philmophlegm (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
philmophlegm) wrote2009-10-25 03:37 pm
philmophlegm) wrote2009-10-25 03:37 pm
Harris and Lewis
No, not a comedy double act, but the northern part of the Outer Hebrides.
Wednesday
Today was a good day.
It was grey and drizzly when I left Tarbert. Harris and Lewis are actually the same island, despite often being referred to as the "Isle of Harris" and the "Isle of Lewis").I headed north up the A859 (ggod road with stunning views) and pleasingly the weather cleared up. This was a vital development because it meant I could put the roof down.
At Leurbost, I turned left onto the A858 and then left onto the B8011, a minor road leading to string of small villages on the Atlantic shore. I went this way because a bit of web research had identified it as a good place to see both white-tailed eagles and golden eagles. And this is why being able to put the roof down was so vital - because I saw eagles.
There were two of them. I spotted them some way off in the distance, soaring above a cliff and then one at a time they turned and flew towards me before disappearing over a ridge. I got a good view with binoculars, but didn't get the chance to make a more permanent record. My eagle knowledge at this point was not good enough to distinguish between the two species. I drove on to Timsgarry and Ard Uig and Brenish before coming back the way I came.
And then at exactly the same point I had seen the two eagles, there were more - three this time. I don't know whether two of them were the same ones I saw before, but this time I was able to take some long range photos and even some shaky video footage with the camcorder. Very chuffed.
Back onto the A858, then left and stops at the very impressive Callanish stone circle and Dun Carloway Broch. This was a rather more complete broch than the one in Sutherland. You can go in and poke around in the space between the inner and outer walls. If you look up 'broch' on wikipedia, you can see a photo of Dun Carloway.
After Dun Carloway, I headed for Stornoway, but rather than take the main road, I took the unnumbered road across the peat bog. Very empty space and very quiet. Apart from scattered sheep, a buzzard and a few hooded crows*, very little animal life here at all.
Stornoway is a proper town with shops and petrol stations. I booked my ferry tickets for today and tomorrow and drove south on the A859 towards Leverburgh at the southern end of Harris. On the way, another good bird spot - a peregrine getting mobbed by two hooded crows. It flew away.
I got to Leverburgh (Lever, as in Lever Bros - Viscount Leverhulme once owned Lewis apparently) in time for the 17.05 ferry across to Berneray, the island at the northern-most end of the southern part of the Outer Hebrides. The two ports are only about six miles apart, yet because of the number of rocks in between that the ferry has to avoid, the journey takes an hour. Still, the weather was lovely, and the voyage was mostly westward just as the sun was setting.
Berneray is joined to the much larger North Uist by a causeway. I turned onto the A865 and found a hotel in Lochmaddy in which to stay the night.
* The crows out here are the hooded variety - black heads, leggings and tail, but silver body. I think they're rather attractive, but locally they seem to be regarded as something of a pest.
Wednesday
Today was a good day.
It was grey and drizzly when I left Tarbert. Harris and Lewis are actually the same island, despite often being referred to as the "Isle of Harris" and the "Isle of Lewis").I headed north up the A859 (ggod road with stunning views) and pleasingly the weather cleared up. This was a vital development because it meant I could put the roof down.
At Leurbost, I turned left onto the A858 and then left onto the B8011, a minor road leading to string of small villages on the Atlantic shore. I went this way because a bit of web research had identified it as a good place to see both white-tailed eagles and golden eagles. And this is why being able to put the roof down was so vital - because I saw eagles.
There were two of them. I spotted them some way off in the distance, soaring above a cliff and then one at a time they turned and flew towards me before disappearing over a ridge. I got a good view with binoculars, but didn't get the chance to make a more permanent record. My eagle knowledge at this point was not good enough to distinguish between the two species. I drove on to Timsgarry and Ard Uig and Brenish before coming back the way I came.
And then at exactly the same point I had seen the two eagles, there were more - three this time. I don't know whether two of them were the same ones I saw before, but this time I was able to take some long range photos and even some shaky video footage with the camcorder. Very chuffed.
Back onto the A858, then left and stops at the very impressive Callanish stone circle and Dun Carloway Broch. This was a rather more complete broch than the one in Sutherland. You can go in and poke around in the space between the inner and outer walls. If you look up 'broch' on wikipedia, you can see a photo of Dun Carloway.
After Dun Carloway, I headed for Stornoway, but rather than take the main road, I took the unnumbered road across the peat bog. Very empty space and very quiet. Apart from scattered sheep, a buzzard and a few hooded crows*, very little animal life here at all.
Stornoway is a proper town with shops and petrol stations. I booked my ferry tickets for today and tomorrow and drove south on the A859 towards Leverburgh at the southern end of Harris. On the way, another good bird spot - a peregrine getting mobbed by two hooded crows. It flew away.
I got to Leverburgh (Lever, as in Lever Bros - Viscount Leverhulme once owned Lewis apparently) in time for the 17.05 ferry across to Berneray, the island at the northern-most end of the southern part of the Outer Hebrides. The two ports are only about six miles apart, yet because of the number of rocks in between that the ferry has to avoid, the journey takes an hour. Still, the weather was lovely, and the voyage was mostly westward just as the sun was setting.
Berneray is joined to the much larger North Uist by a causeway. I turned onto the A865 and found a hotel in Lochmaddy in which to stay the night.
* The crows out here are the hooded variety - black heads, leggings and tail, but silver body. I think they're rather attractive, but locally they seem to be regarded as something of a pest.