Rueval…

 

Very much a favourite this one - long time readers will I’m sure remember me mentioning our favourite little hill on Benbecula previously, it’s a walk we make sure to do at least once each trip over here and I have almost certainly blogged about it before. Just 124m in height, but still presenting a moderately challenging walk up due to the steepness in places, it is also surrounded by low lying land meaning great 360° views across to Skye in one direction and St Kilda in the other - and yes, yesterday was a “clear enough to see St Kilda” day! 

Not the most promising of starts to a walk as the parking is right outside the not-very-glamorous Recycling Centre, but once past the cattle grid and striking out along the track things rapidly become a lot more scenic. There are usually good bird sightings here too - indeed we used to help with sightings on the RSPB “Bird of Prey” walks here years ago - although as ever there was never any certainty of what would be seen, and on one particularly barren evening I do recall us deciding that Stonechats eat insects and so counted as “birds of prey”! 

Before long you come to the first of the Hebridean Way markers on the hillside, with another in view just beyond - these appear to lead you up through the heather but a few steps further on you spot the rough track next to a small quarry which makes the first short section up hill substantially easier.

Even from part way up the views are already impressive - above you see the route we have just walked with the Waste Transfer station on the right, across to the west coast of the island beyond. 

The waymarkers provide a reliable indicator of the route - when we originally did this walk it was using vague directions like “follow the sheep-path to the fence junction then head directly up towards the summit” - the Hebridean Way route now passes right over Rueval though so the way marking is good. 

In the steeper spots rough “staircases” have formed in the peat which although hard going are definitely easier than wet heather! There are plenty of boggy spots so it is as well to keep a good eye on where your feet are going - generally speaking you can spot grassy tussocks which can be hopped from one to the next, and if you see heather, it is almost certainly dry enough to step onto! 

Finally we hit a crest which gives a view up to the summit - you can see the trig point and the cairn above.

From there the final stretch to the top is actually fairly straightforward - and there is that view of St Kilda I mentioned. Faint but just visible on the horizon. The cluster of buildings on the left hand side are Balivanich- the largest settlement in this part of the Hebrides with the airport, hospital and a quite large school plus shops and other facilities.

 

The path you can see heading across the moor is the road to Rossinish - no longer inhabited but famous for being the spot where “Bonnie Prince Charlie” headed “over the sea to Skye” when making his escape after the failed Jacobite rebellion. We’ve walked out there - I think I blogged about it - and it’s really a very special feeling place. 

Another view, across to the hills of North Uist this time, and really showing Uist’s “drowned landscape”!

Time to head down again then - keeping an eye as we go for the various different plant species which can be found up here…

This is Bog Asphodel - “Am Bliochan” in Gaelic I believe - providing a bright splash of colour on the hillside.

Another view across to Balivanich as we carefully pick our way down- with numerous slippery spots going down is almost trickier than going up a! 

Back to the track then - and time to retrace our steps. If following the Hebridean Way you would have continued at the summit and descended on the other side of the hill - we keep saying we will have a go at that route one day, but will probably choose a time of year when it it less wet underfoot! 

There we are nearly back to the car - just under 2 miles walked so by no means a long walk but a thoroughly enjoyable one nonetheless. It was surprisingly warm - even at the top although I was carrying my jacket I didn’t need to put it on, and after a few days of wild weather the wind had dropped off to almost nothing as well which was good timing - doing this one with a headwind on the upwards stretch is always entertaining! 

Robyn. 

Croft No.8

 

Also known as Arinaban Wooodland, this lovely place can be found at the very end of the road at North Loch Eynort on South Uist. It is a favourite of ours regardless of the time of year we visit, but autumn with the heather in flower does make it extra pretty. We start out by heading along the lower track parallel to the shore until we reach the boundary fence for the end of the Croft, then it is a left turn and the start of the climb upwards…

On the lower paths we were absolutely surrounded by beautiful dragon and damsel flies - tricky to photograph at the best of times, and I only had the iPhone with me, but this Sedge Darner did stay still for long enough for me to sneak up on it…

The walking trails were created by the owner of the Croft - Archie MacDonald - and there is around 6km to explore here. He has also planted a huge number of trees - meaning that in addition to the plantation down at the shore there is also a surprising mix of native trees, we even saw some oaks - very probably the only ones of that type we will see here! 

