MONDAY 15th July: South Uist-North Uist

It was a grey grey day – with a bit of wind.  Well, quite a bit of wind – which was not always behind us. We availed ourselves of a substantial Polochar Inn breakfast – some opted for the famous and fabulous Stornoway Black Pudding, others for smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for the second day in a row.

After breakfast, and on the advice of the ever-reliable Neil, we went in search of machair.  NB This is South Uist in the Outer Hebrides – it is machair-land.  Guess what!  No machair. So, machair-less we headed north, not certain as to the actual distance we would have to cycle that day, due to a difference of opinion between Neil and Caroline.

First stop was the Kildonan Museum and Café.  Guess which we visited first!  However, the museum was a fantastic insight into a way of life which is almost extinct.  Whether this is good or bad is another topic for discussion.

We were also particularly struck by the exhibition to the silent weaver- a war veteran who returned and chose never to speak again but expressed himself instead through his intricate grass weavings.

Back on the road, we came across the renowned Howmore Bike Shop.  Unique.  Hazel invested in a set of brake blocks just to be sure.

Back in the saddle we headed for Hebridean Jewellery and Café for lunch.  Guess which we visited first :).  On the way we crossed a series of causeways which interlink this archipelago.

Red phone box at Stilligary

Given the wind it was a big decision to take the 1.5ml detour to the gift shop and café.  The jewellery was shiny but for us the star was the lentil soup – second day running!

There are some fantastic looking self-catering properties on the islands

Another telephone box

Refuelled we set out again read to take advantage of the long smooth reasonably flat road which were South Uist and Benbecula.

We loved the South Uist roads

Unfortunately, Nort Uist was looming. As we turned into the wind, the changing terrain became more apparent and the last few miles were purely a case of slogging it out into the damp drizzly conditions with reducing visibility.

The long cycle (in less than ideal conditions) allowed time for reflection on the nature of life before the causeways linking these isolated communities were built and the struggle to survive on what was offered by the land and the sea.  For light relief, Hazel tried to identify as many types of flowers along the roadside as possible – well, that was her only view.  And we were grateful for the chance to stop and increase our photo library of red telephone boxes.

Using a telephone box as a resting post

Telephone boxes popping up everywhere today

It was with great relief that we made it to the top of the last hill of the day and there, waiting for us, was Susy’s house.  A cup of tea, a bath and dry clothes brightened our mood.  The ensuing G&Ts didn’t do any harm either.

Never before had we had a salmon steak the size of the one we were presented with this evening.  NB Ask us some time about the unbreakable glasses ….