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Hebridean Rendezvous

July - August 2022
Travels to the very North West of Britain to the Isle of Lewis to discover white sand beaches against a turquoise sea. A great location for landscape photography and possibly for astrophotography too. Will there be midges? Let's find out ... Read more
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  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    1
    Day 1

    First Night in the Lake District

    July 16, 2022 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Unless an aircraft is involved with its associated deadlines, I find it near nigh impossible to sort myself out and start the journey at the time planned and today was absolutely no exception. Yesterday I felt I was ready because I had sorted everything I needed and only had to transfer the pile of stuff from my house to the campervan but of course, it took much longer than expected so the departure time kept creeping back. My view on this, of course, is I'm simply mirroring the current procedures in airports right now, so my van was forced to wait at Gate 1 for ages before it could even begin to taxi to the roadway.

    Today is Saturday and I need to be in Ullapool at 0930 on Tuesday morning to catch my ferry to the island and I have given myself three days to drive the 500 miles, which is more than enough really...and there lies the problem. Today was an easy drive to my first stop in the Lake District so there was no real need to leave at 2pm when 4pm is available...and so it was! Then came the first surprise of this trip.

    The journey was faultless with the M6 virtually empty all the way, which was so pleasant and refreshing to discover given the M6 to Manchester is usually Hell on Earth. I had a short stop for a snack at Lancaster services which was - yuk! If one must have a burger I would always choose Burger King over McDonald's any day, but their disgusting attempt at food today was undoubtedly the worst BK I have ever tasted, truly awful, or perhaps I simply chose the wrong place to stop.

    I arrived at Ullswater in the Lake District just as the sun was sinking to the horizon and although I wasn't treated to a stunning sunset, the light was pleasant with even a soupçon of midge, which gave me my first encounter of this trip. These aren't real midges though, because they don't really bite all that much and prefer to drive you insane instead, so after capturing a few shots on my proper camera I headed back to the van and drove the two miles to where I'm staying now - a National Trust car park that allows overnight stays for campervans and motorhomes. Toilet block included - how posh is that?

    So that's it then, the first footprint of a new adventure where I hope you'll join me to discover the sights and experiences that await. As always, the photos on here are taken with my phone because it is easy to 'snap and post'. Tomorrow I continue the journey to Ullapool with my second stop somewhere in Scotland, but where will that be? You will have to wait to find out.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 2

    No Rush To Leave

    July 17, 2022 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    What a lovely relaxing morning I've had after a restful sleep amongst the campervans of Ullswater. Okay, that's a bit dramatic but there were quite a number parked up for the night and all credit goes to the National Trust who keep the car park available overnight to relieve the stress on local laybys and small park-ups. For a small fee it was worth it.

    I woke at 7.30am to a cloudy morning. I had been hot in the night but I woke to a perfect temperature, got dressed and emerged from the van for a wander and although I never covered any distance, it took nearly an hour to get back to the van due to a chance encounter when I met Becky, from Cheshire, and for a while we connected. You know, that's what life is all about isn't it and I'll never meet her again, but for a while we found a connection and what a difference it made to the day, It was such a great start to this adventure and made me remember that you can never predict the unexpected. Bring it on.

    Breakfast and coffee and then it was time to explore my location. The NT car park was for the Aira Force Waterfall and it simply had to be seen, so I popped my real camera into its discreet shoulder bag and headed up to see it and ... what a simply gorgeous walk it was through old trees, woodland and thoughtfully managed estate. Tourists had arrived because it is a popular location, but for me that didn't matter because this was my time and that is just what it turned out to be. I loved my time there this morning because there were no pressures and I was surrounded by stunning landscape vistas. My proper camera never got used because fallen trees has damaged the viewing platforms so after all that, I never got to see the Aira Force waterfall and never got an arty-farty photo. Guess what - it didn't matter.

    I ended my morning with lunch at the café then it was time to leave to continue my journey, so after a little while surveying possible landing points for tonight and choosing one which sounded ideal, I turned the ignition key and headed north.

