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. 

Christmas...just!

 So, we’re here...

Benbecula, Western Isles. Our usual cosy cottage by the sea. We’ve been planning this trip - our usual Christmas visit, for months. Original plan, having essentially quarantined ourselves for 10 days beforehand to avoid the risk of bringing Covid to the islands was to leave home last Sunday to drive to Carlisle, then continue on on Monday to get the ferry across before seeing our “Christmas covid bubble” two days later on the 23rd - but when it comes to travelling up here, things are often subject to change. In this case it was a dodgy looking weather forecast for Monday that got us a bit twitchy - we didn’t want to lose a day, but there *was* a possibility we could get across earlier and ahead of the weather if needed, so we set off on Saturday instead...

Saturday evening all hell broke loose - “Boris is giving a briefing” we heard. Then “the Christmas Covid relaxation is being cancelled” and “London and the south east going to Tier 4” meaning lockdown again and no travel...we checked out the news reports on the BBC, definitely just London & SE, phew, keep driving... We drove up one services at a time stopping for the toilets, to change drivers, to grab an hours sleep here and there and then to pour more coffee for MrEH and tea for me from our trusty flasks. Sunday early hours, just south of Carlisle “but the Scottish border is being closed!” we were told...MrEH checked that one out pretty fast, although there had been nothing on the matrix boards on the motorway. As far as he could see that was due to come in on the 26th - phew again! (We also had confirmed at that point that Harlow was now Tier 4 also - seemingly the BBC jumped the gun by initially reporting that East of England was not included in that change.) We checked ferry options - the forecast for ours looked better, and the captain of the boat, a friend, confirmed that he was duly expecting to sail as planned. (“As planned” already being subject to diversion via Barra as the Barra ferry had gone tech and was undergoing repairs) We looked at each other - exhausted from the overnight drive and only a short distance from our previously planned overnight stay which would have a bed and a hot shower and the decision was made - kill a few hours until we could access the hotel, get some sleep and then revert to “plan A” in the morning. 

Monday morning - more rumours of the border being closed including “a friend of a friend”  who had actually been turned away. We set off - still no suggestion of any closure - we passed through the border with not so much as a sniff of a Police car and started to relax a little, and we rolled into Oban a few hours later with just the small matter of a 7 hour ferry crossing between us and getting over here! 

Slowly the full picture fell into place through Monday - once we were on the ferry Byron confirmed what MrEH had read on the way - that the travel ban between Scotland and England in fact began today (Boxing day) - ironically we are technically not supposed to leave here now! When we return home it will be to effectively a full lockdown again, and our journey home is needing to change a little as well - with a change of ferry route and a drive straight for home when we reach the mainland, rather than the previously planned overnight stop. 

In the meantime, we’ll make the most of being where we’d planned, with the person we had planned to spend Christmas with - far from the case for so many folk. Personally I think the late notice for the cancellation of the “Christmas covid bubble” rules is a disgrace - for the government to have spent the previous several weeks saying it was “definitely” going to happen, only to scrap it after so many people had already bought food for their planned gatherings, in unforgivable. It should have been cancelled at LEAST a week sooner, without question. Similarly- telling people that in some cases they could continue with the plans to see friends or family but “only on the 25th” - what about those who rely on public transport, and all those keyworkers who just a few months ago we were standing on doorsteps clapping? Very much “middle class white man logic” I’m afraid - rules made from the perspective of those who never have to work Christmas Day, and always have a car to travel anywhere they want. It’s truly time that it was understood that this is not the situation for everyone, and this year of all years, we should be considering everyone, not just the privileged ones. 

I hope you too for Christmas what was needed - whether like us that is a time of calm, and recharging of batteries, or whether something a little more lively and full-on. 

Robyn 

A bird explosion!

As we were heading south yesterday morning in any event, we decided to pop into the Salar Smokehouse and buy our packs of their delicious Flaky Smoked Salmon to take back home with us at the end of the week. We always go home laden with the goodies that we can only get when we're here, and that salmon is a firm favourite. The shop isn't *quite* the same now that the business has been bought out by the Loch Duart people, but thankfully they've not meddled with the fish.

Periodically some of the fish "remains" from the smokehouse evidently get lobbed out onto the road for the gulls, as when we drove up we saw this...

...which each time a car drove towards it turned into this...

...a sort of "bird explosion" that could thoroughly freak you out if you'd seen "The Birds" recently!

The weather the last two days - a proper sea fog was drawing in when we went for our late walk along the beach on saturday night, and didn't really lift until the middle of the day yesterday. It's very odd to look out of the windows and not see the usual familar landmarks - from here that's the sea on three sides, and Loch Sandary and Cleattraval (the hill with the internet mast that's enabling these posts) on the other. We didn't let it get in the way of doing things though - Sunday was always going to be a gentle pottering sort of day in any event, and yesterday we headed to South Uist to do one of our favourite walks - a circular one with all sorts of interesting things along the way, as well as a fantastic cafe for lunch.

The wildflowers get more stunning by the day - this field of Buttercups, Marsh Marigolds and fluffy white Marsh Cotton was beautiful...

