Take the isle road
Hebridean Way offers 156-mile journey of discovery on foot
GET your walking boots on this month and experience life on the edge in the Outer Hebrides for the launch of the Hebridean Way. The new route offers hikers a chance to walk the length of the spectacular archipelago.
Over the course of 156 miles, the route visits ten islands and includes two ferry crossings. On the way, discover stunning beaches, abundant wildlife, turquoise seascapes, flower-rich meadows, imposing mountains, outstanding archaeology and, of course, the islands’ unique Gaelic culture.
The reward for the intrepid will be a lifetime of memories from one of Scotland’s finest long distance paths. One day, you may be walking on an deserted beach, with silver sands stretching far into the distance. The next, you may find yourself amongst wild mountains, wandering past remote freshwater lochs as golden eagles soar overhead.
The Hebridean Way starts at Vatersay, a tiny island with beautiful beaches linked to Barra by a short causeway. Enjoy a memorable hike over small hills and wild moorland to Tràigh Mhòr, a vast cockle beach at the north end of Barra. Time your visit well and you may see the plane from Glasgow land – the only scheduled air service in the world that uses a beach as a runway.
Arriving at Eriskay, head straight down onto Coilleag a’ Phrionnsa, the Prince’s Strand, where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in 1745 to launch his ill-fated Jacobite rebellion.Walk through the island’s attractive village, perhaps calling in at the Am Politician pub, where a bottle of whisky from the famous Whisky Galore shipwreck is stored behind the counter, before crossing the causeway onto South Uist.
The walk up through South Uist is spectacular, with mile after mile of flower-filled machair meadows bordering the vast deserted beaches of the west coast. Countless wading birds, including lapwing, dunlin and redshank, will keep you company along the way. On Benbecula, climb the small hill, Ruabhal, and enjoy astonishing views over a semisubmerged landscape with more water than land.
A look at a map of North Uist shows enough freshwater lochs for a lifetime of trout fishing. The Hebridean Way traverses North Uist, passing freshwater lochs and wild moorland scenery.
The Taigh Chearsabhagh art centre and museum in Lochmaddy is also well worth a visit. More spectacular coastal and moorland walking takes you to Berneray and the ferry to Harris.
After a crossing on the Sound of Harris ferry, head north from Leverburgh, climbing a low pass, with a long stretch of strenuous hiking to follow, contouring the hillside above the crofting villages of Scarista, Borve and Horgabost.
The views over sandy beaches and turquoise seas to the island of Taransay and the Harris mountains are world class. Starting this month, don’t miss the great guided walks and events organised by the North Harris Trust (north-harris.org).
The final stretch crosses the Lewis peatlands, a rarely visited and internationally important wildlife habitat that covers much of the island. A little-used single track road leads to the outskirts of Stornoway where a pleasant woodland walk will take you to Lews Castle – a fittingly dramatic end to a memorable journey.