    (Okay, I'm speaking with forked tongue - I headed east to get to the motorway and then headed north. Poetic licence is allowed isn't it?)    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 2

    Creag Meagaidh, Loch Laggan

    July 17, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I wasn't all that far from my chosen overnight stop, but having arrived at the end of Loch Laggan (no, I'd never heard of it either) I was amazed to see what looked like white sand beaches so I stopped at a layby to have a closer look. This was a little trickier than expected due to an extremely steep path down to the lakeside with nothing to hold on to. In the end I decided to run down, only to find my legs running faster than my brain so thank goodness for the trees I grabbed to use as a brake.

    The beaches were in fact white sand being the exposed areas due to the reservoir level being low. I'm not sure where they came from but there were a few people already there and walking along the sand across the water from me. I stayed about 15 minutes, took the photos you see and then headed off to find my place for the night.

    The place I had chosen to stop is a nature reserve which has a large car park with free use for overnight stays for campervans and motorhomes. An Honesty Box is provided so you can donate a pittance to help pay towards the running costs. A toilet is provided but it is a 500m walk to the visitor centre, so best not to have an upset tummy whilst staying there unless your second job is an Olympic sprinter. It was a pleasant stroll there to be honest, though the wonder of it all was flushed away upon discovering the absence of anything which can even vaguely be described as a bottom wiping accessory.

    Just outside the toilet was a display area, helpfully provided in case you used your underwear to wipe your bottom and now flaunt your assets to the awaiting ensemble. There were information leaflets, though sadly lacking anything about the location of toilet roll, a large LCD screen telling you about the flora and fauna of the area and a white board for listing the things you have seen, or think you may have seen, or not even seen, whilst visiting. I've included it as one of the footprint photos so you will see it if you scroll through, or not if you don't.

    On the way back to the van I ascended a viewpoint topped with a flagpole and flag. I've included a photo taken from here which is a panorama to give a better idea of the view. It was whilst climbing the path that the midges decided it would be fun to come out to play, but thankfully they weren't really the biting kind and were just annoying. I still decided to fit the insect net to my sliding window though, just in case.

    So that was the day that was. It was a travelling day really as is tomorrow so I'll try and remember to take some views as I continue my journey to Ullapool.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 3

    Travelling to Ullapool

    July 18, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    When I first woke-up and peeped through the curtains it was dull and grey but it wasn't long before the clouds began to thin, bringing the sun, blue skies and warmer temperatures. The first photo in this footprint was taken immediately before I left the nature reserve and by then it was a beautifully warm day. In fact it was better than warm because at times the van showed the outside temperature peaking at around 28c. That is hot for Scotland.

    I didn't take all that many photos on the journey today mainly because every time the view was worth a photo, there was nowhere to pull over to take one. Generally, I thought the views today were just stunning and not really the views you'd expect to see in the UK - perhaps more like Sweden or Norway? This was without doubt Scotland at it's best and everywhere you looked it was a pleasure.

    The last four photos were taken not all that far away from Ullapool. The mountains here looked so majestic in the intense light of the afternoon and was that a volcano just there? Undoubtedly the landscape of North West Scotland is born of volcanic activity but the most recent forces that sculpted the landscape here were the glaciers of the Ice Ages. Maybe that mountain is the a blend of volcano and glacier.

    The final photo of this footprint was a scene that caught my eye and unusually there was a handy layby where I could stop for a photo. I thought the whole scene looked so picturesque but it was a small detail within it that made me stop - that small cluster of trees in the distance with the blue tones behind them. That was worthy of the Canon and its 300mm telephoto lens and hopefully it will turn out how I have imagined it.

    One disadvantage of driving some distance on a warm day in Scotland is the number of flies splatted across the front of the vehicle. The windscreen will need some serious attention.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 3

    Arrival at Ullapool

    July 18, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    ... well, almost Ullapool.

    It hadn't been an awfully long drive but even so, as I neared the town I decided I'd try and get onto a camp site so I could freshen up with a shower. I therefore travelled north of Ullapool to a campsite which I hoped would have room and indeed it did with lovely hot showers and a nightly rate of £13 if you don't want an electricity connection, which I don't because my solar panel keeps the van's leisure battery charged. It was well charged too, after all that sunshine today.

