West coast tour: Day 2

Vattersay to South Uist. I had a pretty good nights sleep in my new tent. I was certainly comfy and cosy in my down bag on my therma rest! The tent is small though and I'm really glad the weather has been good as I'd be short of space for cooking eating and storage if it was wet. Its sunny though so life is good!

The day started cold grey and windy however I think it was mainly because I got up early because by 10 the sun was out and it was warming up. Plan for the day was to climb Heaval, the highest point on Barra (and the southern Hebrides), then ride up to get the ferry across to Eriskay.

The climb up Heaval was dead easy and I was at the top by 11. The views south toward Mingalay and Barrahead, and north toward Eriskay and the Uists are spectacular. I always enjoy the view across Castlebay to the beaches on Vattersay particulary though and it reminds me of the first time I came here a few years ago when Don and I sailed across from Coll. That was a cool trip! Its funny coming back as a cycle tourist rather than as a yachtsman as you see everything from a different perspective. Rather than being confined to the water you're confined to the land.
After the climb up the hill I still had a bit of time before lunch so took the longer route to the birth end of the island, going back through Castlebay and round the west coast. The beaches up the west side are breath taking and I had to keep stopping go get my camera out. I've now got about 50million pictures of beaches and I've only got as far as south uist yet!

Lunch was at the Barra airport (another beach). After that I had a pottle round the bay before heading over for the 3.30 ferry. Surprise surprise half the cycle tourists from the previous days ferry were already there. Infact I'd seen several of them earlier in the day and got a bit of chat going with one guy which was good. Touring on your own is good, but its nice to have a chat with other people as well sometimes. He was saying hed been staying in the hostel in Castlebay and got pretty hammered the previous night.

After the ferry docked I headed north again across the causeway onto South Uist with a tailwind driving me on. I've got myself camped at the top of a huge fine tonight on the west side of South Uist just north near somewhere called Garryhaille I think! Although tbh I'm about a mile from the nearest road as I had to bump across the machair to get here. Fortunately the Vodafone reception seems to be good here. Its bloody awful on Barra!

Sun is just setting over the Atlantic in front of me, time for a hot chocolate, some cake then bed! :-)

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