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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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  • 18days
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  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    2
    Day 7

    Uig Sands

    July 22, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    There were two beaches recommended for us to visit and we had now ticked off the first, but time was ticking by. Tom had commented back in Stornoway that he could do with some something to eat and we had decided to get something from one of the cafés on the way. Little did we know, however, how hard that would turn out to be. After all, it was a Friday so places would easily be open ... wrong!

    Our journey was slowed because we were trying to find somewhere to eat, but each time we turned up at a place advertising to serve food and snacks they were, for some unfathomable reason, all closed. Some were simply just closed and one was closed due to 'family circumstances', presumably because they had one - a family, that is. I had to keep pinching myself to make me realise we were actually on a remote island with a tourist trade because it is hard to believe that to be true - you would think the locals would be doing anything to entice transfers from tourists debit cards. Maybe we were the wrong kind of tourists or maybe July isn't the right kind of month, or the weather not windy enough. Who knows, but in the end we had to settle for a sandwich, crisps and a fizzy drink from a community shop even though a toastie, coffee and a cake would have been nice. Mind you, the tantalising view from the community shop car park of Uig sands was amazing. (Photo 1)

    Having eaten our goodies we spotted time had moved further than we imagined and realised there was no longer enough time to actually go to the beach and then get back to visit Tesco to purchase food supplies for the yacht and then be ready to go out for a meal in the evening. We thetefore looked for a closer vantage point where we could at least get a good view of those extensive sands.

    Not too far down the road there was a driveway to what looked like a large house with a sign saying it was a salmon smokery where they produce - wait for it - smoked salmon. I was a little reluctant to drive down what seemed to be a private drive but Penny & Tom commented that we could at least see the smokery before we took our photos of the beach. It was closed ... and of course we were no longer phased by this because that appears to be the norm on Lewis.

    This therefore didn't stop us, so I parked the van just outside the door with the sign saying 'Closed' and we went to the rear of the building and snapped away - photos 2 and 3. Then, just as we were about to leave Penny spotted someone walking towards us and it turned out to be the owner of the smoke house who promptly sold me £11 worth of smoked salmon. It's in my fridge as I write this and I'm looking forward to tasting it very soon. That does make the photos of Uig sands a bit on the expensive side however.

    Having found the two beaches we had a pleasant drive back to Stornoway, completed the supplies shop and then Penny, Tom & I went for a Thai meal in the town. We then we said our goodbyes on the harbourside next to Elixir, with Penny and Tom posing for a photo in front of the boat before I left and headed back to the campsite. Tomorrow morning they would be casting off around 10am to head further north to Orkney. I was looking forward to a day of photography.

    The last photo of this footprint is of a new addition to my van and a present from Penny which she gave me during our Hebridean Rendezvous - a small cushion she had found in a craft shop printed with a painting of Glen Coe with three little campervans travelling through. It fits in perfectly and matches my colour scheme too, so how good is that! Yes, I know how sad it is that I have a van which has a colour scheme, so be kind to me!    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 8

    A Day of Nothingness

    July 23, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    My intention for today was to travel to Uig and investigate that beach we never got to yesterday, but this never happened.

    The weather today was simply awful and consisted of wind and rain which was quite heavy at times. Occasionally it would stop but in no time at all it started again. I did go to one of the local beaches to see if it was better thanit seemed but it wasn't, so I returned to the campsite and had a lazy day in and I can definitely say that spending most of a wet and windy day in what is essentially a tin can is not the most inspiring of activities you would choose to do. It wasn't cold and it was better than getting soaked through so hopefully tomorrow will be better and I can get out and about again.

    The photo in this footprint isn't the worst of it - at times you couldn't see that mountain but the van kept me warm and dry.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 9

    Norse Mill & Kiln

    July 24, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Today was a day to be a real tourist visiting tourist locations in the hope of a decent photo, with my first stop an impromptu visit to this site having seen the sign for it from the roadway, not more than two miles from where I was staying.