After a brief stop at a picnic table we continued up the hill - not hugely high but the path is plenty steep enough and the views other on the way up and at the top are stunning! I say “the top” but in fact this “seat with a view” which marks the end of the trail is actually below the summit - we have been right up in the past but it tends to be boggy underfoot at best, and after the amount of rain that has fallen here recently it wasn’t for us this time. 

We were sad to see that this lovely bench has finally succumbed to the weather- we have sat on this one so many times, indeed we have a large canvas print on the wall at home of a photo that was taken while sitting on it. I perched carefully on the very right hand end this time but it will be the last time I’ll do so as the left hand side is completely detached - fingers crossed it gets replaced. 

A re-trace of steps part of the way down before turning along the path which runs down through the centre of the Croft, gently meandering its way down before joining the main track at the bottom. Another bench can be found along this route, indeed there are seats and picnic tables all over the place! 

More heather and more stunning views! We rejoined the main track at a junction- turning right would have taken us back to the car but we opted to take the straight across option which continues down the hill to the shore - first past “Heron Woods” - the plantation, nicknamed as that by us because Herons nest there and my word do they make you jump if they take off while you are underneath! This area is also good for Goldcrests too - this time round we could hear them but it was so windy there was little chance of actually seeing them! 

Then back to the path and past a little bay with views out onto the Loch. 

The trail turns right and heads back gently uphill at this pretty little freshwater Loch- it feels as though you are almost on a level with it and always provides beautiful reflections of sky and clouds. 

Finally a left turn back to the main track and a return to the car - always remembering to pop a few pounds in the “donations” tin of course - the sheer amount of time, effort and money that has been spent creating this fantastic place to spend a few hours definitely deserves supporting! There is room for several cars to park in what used to be the turning circle for the bus - sadly no bus services have run out here for a good many years now - and all the family ask is that there is no overnight parking and that nobody blocks their access. 

Robyn. 

Abandoned…

 

I love these abandoned Croft houses as you know - almost always they have been left to fall derelict because a newer, more modern house has been built for the family to live in, and without decrofting the plot it stands on the original property can’t remain occupied. This one is on the Croft at the  Balranald RSPB reserve and is now home to a large number of Starlings - which seems quite appropriate! 

The yellow lichen on the roof is what makes this one stand out to me - and yesterday’s deep blue sky sets it off perfectly don’t you think? 

Robyn

Further adventures by boat…

 

As people who use ferries a reasonable amount up here, it’s always interesting to get the opportunity to travel either on a different vessel, or on a different route, and yesterday’s little adventure ticked both those boxes. The ongoing situation with Caledonian MacBrayne (“CalMac”) and their issues with various boats means that currently the M.V. Loch Portain which usually plies to and fro across the Sound of Harris is off for a lengthy repair, and with no viable replacement crossings of the Sound are suspended and vehicles are being carried between the northern and southern part of the island chain via crossings from Lochmaddy to Tarbert, using one of the newest vessels in the fleet, M.V. Glen Sannox.

We had originally hoped to do a crossing that would give us a couple of hours to have a potter round Tarbert, which is nice little place, but for various reasons which nobody quite seems to understand that option was cancelled so instead we opted for a straight out and back. This is a route which doesn’t happen as standard very often so it was too good an opportunity to miss, it’s rare to see the eastern side of the Islands like this! 

With mixed weather -  very windy throughout, but varying from bright sunshine to sudden short sharp showers and one torrential downpour we split our time between exploring the inside of the boat and spending time on deck. The outside space on Glen Sannox is something which we felt actually let her down a bit - it is entirely stern and side facing, there is effectively no view forward at all, and that felt a bit strange. There are plenty of places to shelter from even the strong winds we had though which is always a bonus, and a brilliant little completely covered seating area - just great if you want to be outside but not at the mercy of the elements. 

Inside everything is very light and spacious feeling - with glass everywhere including forming the walls around the stairwells which is a lovely touch. The jewel in the crown is probably the bow observation lounge with its expanse of windows - we took the opportunity at Tarbert to locate ourselves there as the weather was great at the stage, and we enjoyed the departure from that excellent viewpoint! 

There were also masses of smaller lounges/seating areas scattered around too - some pet friendly and some not - it was nice to see that those travelling with dogs (or indeed cats - there was one on our outward sailing!) had a choice of spots to sit.

