Across the Minch, into the West

Taking a ferry across a body of water always seems to heighten a sense of adventure, and so, despite the experiences of the previous day, boarding the MV Loch Seaforth in Ullapool for the crossing to the Outer Hebrides felt like the real start of the journey. It was a smooth journey across the Minch to Steornabhagh (Stornoway) and we docked around lunchtime. 

It didn’t take long to reach the edge of town, and within a couple of miles I was getting my first taste of the Lewis landscape. Peat, heather and lochans stretched out on either side, the road undulating gently across the moor. I crossed paths with a couple of cycle tourers who grimaced slightly as we passed. A reminder that they were riding into the prevailing wind, while I, for one of the few times on this trip, was heading northwards with the winds helping me along.

After ten miles, I reached the junction at Barvas where the Westside Agricultural Show was in full swing. Highlighting the skills of the villagers from this north-west side of the Isle of Lewis, with livestock and their handlers being judged and filmed, I think, by the This Farming Life crew. A marquee was filled with crafts, cakes and condiments, alongside some impossibly large vegetables. In a back field, Highland Games were under way. A children’s squeezebox competition was taking place on the main stage. The sole entrant, who would have taken first prize by default, was joined at the last minute by another competitor. Fairness prevailed, and the two lads were awarded joint first prize.

After an excellent burger, I moved on, pausing to watch some Scottish dancing on my way out. Although I didn’t buy a ticket, some of the raffle prizes caught my eye: ten bags of peat, a mutton carcass, and half a day’s digger hire.

It was only another five miles to the campsite at Borve.  Bothag Bhuirgh which roughly translates as village bothy. Alongside a well-equipped campers’ kitchen run on an honesty system, there were two camping pods and tent pitches. It was a good example of the local croft landholding system: a narrow strip of land with the house fronting the road and a long field stretching behind. A gate at the very bottom led out onto the machair, the fertile, low-lying meadows unique to the west side of the Outer Hebrides.

After setting up camp, I walked down to the foreshore to soak in my surroundings. It was striking to think that if I were to set sail from here, the next landfall would be Newfoundland.