    Having parked the van, it was a short walk to the site of the restored buildings where there were signs about not having fires (not much of a kiln then) but noting that there was no signage which gave a real history of the place. It was interesting to see what it would have been like but I was bit disappointed to be honest. Photographically there was nothing here and there was not a lot else either, so after a quick look around it was back to the van to head to the next historical site, which was actually the one I was heading for in any case.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 9

    Black House Village

    July 24, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    When I checked-in at my campsite the other day this was a must-see location so I felt that before leaving I really ought to go and see it. It was easy to find and well signposted and when I arrived at the car park there were a number of cars there so clearly it was a popular attraction. It was closed and why should I be surprised?

    It turns out the reason for this is quite simple really but us Sassenachs have all forgotten what things used to be like. You see, Sunday is a day of rest and on Lewis (not Harris I believe) Sunday is a religious day and as a result you do not work and so everything is shut. Cafés, shops, petrol stations (not that there are that many) and most things in fact. I can't speak for pubs because so far I haven't found a single one outside Stornoway so on the basis that they might exist, let's assume they are also shut and make life simple. In fact, pubs are hard to find anywhere in Scotland, not because the Scottish don't drink alcohol, far from it allegedly, but because outside the cities the bars are located in hotels. In rural areas it's the hotels that have the restaurants too but I'm digressing. Let's get back to the Black Houses and the fact that they and the café are closed. Oh, and the arty farty craft shop next door was closed too. Sorry - I'll shut up, which is appropriate don't you think.

    The gates to the village were closed but what I couldn't work out was where were the people from the parked cars and the answer was they were in the village. Okay, so the site was closed, the café and ticket office was closed and the arty farty craft shop next door were closed but the gates where not locked, so you were free to enter and have a look around. The individual houses were closed of course and I was delighted to find the door of one open, only to find this was the site's toilets which was thoughtful, I thought. But then I noticed something that had been bugging me since I arrived - the houses were not black!

    Once again I am left to ask Google about all this and it seems they are called 'black houses' because they have no chimneys so the smoke from the fire is left to seep through the thatched roof which makes the insides of the houses black from the soot ... mmm, healthy. The houses were built between 1852 and 1895 and stood up well to the onslaught of the weather, so maybe the lack of a chimney was to to stop the rain pouring in, who knows. Their animals lived in the houses as well, but then you knew that didn't you, and I think people lived here until the 1960s, which is hard to believe.

    At the end of the village there's a little beach and the start of a coastal walk, which I walked for a while and on the way back I took photo 4 showing the beach and the view over the headland to all those islands. I liked that.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 9

    Callanish Stones

    July 24, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    If you journey to the Isle of Lewis this is probably going to be on your list of places to visit, but why? It's because this group of Neolithic stones (4000-2500bc) is one of the best preserved examples of this genre in the UK. It's a bit like the Stonehenge of the north and locally they are know as the Calanais stones. They comprise a circle of thirteen stones which are at the centre of an overall shape of a cross, but one thing that is very different here than at Stonehenge: you are allowed to walk amongst them and touch them if you feel the need.

    It wasn't all that crowded while I was there but I still needed to be patient to get a photo with no people in it. Photo 2 shows what you get if you don't wait and photo 3 is perhaps a classic black & white shot. They are harder to photograph than you would think because after all and to put it bluntly, they are simply a bunch of standing stones. Make sure you point your camera in the right direction though otherwise, as I have also shown in photo 2, you get the nearby houses as a backdrop.

    It would have been nice to grab a coffee and cake at the café, but then you already know why I couldn't. But hey, only wimps need coffee and cake.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 10

    Back to the Mainland

    July 25, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today it was time to catch the ferry back to Ullapool, which was booked for 2pm but for some reason it arrived late and therefore left late. I was in no hurry though.

    The crossing wasn't so eventful as the journey out and although I did see some dolphins-a-leaping once, there were nowhere near as many and no sign of whales either. I need to refresh my thinking too, as I'm no longer convinced I saw a humpback on the way out, just a minke. No ... not a monkey Cato!
    (If you haven't seen Pink Panther I don't think you will understand that comment.)

    The video needs to have the sound switched on, but maybe you'll wish it wasn't when you hear it. This is the musical accompaniment in the key of cars which occurs each time the ferry makes a course change. A honking good performance I'd say, though hopefully you won't be too alarmed by it.

    Having left the ferry I headed to the campsite where I'd stayed before, settled myself in, showered and then headed back to Ullapool for my evening meal. You would, wouldn't you and it was Monday so that would be okay too.