..and we're yet to identify this intense purple flower - this is probably one of a number of photos that will be winging its way to Fay in due course for an expert eye!

Once we'd got back to the car from our walk we set off to drive along one of our favourite roads - the Uskevagh road on Benbecula which winds out miles across to the east of the Island - the reward for some challenging driving (MrEH behind the wheel on this occasion) being the absolutely stunning views. On this occasion I can't show you I'm afraid as the cloudy weather didn't really make photos that worthwhile - you'll need to take my word for it! We did spot this handsome Snipe standing calmly on some heather just next to the road though...

...and then a little further on this glorious Golden Plover...

...not so easy to see at this time of year these - a few weeks earlier there are entire fields covered with hundreds of them, but once they are in full breeding plumage like this one they head off to the moorland and hills in pairs to breed. The other one was present but wasn't in a position I could photograph the two together. Typically as I got back into the car again the two could be seen standing together in full view!

Robyn

Up a hill just to see the view...

A bit of a favourite pastime when we're up here, that. And yesterday was a bit of a favourite hill, too - Rueval, on Benbecula. It doesn't start well this - the directions for the walk when you first read about it start with "Park next to the landfill site"...thankfully this isn't as grim as it sounds, and in any event you soon leave it behind. Once you get to the top and get this view, it's well worth it anyway...

We've walked right out along that track you see there - it ends up at a deserted settlement on the East Coast of the island but we've not made it quite that far yet. There's plenty to see before you start up the hill too...lots of birds for a start...

The RSPB Raptor walks used to be held here - we'd walk out along that track for an hour, stopping every so often to see what was about, and even if we didn't see much in the way of birds of prey (although we've seen everything from Short Eared Owls to Golden Eagles in the past) there were always lots of smaller birds to see - last year there were Stonechats everywhere!

Once up the hill it was the plant life that first caught our eye - with this lovely little Orchid standing out...

...A Heath Spotted Orchid we believe - there is also a Hebridean species, but this doesn't quite look right for that. The amount of wildflowers here at this time of year are just breakthtaking - the machair is covered in a beautiful carpet of daisies, birds foot trefoil and tiny little pansies, while the moors have tormentil, marsh cotton and lousewort and milkwort. Boggier areas are covered in marsh marigolds, and the ditches are full of Iris.  it's amazing, because looking at this view...

...you'd think there was very little colour in the landscape, wouldn't you!

Robyn

Hebrides Countdown...

Last week's countdown post about the South Glendale walks got me thinking, about some of the walks we have done over there and some of the fantastic views we've seen from hills. first off, I looked out a picture of that view I mentioned last week - across to Lochboisdale...

I quite fancy timing it to get up there this year on a day when the ferry is coming in over opposite. I might get another picture in the same vein as this one...

That was from North Lee - we're considering climbing it's next door neighbour, imaginatively called South Lee, this year. Another hill we talked about climbing for a long while before finally getting there two years ago was Burrival - you remember it, AKA Eaval's humpy little friend...

...The views from up there were quite special as well. Those houses you can see scattered along the centre of the picture? We've had holidays in two of them - nice to have those sorts of views within walking distance! Of course the nice thing about the Hebrides is that you don't always have to climb any sort of notable hill to get a decent view. Take this one from Rueval on Benbecula as an example...

...Pretty good, eh? We'll almost certainly be up there again this year, along with several more of our old favourites, as well as perhaps a couple of new ones.

Robyn

Frugal Friday...

...and a wee update on our planned "cost neutral" jaunt later in the year this week! We're moving beyond the planning stage into the actual booking of things now - all very exciting, and I'm writing this down as much to crystalize everything into one place for us, as for you lot to read. As usual with this sort of thing it suits us to break it into sections...

Accommodation - is now booked - a little two bedroom self catering bungalow-type place on the island of Benbecula. Bargainous price of £250 for the week and that includes all electricity as well as towels, bedding, and a rather well fitted out (by the look of it) kitchen. We ideally wanted somewhere with a real fire - either peat or coal or log, we weren't fussed, however seemingly that sort of thing adds in the region of £100 to a rental at that time of year - fancy that eh? Real fires are of course glorious, but £100 of glorious? No, probably not.

Barra Airport...

Travel: we were hoping to fly up from Stansted, and fly back from Stansted - as we only live around a half hour drive (at the most) from Stansted, this was the most hassle-free method we could think of, but with not all that many flights into the Hebrides each day, we knew it would be touch and go if we could make it work. Flybe have now released their flights for December, so we checked out Glasgow > Benbecula earlier this week and found that the prices were far above what our tight budget could cope with. Time for thinking caps! MrEH proved once again that he's a champion thinker by suggesting that we flew to a different island - well why not, eh? Sure enough there were flights available to take us from Glasgow to Barra, and if THAT place rings a bell, then it well should, as that's the place where the plane lands on the beach! Taking a flight that lands there has been on our list for a long while, so this really does work for us on a lot of levels. So the flights were booked - £40 each - and now we just need the rest of the travel to fall into place. Using the parking at the airport for the car for the week is looking favourable - as is coming back via ferry and train if the Benbecula flights don't reach a sensibly priced level. The key thing we've bought ourselves is time though - the flights have already doubled in cost just 24 hours later, so clearly moving fast for them was the right thing to do. There is a concern around ferries and bad weather, but it's a risk we're just going to have to take, realistically.