    The site is right on the shoreline as you can see in photo 3 and even the view from my side door isn't all that bad. Photo 4 is a panorama taken at the edge of the site, opposite my van and I certainly can't complain about that view. The first and last photos are of the sunset which wasn't spectacular by any means and it certainly wasn't that gory yellow either. Phones never seem to get skies right and here the colours are way over the top even after I've calmed them down.

    I've pre-booked to stay again on Monday evening after arriving back from Lewis so hopefully my stay then will be as pleasant as today. Tomorrow however, looks like it might be a calm crossing given how few waves there are on that sea tonight.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 4

    Arrival on the Isle of Lewis

    July 19, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I arrived at the ferry terminal right on time and on a lovely sunny morning which was especially nice because as I drove across the Isle of Lewis the clouds appeared and there were even showers. All this while back home it was 40C.

    The crossing was amazing actually, because the weather was good and there were unexpected sightings too. The first was just how many jelly fish drifted aimlessly near the ferry before it left. | spotted at least four varieties and couldn't help but wonder what happens to them when the propellers start. Perhaps they behave like flies in that no matter how you try to catch them, they always end up escaping. Or maybe they are resilient and when hit by a propeller blade they simply enjoy the rapid acceleration, assuming the trajectory of a pebble skimming across the water. They might skim, then explode like a dam buster, which would be silly, but in all likelihood I expect they get the same sort of treatment they would get in a food blender, making the sea around the rear of the ferry about the same consistency as wallpaper paste or, depending on the model of jellyfish, Angel Delight. Or maybe they give off a pleasant luminescence of turquoise, which you can see in the first photo as the ferry leaves the dockside. Yes, that must be it.

    The first part of the journey was following the loch towards the sea, which I'm sure must also be some sort of Scottish lullaby. Soon the loch widens and it is here the second of the unexpected sightings occurred. There were dolphins and so many of them. The largest pod must have been at least thirty but it wasn't only one pod I saw, there were several scattered around so there were jumping dolphins in quantity, though unfortunately not so close to the ferry they would register on a phone photo ... I'd left my camera in the van. I had never expected to see a single dolphin and yet here there were so many.

    The third of the unexpected sightings were the Summer Isles which is a cluster of small islands not far off the mainland coast. I'd seen these when I've travelled up the coast years ago but I'd never clocked that today we would be sailing through them. There were so many and at one point I even got my photo of the day (photo 4) which I really like even though it's taken on my phone.

    Then it was time for a coffee and cake which I've thoughtfully photographed in the style I know Richard, who is following these adventures, absolutely loves - food, but already bitten.

    The final surprise, spotted about half-an-hour from Stornoway was, I believe, a humpback whale. It certainly looked like one to me and upon checking the all knowing Google | see that in July and August there are indeed humpback whales around Lewis.

    Soon we had arrived at Stornoway and after a quick visit to Tesco for milk and other bits and bobs, I headed off to find my stopover for tonight which was a site on the western side of the island and a good base for the areas I'm planning to visit with my camera. It's also only around twenty minutes from Stornoway so it'll be easy to get to see Penny (my daughter) and Tom (son in law) when they arrive as part of their sailing trip around the UK - our Hebridean Rendezvous.

    On my way to the site | came across a blue shipping container with fairy lights and in the middle of nowhere, so I stopped to take a look. This was, it turned out, an authentic Italian Pizzeria and amazingly it is actually true, providing you ignore it is bright blue shipping container containing two Scottish chefs in the middle of the Scottish wilderness. I must say however, that this unexpected sighting was a real find because the pizza was truly and scrumptiously delightful.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    2
    Day 5

    In Search of White Beaches

    July 20, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    There are numerous beaches to explore all over Lewis and Harris but by the end of today I don't think I'd travelled more than about seven miles from where I am staying and here I highlight three beaches I visited today.

    The first is included simply because it is the closest and the first I visited. Shawbost Beach (photo 1) is by any standard a lovely beach with white sand and no-one else there except one family, though I suspect that might not always be the case of course. It was quite windy when I arrived though and, in all honesty, it was even more windy when I left. Perhaps because this was my first proper photography location, I spent far too long here attempting to force a photograph to exist, but in reality there was nothing I could find so eventually I packed my camera bag and moved on. I should have left sooner. Tut!