The car deck feels positively cavernous without the central divide that most of the older “major units” have - and this is only half of it - look carefully and you can see a mezzanine or “hoistable” deck stowed away above. This expands the capacity to 133 cars when required.

Elsewhere the open luggage racks are a colourful feature adding a cheerful splash of personality to the vessel - the stairs/lifts to the car deck are colour coded too (4 staircases and an impressive three lifts) making it easier to find your way back to the right part of the car deck on disembarking. 

In spite of the weather we had some lovely views - the Scalpay Bridge above, and Tarbert itself…

…and it was fascinating to see this glimpse into the future of Calmac as well - new major units (the biggest vessels on the fleet) haven’t come along often for a good while now - the last prior to the current set where Loch Seaforth and Finlaggan as far as I can think and they are both over 10 years old now! 

Arriving back at Lochmaddy the wind was definitely causing some issues with getting the vessel alongside the pier, indeed you can see why in some places this level of breeze (gusts exceeding 40mph) simply means that sailings can’t happen. Thankfully Lochmaddy is far more forgiving - particularly when the wind is from the west as it was yesterday, and after a bit of careful manoeuvring we were ready to disembark, although the gangway is currently out of operation so us foot passengers had to wait for vehicles to clear the car deck before leaving. 

This trip cost us just £9.80 each - with well over 3 hours of sailing time and some fabulous views it felt like a complete bargain. Calmac don’t mind people doing these little “cruise” style trips just for fun at all - indeed they applied “joined up thinking” and checked us in for the return without us actually needing to get off at Tarbert at all - although we only discovered that when yes, we got off! It would have been better to have had a bit of time at the other side of course, but on this occasion that wasn’t to be. Maybe there were some folk on our return sailing who enjoyed a few hours exploring around Lochmaddy though - the photo above is of Sannox heading back to Harris later in the afternoon!

Robyn

(Not so) Frugal Friday

 

We needed diesel yesterday- the first time we have fuelled up on-island this trip, and we knew it was going to be painful. My car doesn’t have the biggest fuel tank, but the final bill here ended up at an eye watering £84 - by far the most a fill-up has ever cost me! 

The islands benefit from a reduced rate of duty - the per litre price here would be even higher without that in place, and before the current conflict that the giant orange toddler in charge of the USA decided to pick with Iran, prices have since that was introduced been not so much higher than at home. Last year the difference was just pennies. This year though it’s a chunky 20p difference, and a full 60p a litre above last years pricing. 

We fuel up as far as possible before coming across - this time round getting as full as we could at Fort William although we have been known to top up a final time as we drive through Skye too. In usual times with prices not so dissimilar from the mainland we would fill up before leaving too, but I’m afraid this time the opposite will be true and we will be leaving enough in the tank to get safely back to Fort William again. I imagine most islanders will be doing the same at the minute! 

Robyn

A new boat, and lots of Eagles!

I mentioned Lady Anne Wildlife Cruises in the post about walking round Grimsay - the brilliant boat trips out from Kallin Harbour. At the time of writing we had in fact already booked this year’s trip - but weren’t wishing to tempt fate as the weather forecast did look a little uncertain. Thankfully though the wind dropped and the rain stopped right on cue, and we rocked up to Kallin at the prescribed time to be greeted by Rosie - the boat’s wildlife expert (and also superb photographer) and skipper Nye. A shout out here to Nick too - without whom there would be no Lady Anne - it was Nick who first took us out a good few years ago now! This trip was our first on their new boat Amarisa - and very smart and comfortable she is too! 

Nye & Rosie carrying out the pre trip briefing

The route for the trips varies depending on tides and weather - although the hope is always to get out onto the open waters of the Minch at some point, that isn’t always possible and Nye’s concern on this occasion was a fresh westerly wind that he suspected might make things too choppy (he and the boat would be fine with it, some of the passengers perhaps less so though!) on this occasion we began by heading out around the uninhabited island of Ronay and exploring some of the sheltered inlets between there and North Uist in search of eagles - and it didn’t take long to find those! 

I don’t think we have ever had quite so many Eagle sightings in one trip - from a White Tail (Sea Eagle) which followed us for much of the time we were out, to several other White Tails and Golden Eagles too. Not only were they in sight but the White Tails in particular were swooping around over the boat as well giving great views and photo opportunities. 

