra
We had to follow this shed on wheels for what seemed an eternity
Lesley cooking our breakfast porridge at the Croft 2 Campsite
Lesley and Sitka at the Eoligarry wind turbine
Bonnie patterns in the rock formations
3 Barra Coos
Eoligarry Beach
Lesley and Sitka enjoying a morning run, hat and jacket required in the cool temperatures
Barra Airport, no trespassing on the beach in case a flight comes in
Traigh A Bhaigh Beach in Vatersay
Beautiful white sandy beach
Sitka and me posing for the camera
Kisimul Castle in Castlebay
Bonnie wee boat outside Castlebay
Allasdale Beach Barra
On the Ardmhor to Eriskay Ferry with Barra Airport in the background
Our footprints on the Coilleag a' Phrionnsa, otherwise know as the Prince's Cockle Strand, where Bonnie Prince Charlie first set foot on Scottish soil. Charles Edward Stuart made landfall on the Isle of Eriskay in the summer of 1745 from the French ship Le Dutillet.
Bonnie white sand, blue sky and sea
Our Lady of Fatima erected on the site of the original Catholic Church in Eriskay
The Am Politician pub in Eriskay with some of the original whisky from the wreck of the SS Politician ship which had sunk off the north coast of the island, losing 28,000 cases of malt whisky, mostly recovered by locals, giving rise to the book and the film Whisky Galore. The bottle on the left has original whisky in a modern bottle, the one on the right is authentic whisky in an original bottle, we weren't offered a dram.
Sitka having an evening stroll on the beach at Kilbride
Looking back to the causeway we had driven over between Eriskay and South Uist
Kilbride campsite for the night, thanks to Gino and Fiona for the recommendation
A wall with a bit of history
Sunny morning in Kilbride
Lesley enjoying breakfast in the peace and quiet
The guy from the campsite hard at work
Lesley at the cairn on the site of Flora Macdonald's house, not her birthplace by all accounts.
Flora Macdonald must have been a remarkable woman given the times that she lived in.
It must have been some funeral, fitting for someone that had lived so much as she had.
Kildonan Museum South Uist
The clearances were not confined to the Highlands and not just carried out by the English
Our Lady of the Isles sculpture at Driomor was intended to be both an expression of the devotion of the people of South Uist to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to be a public and permanent reminder to 'strangers' that they were entering a different world.
Flat wetlands scenery
Benbecula coast
Beautiful clear water and white sandy beaches
Benbecula concrete water tower
Our home for the night, a Hobbit house at Carinish campsite, North Uist. We were planning to pitch the tent but with 40 odd mph winds forecast, we opted for a bit of luxury for a change.
Sitka getting used to his comfy surroundings
Sunset and our hoose lit up for the night
Our first stop in Harris, Croft 36 in Northton, well recommended for fresh soup, bread and more, friendly owner
Our second stop at The Temple Cafe beside Seilebost Beach Northton, a dreich day but still great scenery
Inside Temple Cafe
Seilebost Beach in a howling gale
We stopped off in Tarbert for some lunch but the only place open was the Harris Hotel, no cafes open at all.
Colourful local store
The old whaling station at Bunavoneader
Starting our walk to the North Harris Eagle Observatory in Meavaig
Windswept at the hide
Lesley keeping watch for any eagles
Horgabost beach North Harris, stunning scenery
The clouds were rolling in and the wind was getting up
Time to shelter as the heavy rain was approaching, Lesley and Sitka had already ran for shelter
Stornoway Marina
The Lewis Chessmen carved out of wood at the entrance to the Woodlands Cafe
The Sheiling between Stornoway and Arnol
Bed looked comfy
Blackhouse at Arnol
Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, the most North Westerly tip of Europe
More Bonnie rock formations
A shag sheltering on the rocky ledge
Gulls and a Shag sheltering from the waves
Wild seas
St Moluags Chapel in Europie, a 13th Century place of worship that tradition says was founded by St Ronan, before retiring to the Isle of Rona travelling on the back of a whale.
St Moluag's windows
The whalebone arch in Bragar, the jaw of an 80ft Blue Whale that was washed up on Bragar Bay in 1921
Carloway Broch, supposedly built in the 1st century AD, in use up until the 19th century
A stunning structure dominating the landscape
The view from the Broch
The Callanish standing stones, arranged in a cruciform pattern with a central stone circle, carved out of Lewisian Gneiss rock and erected in the late Neolithic era, a focus for ritual activity during the Bronze age.
Some of the stones are definitely lifelike
Druid like form
Abandoned boat by Loch Ceann Hulabhaig
Our dog friendly camping pod close to the stones
Stornoway Harbours friendly seals
Sitka finding his sea legs again
Our beach clearing collection from Ullapool Beach, at least this lot wont be finding its way into the sea to be swallowed by fish and other creatures, folk dont realise that plastic debris finds its way into the human food chain, we are poisoning ourselves with our waste. If everyone cleaned up their own waste and even spent a few minutes clearing up a bit of flotsam and jetsam, it would make life a whole lot easier for the enviroment
Lesley capturing me taking photos of the sunset
Stunning sunset looking out to the Outer Hebrides
The sunset reflected in the campsite windows
Lesley and oor pal the crow enjoying a sunny breakfast
A stop off at Old Pines by Spean Bridge for our dinner
The Nevis Mountain Range
