The boulder fields of Scheihallion

Today was day 1 of a 3 day activity break in glorious Perthshire & Tayside. The weather forecast for today was reasonable, high cloud, minimal rain and warmish. Tomorrow was to be rain & Thursday similar to today. I had two walks and a cycle trip planned but all of it was weather dependant. So today's choice was to walk Scheihallion for my first time on the hill. This has got to be one of Scotland's best known hills, lots of people know the name but can they spell it? It's name means the fairy hill of the Caledonians.

The profile of Scheihallion with Loch Kinardochy

Now that the decision had been made I decided to drive straight to the hill. During the journey from Ayrshire the weather was fabulous, blue with lightly clouded skies, until I reached Aberfeldy where rather dark grey full clouds sat ominously around the direction I was heading. A quick stop for a bacon roll & coffee, plus more importantly loo stop and the final 20 minutes to the Braes of Foss car park. A bonus for me was that as you turn into the drive to the car park you pass Loch Kinardochy. This is a water that belongs to the Pitlochry Angling club. I had been meaning to fish it sometime so now I know exactly what it looks like for future reference.
When I arrived there were half a dozen or so cars already parked up. No people around so they were all already on the climb. I didn't think that I would have the hill to myself and so it proved. At the car park I was surprised to find toilets on site and they were in working order, noted for the future. There is a charge of £2 for using the car park but today the machine was covered up, just broken, or broken into?
A quick change and some sun tan lotion applied, ever the optimist, a good look at the hill then off I went. It shows up well from the car park and indeed for most of the walk. There is a small description board where you can pick up a good leaflet about East Scheihallion.

At least on this walk there is not the usual forestry pine tree plantation to walk through to start your walk. After the gate you immediately join a good path which you can see clearly ahead of you. The path zig-zags up the hill, you are putting in a bit of effort quickly as most of the height gain is made during this stretch. One advantage of this is that you are getting good views as you climb plus the opportunity to stop and look back and get your breathing back under control. As I neared the top of this stretch I was surprised at my heart beat thumping away, not as fit as I thought or just going up to quickly. I met another walker, Ian from Buckie, and after a chat we agreed to buddy up which made the walk more enjoyable as we had a good crack.

Looking back towards Loch Tummel

At the top of this section the views are tremendous back down to Loch Tummel and soon Loch Rannoch would come into view. This caused me some surprise as I had mistook Loch Tummel for Loch Tay and couldn't understand why I could not see Ben Lawers. Later a check of the compass and the map confirmed I had lost my sense of direction and the range of Ben Lawers was actually prominent over to our left, great views all round. The walk had taken about 45 minutes to this spot which I was pleased with and I thought less than an hour to the summit, wrong. My research showed that the height of Scheihallion (Munro) climbed was actually less than the Merrick (Corbett) which I climbed the other week.

The terrain changing as you near the plateau

Because of what I had learned when I researched the walk beforehand I was prepared for a very rocky, stoney climb to the summit. What I hadn't realised was how much of the walk was this boulder field. It must stretch about half of the walk distance.
The path has now disappeared and there is no obvious route, just a case of picking your way through and mostly on the rocks. There are some spots of grass but these don't last for long. Our pace slowed considerably as it would be very easy to twist an ankle or worse. I didn't want to exercise the mountain rescue teams today. Caution was the order of the day particularly as some of the stones moved underfoot, not clever when your other foot is not on stable ground either. At times hands were necessary to get round some of these obstacles.

The boulder fields, summit to the right

You can see the hill clearly ahead of you, the plateau is expansive. We chose to go up right of centre which not the best option. Coming back we came down the other side which had a bit more grass and made walking a touch easier. Top tip if you go up stick as far left as you can without falling off.

Glen Mor below, Ben Lawers in distance

The views are still superb, that is when you can take your eyes off the rocks you are trying to clamber over. I don't think I have ever spent so often on a hill stopping to pick out a line of walking. We met another couple coming down who told us that the cloud was covering a lifting on the summit. Soon we could see the summit, coming from our direction it involved a bit of scrambling but we were finally there. Two ravens suddenly appeared above us, looking for our lunch scraps I presume.
The views were good but not as clear as I hoped particularly over Rannoch Moor. This is the direction that the wind and cloud was coming from. 

View from summit towards Rannoch Moor

A few photos were taken, texts to the loved ones and a brief rest for some grub then back down. Thankfully the cloud did not descend to our level. There were now a few more people on the summit and more could be seen coming up. 

