THE DUDES ON HARRIS
Joe Barnes and crew head to the Outer Hebrides for an island adventure
Joe Barnes and crew head to the Outer Hebrides for an island adventure, but only after testing their revolutionary new invention – the bike sail...
The Isle of Harris is famous for two things – Harris tweed and Harris gin. But the Dudes of Hazzard didn’t travel all the way to the Outer Hebrides to sip gin and buy tweed – they came to see what mountain biking this remote Scottish island has to offer, and to experience it in their own inimitable way. With a canoe strapped to the roof, the boys – Joe Barnes and his partners in mischief Fergus Lamb and Liam Moyniham – set off from Fort William in the infamous Landship, cruising comfortably at a solid 40mph. The plan was to drive to Aviemore and have a day riding there to break up the journey, then continue up to Ullapool, catch the ferry to Stornoway and drive to Harris. After a great time riding the natural trails around Aviemore, the Dudes consumed their own body weight in pizza at an all-you-can-eat Italian (and got caught trying to sneak even more out in their pockets). Over a cup of tea, they decided to pre-book the Ullapool ferry for the morning. To their disbelief, it was fully booked for the following two days! The only option was to drive to Uig, on Skye, and get the 5.30am ferry from there, which wasn’t ideal as it was already 10pm and Skye was a solid five hours away. It was a long night of trucking ahead for the boys – or rather, Joe, because Ferg and Liam decided their time was better spent sleeping.
After a two-hour ferry journey, they arrived on Harris, where the rain was falling out of the sky sideways. Waiting for the wild weather to calm down, the boys watched some previous Dudes films to get inspired. The moment the storm passed, they headed to one of the many amazing beaches on the island so that Joe could try out his new contraption – the bike sail! A couple of bits of wood, a sail, a stick and a pack of zipties were soon attached to his bike, as excitement built about what a great idea this was. After some fun and belly laughs watching Joe try to stay upright with the sail attached, the boys called it a day before things got out of control. With dreams shattered, they made their way back to the Landship and put the bikes away for the day.
After a hort, teep climb up and over the col, the boys were ewarded with some incredible views
Switchbacks and sardines With a good forecast for the following day, it was time to do some research. After speaking to a few people who’d ridden on the island, a plan was made to ride the Old Postman’s Walk, which goes from Urgha to Rhenigidale. After a short, steep climb up and over the col, the boys were rewarded with some incredible views of Harris. In front, lay epic singletrack that meandered around the corner and views of a rugged coastline that disappeared into the distance.
Fast, fun and flowy singletrack marked the start of the descent and was a good warm-up for things to come. Out of nowhere, a sequence of switchbacks appeared, tight and exposed enough to rival those of the Alps. Below lay a vibrant turquoise loch. The trail and surroundings were like nothing
the boys had ever ridden before. Turn after turn later, they arrived at an amazing rocky beach surrounded by steep cliffs. After some oatcakes and a tin of sardines, they turned around and hiked their way back up the switchbacks and over the col to the Landship. (Although the boys turned around at the loch, the route continues to Rhenigidale, from where a road ride and some doubletrack would take you back to the start.) Concrete heaven Over a bowl of delicious oats and milk, the boys got ready for another day in the Harris mountains. The highest peak on the island tops out at 799m and some might say that calling them mountains is an exaggeration. But their remoteness and ruggedness certainly merits the title. Today’s route was the Sron Ulladale stalkers’ path, a well-built and maintained trail that takes you over a col and down a valley to Sron Ulladale, a magnificent overhanging cliff.
The boys followed a doubletrack road to a small hydro dam on the shore of Loch Chliostair. From there, they followed the path up the loch until they reached the col. This well-used stalking path is concreted the whole way up, making it a dream for cyclists – it’s rare in Scotland to have a fully ridable climb up a mountain, with no hikea-bike sections, river crossings or bogs to contend with. The only downside, as the Dudes found out, is the sound of gunshots from close-by stalkers – run Bambi, run!
Standing at the top of the descent, the boys savoured the vast view. Awaiting them was a well-built path meandering down the valley with flowing corners, natural jumps and tight switchbacks. Within 15 minutes they were down at the bottom, feeling awed. After a few oatcakes, they made their way back up the way they came. Now it was time to ride the concreted stalking path in reverse, which was sketchy due to the layer of algae and moss on top. They got back to the Landship, put the bikes away and, of course, by the time they got into town, the shop was closed. So, instead of the usual fish fingers and mashed potato for dinner, it was off to the local for some well-earned pub grub.
As they sat at the ferry terminal the next day, waiting to board the boat home, the boys vowed to return to this incredible island. The paths may have been built for walking, but they’re perfect for mountain biking too.