    The second beach featured is Dailbeag (photos 2, 3 and 4) which is a popular location for photographers and the first photo of the three confirms it I think. Annoyingly, the issue today was the changeable weather, being somewhat reminiscent of Iceland ... if the weather isn't what you hoped for, wait five minutes and it might be! This was the theme of today and you can see the result of this because photos 2 and 3 were taken only half an hour apart and the reason my camera is pointing towards me is that I was protecting the lens from the rain. You can also see that when the clouds cover the sky, those lovely ocean colours disappear. Photo 4 was taken from the cliff top just before I left and it is still dull and lifeless. What is actually needed is a decent sunset and there wasn't one of those today either but I'm sure there will be before I leave the island ... I hope so. All was not lost here because I did take some proper photos even though I'm sure you'll agree that, amazingly, my phone is doing okay - for a phone.

    The third beach featured is the last one of the day, Dalmore Beach, and when you arrive here and see it for the first time you have to say "Wow!", but why? Well, perhaps the panorama photo gives a hint in that it's a large beach of lovely clean white sand and when I arrived there was absolutely no-one there, though it was 6.30pm. I wonder why?

    I spent ages with my camera at Dalmore, focusing on detail as well as the sweeping curves created as the waves crashed against the shore, but I'm pleased with the phone photos here too. Can you see the face in the sea stack in photo 7, or the swinging monkey in photo 9? You need to look hard to see the monkey.

    So why the sheep photo? This was taken as I left Dailbeag to find a group of sheep standing defiantly in the road to stop me passing. They simply wouldn't move so I thought I'd take a photo of them given not much else had an effect, then as I was reaching for my phone they did start to move. At first I was amazed that the threat of a photo would do that, but then I heard the whistled command from the farmer and spotted the sheep dog rushing to sort things out. Clearly the sheep knew they were on to a loser.

    So what of today? I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of photography and relaxation time and when the sun appeared it offered perfect temperatures, beautiful scenery and all set to the music of the crashing waves. Tomorrow is forecast to be dry with sun and cloud which sounds perfect to me, so those camera batteries will be on charge tonight.

    Footnote: If they were white sand beaches today, why don't they look white in these footprint photos?
    Some beaches are more white than others and some have areas of white sand and areas of sand coloured sand. Also, the exposure set in the camera can make beaches look whiter than they really are and the colour of the sand will also be affected by the ambient light such that on a really bright day they will appear much whiter than on a dull day. Hopefully that's a correct explanation, but at times today and to my eyes the beaches did look white.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    12
    Day 6

    Top of the Island Surprises

    July 21, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    I was a little disappointed to open my curtain and see a grey and dull day as it would have been lovely to see at least some blue sky to start the day and it got worse too, because as I was eating my breakfast it started to rain. It wasn't heavy and would be a nuisance if it stuck around, but then it stopped and that was it for the day.

    The plan was to visit the most northerly point of the island which is about 40 minutes drive from where I'm staying. The Butt of Lewis hosts a brick lighthouse built in 1862 and according to the Guinness Book of Records this is the windiest spot in the UK. The lighthouse keepers were sent packing in 1998, presumably by the winds of change.

    It was a pleasant drive with a single track road just for the last bit, which leads me to comment of how good the roads are generally here. Whist on Lewis I can't recall seeing a single pothole and there are no speed cameras either., with speed limits through the settlements a pleasant 40mph which is very civilised Generally, there's not an awful lot of traffic here and hat make driving a rather relaxing affair. An added bonus is that away from Stornoway, the street lights are turned off late at night which reduces light pollution and saves money and is something I believe should be standard practice across the UK. Anyway, back to the Butt of the island.

    I spent ages here and loved it. Firstly and given its reputation, there was only a light breeze, being bright and almost sunny. Now add to that some spectacular cliffs, beautifully clear water with white foaming waves as they crashed against the base of those massive structures and you really do have something worth coming to see. Upon arrival I had a wander to check out what there was to attract my attention but I was soon itching to get my camera. Where do you start though - the lighthouse itself, the cliffs, the birds flying around and those nesting on the cliffs or the small flowers clinging to the rocks on the cliff edge? Answer: all of them of course and that is why I spend ages here.