Probably we passed about 20 people today, a popular hill indeed.
As mentioned the descent was slightly easier but still great care was taken to avoid any accidents. Lots of opportunities were taken to take in the views.
I can't remember a descent taking me longer than the ascent, a sign of the caution or just getting old.
A few wheatears and meadow pipits but little else seen today. The board suggested hares, grouse etc but not today.
Just as we neared the carpark I felt something not right with my right boot. The sole had started to come away, thank god it didn't happen on the boulder fields!! These were nice comfortable boots but they don't owe me anything. A trip to the shops required if the weather stays as forecast.
All in all a very enjoyable walk, time taken 4 hours 30 minutes which included our stops.


  

Askernish in South Uist 'A Fine Sunday Walk'

Askernish golf course entrance

Its been a long time coming, we wanted to go to the Western Isles so this year was the trip. There would be plenty of variety for both of us to be happy, the scenery, the beaches, the light, photography and for me some fishing for brown trout. Overall, I am pleased to say that the trip exceeded our expectations. However, these islands are not for everyone and if you are not an outdoor person then it might not be the break for you.

We enjoy the outdoors and for this break we decided to base

Yellow Iris

ourselves on South Uist and we chose a cottage in Askernish. It was a very good choice, both of the property and the location.

For today's exercise we took a circular walk which began from the cottage and headed via Askernish golf course. This then leads you over the dunes and onto the magnificent beach and the fantastic ocean views. It's a really nice walk combining the beach and the golf course and then takes us back inland, via the cemetery, into the village of Daliburgh and then back to the cottage. It was a delightful Sunday stroll of about 10 miles. It took us about 4 hours but in reality you could make a full day of it.

A typical fairway and green

The short walk along to the golf course is tremendous in its own right. You could spend many hours just in this stretch alone, catering for our interests. For birders we spotted the following in just over 30 minutes: short eared owl; cuckoo; redshank; skylark; black headed gull; goldfinches; lapwing; buzzard; blackbird; song thrush; greylag geese and a female hen harrier.
Between the houses/crofts there are lochans which all hold native brown trout although most were now starting to clog up with water lilies.
We are not really that knowledgeable about plants, so the reference book was constantly in use, the ground is sprinkled with colourful flora & fauna. Wild orchids were common particularly the Pyramidal variety (see the book works) and every stretch held massive amounts of the beautiful yellow iris.
A couple of the properties on this stretch house a local artist and a photographer. There were signs telling you when their studios would be open for passing visitors but none at this time.

Flora on the golf course

We arrived at the local golf course which is highly recommended,it as an original Tom Morris designed course which has been upgraded. There are 6 long traditional holes which can be played in isolation. There are also 12 links holes for the the more capable golfer. I am a golfer but I would find these holes very tough even on a calm day. With a strong wind the exposed course would be difficult to say the least. It does not have the same love and attention of top courses, fairways and rough intertwine and plenty of rabbit holes for your ball to find. For me to play I would have a spotter ahead of my tee shots (Mrs B) otherwise quite a few balls would be lost. However the rolling greens looked magnificent to putt on. Another bonus is that you would be unlucky to have golfers in front or behind, it was not busy when we visited, only spotted two pairs playing.
We walked the first 3 inland holes, the fairways were covered with clover, both pink and white, along with masses of daisies and buttercups, only marginally less covered the fairways than those plants in the rough. After these holes the path led us to climb the rough dune ground and behold the magnificent views of the long unspoilt, unoccupied beach which stretched as far as we could see in both directions.
The sand was rougher and courser than that on Eriskay, more rocky strewn near the dunes, but still magnificent. This was the machair areas that we came to see.
We live by the sea and are used to big skies but these seem even larger stretching even further. Probably because the land is so flat in 3 directions it gives you that impact and it is impressive.

The view north

Looking south, Barra in the distance

We mixed the walk between exploring the beach and the holes closest to the walk. As we walked along the shoreline up popped a head out of the water, a common seal gave us a long hard stare before dropping back under the waves. We spotted it again about 50 metres behind us no doubt glad to see the back of those pesky tourists. There was a rocky outcrop not far out at sea which presumably was its base.
Another interested species on the beach were the oystercatchers. They constantly dived, screeched and buzzed around us but without coming too close. It looked like they were nesting in the rocky ground between the beach and the dunes. No idea if it was eggs or chicks they were protecting as we could not find any.

