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!
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