Loganair/BA Twin Otter on approach...

Our budgets:
£300 Accommodation - Done this for £250 SAVING £50
£300 Travel - So far, £80 flights, £70 diesel (home > Glasgow > Home) Still to book: Parking, overnight accommodation, trains (back to Glasgow at the end of the week) Ferries. In theory we could still *just* do this to budget. 

£200 car hire - I've had a quote back for £168 for the full week SAVING £32
£60 - tank of fuel for the hire car - no way on earth we can make a saving on that BUT the hire car is diesel and we may not use the whole tank...! 


 Our "Extra Hebrides Holiday" savings account (aka the "virtual sealed pot") is currently running at a balance of £689 meaning on the current figures we've only got in the region of another £100 to find for this exciting adventure - pretty good eh? As planned we'll raid our groceries account for food and general spending - so we're not counting that within the budget as such. 

The only airport where the runway is washed twice daily!

We're very excited about this extra jaunt to our very favourite Islands. It'll be lovely to see the Hebrides - at least that bit of it - at a different time of year, but also to catch up with friends, and over Hogmanay, which should be a very cheery time indeed to be about there. It will be all the better if it can be paid from saved and effectively *free* cash that we don't notice the going of - who knows, in years to come we might be able to do something similar with our VSP money again, either to pay a chunk of our main holiday expenditure, or to finance another short break somewhere else, who knows. A holiday is always an exciting thing to plan, but a free holiday is even better, don't you think?! 

Robyn

On the move again...

We saw this little chap on our final full day in the Hebrides this year - he's a juvenile Stonechat, cute eh? We always try to do something where we can just drink in the landscape around us on that final day, and it usually involves some sort of walk, and if possible a beach as well. All the things we love best about the fantastic Western Isles, crammed into a few short hours (before we head to the pub, naturally!) It's always a wrench as the holiday draws to a close, but oddly enough it's got less so as the years have gone on - we know now that we'll be returning - in fact next year's accommodation is already booked and a deposit paid!

We;re going to be having another "relocation" as by the time we came to book The Moorings (all of a few weeks after we got back this year!) someone else had already booked one of our chosen weeks. *sigh* So back to the drawing board of trying to find somewhere in an area we wanted to stay in, at a price we could afford. Most places with any amount of character are way above our price range, and a lot of the places that are within our budget aren't necessarily places we want to stay - we were set on being on North Uist for example - had we wanted to swap to one of the other islands our options would have increased significantly.  After a bit (well, ok, quite a LOT) of trawling through endless websites, and quite a few email enquiries, we found a lovely looking renovated traditional croft-house over on the west coast. It's only about three miles from the pub, which HAS to be an advantage, and is in an area we really love. (No, not ONLY because it's near the pub - tsk!). One of its major plus points is that it's walking distance from some stunning beaches - can't argue with that!

Robyn

Run, Crawl & Walk...

Saturday was a bit of a “pottering about” day – we started off southwards – down through Benbecula, and were quickly reminded that it was the day of the Benbecula Half-Marathon – the reminder came quickly when we realised that we were sharing the single-track road with the runners. No barriers, barricades, or flag waving crowds here! As a good pal of mine recently ran a marathon (mad girl that she is!) I felt quite sorry for the runners battling along with no cheering or encouragement, so we stopped for a while at the war memorial where two others were showing their support and cheered and shouted “well dones” and “keep goings!” for a while. And I took some photos…

We drove on, before stopping again a little further South to watch this beautiful swan family for a while. They seem to be looking after their 8 cygnets extremely well – up here most young are lost to birds of prey or simply the conditions, but so far these proud parents seem to be keeping their brood safe.

On again – a quick stop to grab some bread and cheese for lunch, and then to one of our favourite spots in South Uist to eat – Loch Eynort.

This is an amazing place for a walk – there used to be one main path running along the line of the Loch down to a little creek, but the crofter/landowner has been working like mad over these last few years on putting in plenty more – so you can roam all over the place now! We stuck to the old path on the way out, crossing the creek at the little bridge and making our way from there on sheep/deer-tracks about as far as we could.

After a bit of a poke around looking at all the different plants, flowers and lichens about the place, we wandered back – taking a different path this time and disturbing a poor Heron who was nesting in the trees above us. I should think her first surprise came when she actually found a tree that she could nest in – Herons have to improvise a bit out here as there aren’t many trees – Loch Eynort however has a small plantation of pines, and also – and this is REALLY unusual – a little wooded area of deciduous trees – we spotted Ash, Sycamore and Rowan.  The wooded areas were absolutely full of Bluebells too – just look at this gorgeous little clump of them…

…and little clumps like that are irresistible when it comes to photographic japes like this….

…zoom-bursts are easy, and fun!

Robyn