You can just make out a green & flag

Our route now headed back inland which we did by walking down the 12th hole. From the tee the flag looks a long way away. This is a brute of a par 5 in calm conditions, it must be a nightmare with the wind blowing in your face. Potential for a few lost balls on this hole alone. Walking down the fairway you do get a great view looking inland towards the hills.

View from bottom of the 12th

The walk now cuts alongside the cemetery. If you are going to be buried this looks as good a spot as any. In the graveyard we had a scene from a horror film as one of the fenced off graves was absolutely full of cackling black birds, weird on a nice day it would be freaky on a dark winter one.

Cemetery top right

Along this stretch we found this sign. Despite having a good look around we did not find them. Probably they are obvious but not to this pair today. The path we followed just stopped in the dunes.

The walk now brings you into the small township of Daliburgh. If you want you can visit the Borrodale hotel for refreshments.
For us it was a road walk for a couple of miles back to our cottage. All the lochans were covered in weed and unfishable. Good news for the brown trout but not for the anglers.

Water lilly cover for the trout

A very pleasant walk of around 10 miles, mainly flat and good going. A great way to spend a Sunday. 

Beach art

Cycling South Uist - Eriskay

When we planned to take a holiday in South Uist one of my must do objectives was to cycle from our cottage in South Uist across the causeway to the historic island of Eriskay. On the chosen day the weather was mixed but the forecast was for a dry but breezy day so oft we went. Mrs B went by car. The ride was not really a long one, around 30 miles in total, but it was one that I was really looking forward to. The islands have only 1 direct road, almost all single track with passing places but in better condition than many roads where I live. It would be interesting to see how drivers reacted if they caught up with me on a stretch out-with the passing places. Would they sit and wait as they would a car or would they try and squeeze me? I will reveal all at the end of the blog but needless to say I survived.
The main area of population in the south that I go through is Dalabrog (Daliburgh) where there is the Borrodale hotel (good beer and food) and a Co-op store. I wish my local Co-op sold the fresh crab claws you get here, a packet of these with a seafood dip are just heaven. It also has a top class fish & chippie (combined with petrol station) where we had a very tasty, fresh and large portion of haddock and chips.
These roads are fairly straight and as there are next to no trees you see a long way ahead of you. I cycle past Loch Dun na Cille where I had some great brown trout fishing, my best was a 1.5lb fish but from some of the shapes that cruised by there are much larger fish here. It is hard walking around the loch but great fishing.
When you reach the bottom of the island the road forks left taking you along the coast to the causeway via West & East Kilbride. If at the fork you go straight ahead you will come to Polochar Inn, a fantastic seafood restaurant with a bar and outside seating if the weather is good. We had the best fresh hand dived scallops ever in here. This is where the Barra ferry used to leave before Eriskay became the location.
As you go along the coast keep your eyes on the coastline and you might get lucky and spot an otter. There is a small jetty before the causeway. If you are here at the right time a local fisherman might be unloading his catch and you could get to buy some prawns etc from him. You are now at the causeway. This impressive 2 lane road was opened in 2002 and gave the island of Eriskay an economic lifeline. Previously the only access was by small boat/ferry and needless to say the causeway has sharply increased the number of visitors and to an extent, residents.
I really enjoyed my cycles across the causeway, there is a nice sense of adventure. Looking forward to Eriskay on the way over and to the hills of South Uist on the way back.
The road has been relatively flat but the next stretch between the causeway and the ferry terminal gives you a little climbing to get the lungs going and the scenery does become more interesting.

 Eriskay is famous as the island where the ship SS Politician ran aground with its cargo of whisky. Needless to say the islanders managed to take full advantage of its misfortune and cargo. You can read the full story in Compton MacKenzie's book 'Whisky Galore', it was also made into a film. 
The road soon comes into Balla where there is a pub named after the ship. There is a small store here as well for some provisions.
The road now climbs a little again, look out for the shrine on your left, and then you get a great vista. You are looking down onto the scenic Eriskay beach and the ferry terminal. 