    I haven't yet had chance to review what I took so they may be hopeless. I'm optimistic for the small Sea Thrift cliff edge flowers and some nesting birds which I am pretty sure were Great Cormorants. My photos of those are unlikely to make the grade however, because bird photography is about as far away from what I do as you can get, though that's not as far away as dogs and cats it has to be said. I got completely lost in the moment here and have no idea where the time went but I did get chance to capture photos for you to see here.

    I dread to think what this place would be like on a mid-winter stormy day given that to the west the next stop is Canada and to the north it's vaguely the Faroe Islands then the Arctic pack ice then the North Pole. The thought is enough to curl the hairs on your sporran.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    1
    Day 6

    Eoropie Beach - white sand heaven

    July 21, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    On my way to the lighthouse and not far from it, I spotted some reasonably large sand dunes off to the left and what caught my eye was the bright white sand. I continued to the Butt then made sure that on my return I would visit to take a closer look. It was worth it too, because the white sand beach I found today was whiter and brighter than those I visited yesterday. This footprint, then, is simply of one white sand beach, nothing more and nothing less.

    The first photo is my first view of the beach at the end of the path from the small parking area, then as you walk onto the beach proper it is amazing. Once again, it was virtually empty, the sand so beautifully white and edged by turquoise sea more reminiscent of the Caribbean than an island off the coast of Scotland. To be honest, I'm not sure Caribbean beaches are so empty of people.

    My visit here was brief because I'd spent way longer at the lighthouse cliffs than I intended and I had to be in Stornoway for an important appointment for around 5.30pm … and I was already going to be late.

    It's weird though, because I panicked for a moment thinking I'd messed up big time as I needed to return to the camp site to get changed - there was no way there was time for that so I'd be terribly late. This simply wasn't true of course given that my entire existence was parked up not far away, so all that was needed was for me to change my attire in the van to be ready for the evening out.

    In no time I was driving to Stornoway to realise one of the reasons for being here.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    2
    Day 7

    Hebridean Rendezvous

    July 22, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Perhaps you have been wondering just why this trip is entitled 'Hebridean Rendezvous' and now you discover why.

    My daughter (Penny) and son-in-law (Tom), together with two friends, have been able to take almost two months leave from work so they can sail around Britain in Elixir, a 43ft yacht. When the itinerary was finalised, their arrival at Stornoway coincided with time I could take from work and it was decided it would be really nice to meet up here when they were (almost) half way through their voyage. My appointment in Stornoway last night was to meet up with the group for a meal out and it was a really enjoyable evening. Today, Penny had asked if I could take them to find the white sand beaches of Lewis and that is what we have done.

    Before we set off we spent time in Stornoway browsing the shops - there are lots of art and craft shops - then afterwards, on the advice of the camp site owner where I'm staying, we headed to the south west of Lewis to find Bosta beach which was not only a lovely white sand beach but, shock horror, there were people on it. It was still very much empty though and it definitely met the criteria for Penny's request - the sand was white and the water a blue/turquoise even though the sky remained cloudy. The photos sum it up I think.

    Penny was particularly excited to discover two Highland Coos (cows) next to the small parking area and also loved the myriad of wild flowers amongst the grasses. One thing we couldn't work out was what exactly the strange object you can see in the photos is, so I've just done some Googling to find out.

    It is a piece of Art really and Penny guessed this might be the case when she first saw it. It is actually a Beach or Tidal Bell and was placed here in 2010, being one of a set of sculptures making a statement about sea level rise in the UK. They contain a bell and are placed directly above the water so at high tide the bell creates a sound unique to its location. As the tide level rises over time the sound the bell creates will change therefore demonstrating that global warming is causing sea levels to rise.

    So, if global warming isn't true the whole Tidal Bell project will be a dismal failure and it would be nice if it wasn't true, but I think it is pretty certain that it is and the sounds made by those bells will change in years to come.    Read more

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