Deer too were all over the place - it is the time of year where as Nye put it the stags are all still friends, but they are starting to work towards the rut which will take place next month- and then all friendships will be off as the males battle for territory and females. It’s always lovely to see them gathered together though. 

Other bird sightings included a Great Skua, a probable (from a distance) female Hen Harrier, herons and Shags aplenty, a lovely group of Curlews which took off as we got closer, Black Guillemots, a diver which we weren’t able to work out whether it was a Red or BlackThroated, and once on the Minch Manx Shearwaters and Gannets galore!

All in all a huge amount packed into 2 hours. Nye and Rosie know the very best spots to give their passengers the best chances of seeing interesting wildlife, and out here “interesting” comes in many forms! The Eagles are always a highlight of course, but for me this time I think seeing the Shearwaters far closer than we usually would from the ferries just felt like a real treat - although they are an absolute nightmare to photograph - small and very fast! The boat trip is one thing that we absolutely can’t imagine not doing when we’re over here - such a brilliant way of getting a different look at the wildlife.  We do have another rather different sort of boat trip planned too - weather permitting, but that is for another post! 

Robyn. 

August Reading…

 

Right - where we were - ahh yes, Mark Billingham and Good as Dead. Needless to say it didn’t take me long to rattle through this one. I LOVE Billingham’s writing - in spite of the fact that the first book of his I read was “Sleepyhead” which should be the the stuff of nightmares for a claustrophobic- I was hooked. Thorne, Hendricks et al are great characters - not permanently likeable, and I think that is key - they become more real because there are times you find yourself thinking they’re behaving badly and wanting to call them out for it!  Overall though the characters are so well written you truly crave a good outcome for them. Good as Dead doesn’t let the side down, and has already slotted into it’s appropriate place on the shelf. 

Next up then - and another one I tore through - L J Ross - The Cove. Holy Island from the same author was one of my very occasional kindle fiction reads and I thoroughly enjoyed that, so I was expecting good things, and I wasn’t disappointed. Murder mystery cross standard chick-lit girl meets boy tale, but set down on the Lizard in Cornwall - a part of the country I’m very fond of as you know. Nice characters, a great storyline that takes us from London all the way down to Cornwall, and it rattles along picking up pace towards a pretty unexpected ending. This one will be heading on to my Mum - it’s right up her street I reckon - and I will be keeping an eye for more from the same author. 

An Ian Rankin Rebus series novel followed - The Falls. I love that Rankin tends to write an introduction to his books giving an outline of his inspiration for the story - it adds context before you even turn to the first chapter. This book involves Siobhan Clarke as a main rather than supporting character which adds another dimension, and we know I like a strong leading female character in a book. Classic Rankin, and a great read as ever. 

JD Kirk’s City of Scars  was up next - the second of Kirk’s Jack Logan series I’ve read in the last few months. Once again I enjoyed the humorous way the characters are written, and it being set in and around Inverness added some interest. The storyline itself was basic murder mystery stuff, but well enough written that it made an enjoyable read. Probably not one to keep long term, but I will certainly keep an eye out for more from the series. 

At this stage the question of "books to take on holiday" came up - we've adopted a principle of taking just a few with us - usually one for MrEH and two for me - with at least one of those being interchangeable between us. This then keeps us both in reading material for the first few days even if a wet ferry crossing keeps us inside and reading, and we can then make use of the handful of book exchanges we know of on the islands to top up the levels from that. We never take anything with us that we want to bring home either - same with jigsaws, they go across, get completed, then get left behind, a policy which has worked really well for us for a good few years now. A bit like camping trips, holidays are a time when I tend to make my way through a lot of books, so you'll be seeing what I chose this time pretty soon! 

An author I enjoy but hadn't read much from for a good while now - Marion Keyes, very much a favourite of the Chick-lit genre. The Other Side of the Story features her usual slightly far fetched but down to earth enough to make them believable characters - and a clever storyline that intertwines their lives via the world of publishing. The usual mix of love, hate, high drama and sufficient happy-ever-after to let you end the book with a satisfied sigh! 

The first of the holiday books was Elly Griffiths with A Room Full of Bones -  from her Dr Ruth Galloway series, and so of course set in Norfolk once again ticking the box for a book being all the more enjoyable when it is set somewhere you know. This one carries across into September.

Robyn.