Looking out to sea you look back on South Uist as well as the island of Barra. To your rear you have some typical rugged hills.
The magnificent beach is said to be the place that Bonnie Prince Charlie took his first steps on Scottish soil along with his half a dozen or so followers. It is said that he was told to go home by the locals he met. He did not and this was the forerunner of the Jacobite rebellion that was a disaster for the Scots resulting in amongst other things the banning of the wearing of tartan.
Nobody is quite sure whether Charlie was being encouraged by the French as relationships between the French and the English were not at their best during this period.
It is quite a feeling to know that you are standing on such a historical location and that apart from the the modern houses and the new ferry jetty much else would have looked and felt the same.






The small beach is a spectacular white sand. When we arrived there was no-one else around, quite beautiful and peaceful. We left the bike at the ferry and walked the beach. The amount and variety of seashells were tremendous the likes of which I have not seen for years. Wild yellow iris grow around the fringes and the machair grass was full of colour. It is said that the Bonnie Prince brought some seeds with him and that a pink flower in the grasses is possibly a descent of these seeds.

If you come to Eriskay you must walk the beach and even better, if the weather is in your favour, make a day of it, sunbathe and picnic. What a perfect place to chill out.

 It was now time to make the return journey which was almost a straight route return. I did take a short detour on Eriskay down to Acarsaid which has a small sheltered harbour. The harbour area was packed with creels but no boats or activity was taking place when I was there.

I cycled back to the causeway where I stopped on the Eriskay side at the stone commemorating the causeways opening. I spent some time at the fine picnic spot beside it. The views here are superb, another tranquil spot to let time flow by.

Back on South Uist I spot a tour bus in the distance and decide to wait at the passing spot even though I would have been half way down the road and would have had the right of way. Turned out it was German tour bus and no acknowledgement came from the driver that I had given him his turn. Apart from that prat and the occasional tourist prat most people treated me as a car and waited at the passing areas, a big thanks to them. To the others engage your brain please.
On the way back I took a slight detour to bring me round the back of Loch Dun na Cille but that was it for today's bike ride.
A trip I had looked forward to and was certainly not disappointed, apart from no otters once again.
As always time to think about that pint, it has been earned today.

Barra magic.....Castlebay - Ardmhor

Kisimul Castle Castlebay

We had a wonderful few hours on the beautiful Hebridean island of Barra. Sadly it was not nearly long enough but we will be back and soon. If you are on the Uists do not miss this island and it will be even better if you can stay for a few days.

Sandy Barra beaches just outside Castlebay

The trip began with a Calmac ferry crossing from Eriskay to Barra although there is a Lochboisdale option as well if you want a longer boat trip. Our plan was to drive to the ferry from our holiday cottage in South Uist, go across as a foot passenger and take a short walk on Barra. When we parked at the ferry I was surprised that the small car park was so busy and I don't think that there would be much room for anyone turning up without a booking and hoping to take a car across. However, once on board there was plenty of seating on the ferry for everyone. It probably only gets busy if coach tours are crossing. Only about half a dozen foot passengers and cyclists made this crossing today. The crossing lasts about 50 minutes and almost every passenger was on the upper deck with their binoculars hoping for a rare sighting. There were spectacular displays by diving gannets throughout the crossing, like shells exploding in the water. Also plenty of eiders, guillemots and common seals. Sadly no dolphins, porpoises or whales were spotted. Although the weather was good everyone was well wrapped up as the wind was strong and cool on the open water.
As the ferry approaches Barra there are tremendous views of the golden sands that play host to Barra airport. It is an ambition of mine to take the plane from Glasgow and land on these sands. Although, I did read that with the variable weather conditions prevailing on Barra landings and take-offs are not for the poor flyer.
As part of our research we had spotted a bus timetable which met the Ardmhor ferries. We would take the bus to Castlebay and walk back along the coast road to the ferry. Our research via AA route map suggested a distance of 8.5 miles but on the day the phone GPS app said we walked closer to 10 miles and in terms of time the latter appeared correct.