    The first place I arrived, as recommended when I checked in at the campsite, was closing because clearly 7.30pm is far too late to expect to eat. Never mind, this is Ullapool and there are plenty of other places to choose from, except clearly not on a Monday evening because they were also all shut, closed and not open for business.

    I do speak an untruth of course, because photo 4 shows where I was able to get my meal this evening and to be fair The Seaforth pub next to The Chippy was open but was booked solid, probably because most diners hadn't eaten for weeks. What is going horribly wrong here? I'm in a tourist area in summer and it appears to have escaped the attention of Scotland.

    Anyway, on a somewhat brighter note I have to report that The Chippy turned out to sell me the most splendid scampi and chips I think I have ever eaten. I've even photographed it laid out in the 'kitchen' area in my van with a towel for a table cloth so you can admire it. Posh or wot but okay, I realise it doesn't look much but it tasted absolutely yummy.

    Thank you Ullapool, for being closed.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 11

    Travelling North

    July 26, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    The Hebridean Rendezvous has been achieved but this was never intended to be the end of my trip to Scotland. From my home to Ullapool it is 495 miles and that is a long way to drive, so while I'm up here I may as well make the most of it.

    The aim is to drive vaguely northwards to get to the top of Scotland and I am looking forward to this because I will be driving part of the NC500 or, to use it's full name, the North Coast 500. This is a 516 mile route beginning and ending in Inverness and most travellers do it anti-clockwise but for the section I'm covering I'll be going in the opposite direction. The NC500 has become very popular in recent years and my concern is there will be lots of people doing it which might therefore spoil the experience. I shall soon find out.

    Today, then, I begin my journey north and apart from setting Durness as my destination I have no plans, route or itinerary nor any idea where I will be stopping for my overnight stays. I will drive as the mood takes me and stop for photography if there is something to attract my attention and if nothing does then so be it, though I really don't think that is likely to happen. This section of the NC500 is supposed to be stunningly beautiful, being a land of ancient rocks and rugged coastline dotted with white sand beaches and emerald seas. It sounds lovely doesn't it so all I need now is some reasonable weather.

    The photos in this footprint are mostly taken through the windows of the van as I thought you would like to see the world as I see it as I've travelled today and to reassure you, I did stop before taking them. The views are lovely aren't they but this is just a small selection to give you an idea of the kind of landscape through which I was travelling. Photo 4 shows the lazy way of doing photography - set up the camera and tripod inside the van then when you are ready, open the sliding door and click. It's a handy trick if everything lines up when you park and it is great if it is raining.

    Photo 5 is where I stopped to try and get a decent photograph which included those trees in the distance, but on the left in the water you will see two small black marks and these are actually seals relaxing/sunbathing/basking/skiving or whatever. There are three - one on a rock and two which look to be floating on seaweed, but that can't be right. If you can't make them out you will simply have to trust me, sorry.

    My overnight stay turned out to be in Lochinver which is only 37 miles from Ullapool and not the most attractive of places in Scotland, mainly because primarily it is an important fishing port. In 2020 it handled £1.4m worth of fish but that was when fishing vessels from countries such as Spain and France offloaded their catches here. Now the bite of Brexit has taken real hold I wonder if the port will be so busy.

    I was parked for the night at the Community Leisure Centre where a few campervans are allowed to stay and use their toilets and showers if needed. The attraction for me, apart from the use of the faculties, was Peet's just around the corner. This is a restaurant where the bad news is that it was fully booked and the good news is that because there was only me, they could squeeze me in at 8.15pm, when last orders were 8.30pm.

    The last photo today is of the filet salmon I chose which, like The Chip Shop scampi last night, was perhaps the best salmon I had ever tasted. It was cooked perfectly and the accompanying sauce was so nice I can't even describe it.

    Today has gone just as I hoped - a drive though stunning landscapes at a random pace with time out for photography and all rewarded with a lovely meal at the end. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 12

    Achmelvich Beach

    July 27, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    When I woke and looked out of the window I saw the leisure centre, but if I looked to the right I saw the lorry loading bays for the fish and there were loads of them - loading bays, not fish. The mind boggles as to how many fish must be shipped from here but today, and last night, it was deserted. What was on show however, was a blue sky which looked promising for the day ahead. Yippee.