View from the hillside near Castlebay

Being a mainlander we disembarked from the ferry and looked for a standard bus similar to those on Uist. Not quite the same; a grey mini bus with shaded glass and a private firms name sat amongst the parked cars. Pushed forward by Mrs B I chapped on the door, the window descended and the driver confirmed this was the bus and to climb in. I slid opened the side door to find about 8 people already sitting there and all looking at us, had we held them back. When I tried to buy tickets from the driver I was told that it would be taken care of later!! The bus journey worked well for us as it took us around the west of the island whereas our walk was back via the east coastal road. The bus journey was mainly inland with a detour to the airport to drop people off and pick a few more up. Every so often the driver would call out 10.3, 12.1 & finally 13.6. We wondered what on earth was going on. It turned out he was marking the route for a couple of passengers who were getting off. He dropped them at a cemetery and they said a bit nervously that they thought it would be the beach they would be dropped off at. It turned out that they were looking for Corncrake's and another passenger confirmed he had heard them calling there on Sunday whilst attending a grave, hence the drop off, island life, just brilliant.
When we finally bought our tickets our driver was astounded we were not getting a return ticket and were walking back, not sure if he gets paid per passenger but a great character. PS. the trip took well over double the timetable so were already under a bit of pressure to catch the ferry back. This doubled when Mrs B wanted some food. The laid-back island lifestyle means this does not come quickly. The Kisimul cafe was pleasant, clean and the food good. Castlebay has a few choices of food and drink outlets. The view across the bay to the castle proper and the surrounding area first rate.

The summit of Sheabhal or Heaval

Finally an hour behind my scheduled time we got started in earnest. A short walk out of Castlebay, about 1.5 miles and we are soon on the major climb of the day. At this stage our walk cuts inland and we go past the highest hill in Barra at 383 metres, Sheabhal to give it its Gaelic name, or Heaval in English. A short detour up this rocky, grassy and sometimes boggy slope gets you to the top and some super views. You have already climbed half the height just walking up the road. As we walked we spotted a golden eagle gliding effortlessly across the topside of the hill, no wing movement all done on the air currents. Through the binoculars the red/brown golden fingered feathers stood out grandly. A great start to the walk.

A typical bay on Barra

From a coastal town a short distance away everything now has a rugged hill landscape feel to it. For a small island there are va few cars are passing us on the road, tend to be in groups probably from the ferries. I can imagine that in the winter this will be a tricky driving road. There is also a nice stretch where it feels like a moorland walk, chiffchaffs and skylarks calling. Once we start downwards, we are hemmed in by the hills but the views are now giving us glimpses of the sea. A lady cyclist passes us pushing her bike up the slope, it looks a fun island to cycle but it does have a few hills for the unfit or casual cyclist.
The road has a few ups and downs but once we meet the coast the views are stunning.
This is not total isolation as there are many modern properties dotted around. I presume these are built on old crofting rites passed through generations, where the cottages have been modernised and extended, I heard by substantial EU grants but not sure if that's true. What I do know is that many of the properties looked desirable. In winter it would be a very different place so not somewhere to make home unless you are comfortable with this style of life. Almost every property seemed to have lobster/prawn or crab creels on their land. Around the coast many inlets have fishing boats tied up. It was low tide when we walked past so many seemed stranded but in a few hours it will be a different story. Hobbies or livelihood I'm not sure but fresh shellfish will feature on many of these tables.
By this stage we had now heard 4 different Corncrake calling, some very close by, but could we see them, no? I read that they are visible for the 1st 2 weeks when they arrive, after that they are frequently heard but rarely seen. I wondered about our fellow bus passengers, had they heard any?

We had made good time and should make the ferry ok.
When we arrived at Northbay we felt that the walk was almost over. This is a pleasant bay with the local church dominating the view along with some local wind turbines. Barra is a predominately Catholic island and does appear to have more churches than you would expect for the population. There was no activity in the bay when we passed but possibly it is busy with local fishing boats later in the day.

Another stunning bay

A short walk round the bay brings us to Ardmhor and we thought the walk was over. In reality there is still over a mile to walk to get to the ferry. Had we been tight for time this extra bit could have been interesting, Mrs B would not have taken well to jogging the last stretch.

Out of order telephone

At the ferry there is a small hut to rest in if the weather is against you. There is a nice sculpture of otters to remind you of your trip. We did look hard but failed to spot one of these beauties. I have seen them a few times on my fishing days on the river over the last year but I have not seen a wild sea otter, still another reason to come back.
As on the outward journey the car park was busy and on this occasion 1 car that had not booked failed to get on. Hopefully they got on the last one. Local drivers known to the crew got priority. Strangely there were only 5 foot passengers but we were held standing until all the cars had loaded. it would have seemed better to load us first but Calmac have there methods.
The wind was behind us so the return crossing felt much warmer than the outward with great views of Eriskay welcoming us back.
A super walk, a pity it is all on tarmac as you follow the road, but don't let that put you off, the scenery and the tranquillity of the surroundings make it all worth while. 
Now where can we get a beer?