    I was heading for Achmelvich beach which is only about five miles away and the route down to it is quite narrow and the car park at the end quite small, but there were two spaces left when I arrived so I parked up and went to purchase my ticket, only to be oh so pleasantly surprised. It was a pretty standard car park ticket machine but the pleasantness was it was only £1 for two hours and as if that isn't enough, the notice says you are invited to pay for your parking. INVITED! Wow, how refreshing and so I was more than pleased to pop my £1 into the slot and proudly display my ticket on the dashboard. I then grabbed a few things from the van and walked the short distance to the beach which although I knew it would be good, I didn't realise quite how good this place is.

    I decided not to go down onto the beach itself at first but followed the path upwards to a grassy area where you overlook it and my goodness what a scene opened before my eyes. Just look at the main photo of this footprint to be totally blown away by this location. I took photo 3 because it so much reminded me of Greece and here I was with the sun beating down, blue skies and a perfect scene. I decided the world could wait and stayed here for almost three hours before moving on, simply chilling out in the summer sunshine. To say it was relaxing is a huge understatement and I challenge you to say, if you didn't know, that photo 4 was taken in the UK. The video confirms that I think.

    One thing I did notice was the number of jellyfish floating around, just like in Ullapool and again there were three or four varieties. The most common was a simple round one with four purple rings and you can what I mean in the last photo and in the video included here.

    Yes, I know it was sunny with blue skies but even so, I'm afraid the beaches I visited on the Isle of Lewis just didn't match up to this.    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 12

    Clachtoll Beach

    July 27, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    About six miles further on from Achmelvich is Clachtoll beach which is once again a well known white sand beach in the area and although it is white, I would rate Achmelvich the better of the two.

    Once again I spent quite some time here as the tide came in, at first hunting for compositions amongst the rocks at the north end (I'm sure I got a keeper there) and then I focused on the beach itself trying to capture the water patterns as the tide made its way around the rocks. The trouble was that the water was so clear it was hard to spot where the water actually was so, although you can see how I set my tripod for the camera, I'm not really sure I got something of note. The last two photos are the arty farty ones which I wish I'd taken on my camera and not just on the phone because I quite like them, especially the last one.

    You are probably wondering about the first two photos and quite right too, because I've not explained what they are of. Photo 2 is a vertebrae from a whale's spine and can be seen right next to the car park to the beach. There's also a little shed here with an interesting display about the wildlife of the area and a really interesting wall chart showing the whales and dolphins and such like which you can see in the region's coastal waters. It is this poster that made me rethink my observation of a humpback versus minke whale.

    The first photo is taken at a Geospot and what a view from there - just look at those mountains! In the next footprint you'll see the significance of this place, but in case you are wondering, a Geospot is a pull-in by the side of the road with information boards explaining the geology of the area, which is very different to the rest of the UK. There are loads of these scattered throughout the Highlands and as a set they explain in detail why this area is geologically different and about the different kinds of rocks you can see. You can download an App for your phone which, when you arrive at a Geospot, will leap into life and tell you all sorts of interesting facts. At least that's what it says in the blurb because I haven't actually downloaded it. Oh dear!    Read more

  • TravelerHebridean Rendezvous
    Day 12

    An Overnight Stay with a View

    July 27, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Yes, we are back at the Geospot because when I was here earlier I noticed a sign saying it was okay to stay overnight. When I arrived there was a BMW parked in the far corner then, not long after me, a motorhome arrived and chose its spot for the night. There is nothing here except the parking area and some information boards so you have to be self-sufficient, which I am. I don't need electricity because my solar power keeps the battery charged and I have a plastic bottle which I place outside below the sink waste pipe. I have water and a toilet too so I can completely survive off grid. The motorhome will be the same, though they may or may not have a solar panel, but what about the BMW given it too stayed overnight? I have no idea.

    As soon as I'd sorted myself out I set up the tripod and camera to create a panorama photo of that amazing view. There were midges about but they were manageable and before long I had what | needed then it was time for a hurried meal as it was now 10pm already. Where does the time go?

    Photo 2 represents roughly what I'm aiming for with the photo here and the last photo, somewhat reminiscent of the cockpit of an airliner, is the view though my windscreen at around 11.30pm. The light is very blue by this time but you can still see features of the landscape. To be honest, at this time of year it never gets properly dark.    Read more

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