After many months in the planning stage, we finally got to visit the magical Isles of Harris and Lewis., because of the distance and travel time, we decided to break the journey into two days each way, this would allow a more relaxed approach to the journey and provide some respite after sitting in a car for many hours.
We decided to stay at the Caledonian Hotel at Fort William for an overnight stay on the outward and return journey. A pleasant experience this was, the hotel staff wherever so friendly and helpful, the food was tasty, and the room was clean, what more could you ask!
An early rise the next morning, breakfast was devoured, then we had a leisurely drive over to the Isle of Skye from where we were to catch the ferry over to the Isle of Harris.
We duly arrived in plenty of time to board the ferry, with plenty of fellow passengers lined up on the quayside waiting for the ferry to arrive.
We were soon parked on the ferry and sought a suitable viewing position up on the higher decks of the ship. Once out of the bay of Uig, the sea became a little shall we say, up and down, and left to right. Neither of us being the best sea-going passengers, we decided to look for a suitable seat and try and enjoy the journey. Easier said than done, but we found being at the back of the boat helped us, so we settled down for the remainder of the journey here. We were soon being called to return to our cars, with disembarkation soon afterwards. Once off the harbour we soon found our home for the next 6 days, this being the Harris Hotel, which was located not 5 minutes form the harbour.
After a goodnights sleep and an excellent breakfast, my morning was going to comprise of a scouting session to the Isle of Lewis to try and find some of the famous old houses that are scattered around the island.
I travelled up as far as Crosbost, keeping an eye out of these remarkable buildings, having found several, I took a look around them, but being courteous, I did not climb over any fences in respect to the land owners, nor did I enter any of the buildings.
The weather was what it was, overcast rain and strong winds, this did not provide any interesting light, but you have to take what you are given form the weather gods.
I returned to the Hotel early afternoon to collect Mrs Tomlinson and head to the place where everyone visits, of course it would be Luskentyre, a place that I have viewed many, many photos and watched many videos.
As we headed along the A589, we got our first view of the gorgeous coloured sand and the turquoise coloured waters, what a sight.
We turned off the main road to head for the car parking area, being for-warned that it is not large and soon fills up.
Surprisingly, there were only a couple of vehicles parked when we arrived, so it was on with the wellies, I grabbed the camera bag and off we set. As we traversed the last sand dune, the sight that greeted us was, well, simply stunning, the tide was rescinding which had uncovered mile after mile of unspoiled golden sands.
Even with a strong prevailing wind, rain in the air, and the mountains of Lewis being hidden in the cloud, I just stood for minutes taking in the amazing view that was in front of me.
There were only a few other people on the beach with us, so it was straightforward to begin scurrying around to find some reasonable shots, and surprise, surprise, its just like everyone says, you struggle with composures due to the vastness of the area.
I slowly wandered along the beach, walking up to, and into the dunes as I went. The seas was pretty flat, with small sized waves, this meant that trying to capture any crashing waves was out of the question.
Once the rain began to fall heavily it was time to vacate the area and get back to the car reasonably dry.
From the car park it was time to head back to the hotel for a refreshing drink and some food.
Day two began with a planned drive around the shore line of Harris, this being recommended by one of the ladies who was working in the Harris Hotel, she even provided us with a few stop off places to visit.
So first stop was Seilbost Beach, and OMG what a view looking towards Luskentyre, car stopped and camera set up immediately, it was at this point that I realised the strength of the wind, It was lifting the tripod, even with the camera on it. So I had to maneuver the tripod to a area where the wind was not so strong and try and fit compositions around this.
From here we literally drove another 5 minutes along the A859 when we encountered Nisabost Beach, another 30/40 minutes were spent here, admiring the view and capturing images of outstanding beauty that were in front of me.
As we drove the beaches just kept coming, Borve Lodge beach, Traigh Mhor beach, Sgarasta Mhor beach, this was a huge expanse of sand, beautiful with hardly a sole on it, simply breathtaking.
Onwards and past the Northton salt marshes, unfortunately we had spent so much time at the beaches that we could not stop here, as lovely as it is.
We soon found the sign post for St Clements Church, this is where the lady in the Harris Hotel said we must visit as it is full of history and is open to visitors.
We soon parked the car, but I left the camera in the car and planned to use the phone of my small compact digital camera to record any images in the building.
We took a walk around the church and observed the many information boards that were located around the building, these provided fascinating information about the Church through the ages.
We then went inside, and what a lovely place it was, ancient brickwork with the solid wooden roof, with many historical stones placed around its perimeter. All very interesting and enjoyable visit which lasted for well over an hour.
From St Clements Church we followed the Golden Road along the east coast of Harris, where we were on the lookout for wildlife, Seals, dolphins, Eagles etc.
We didn’t travel far when we seen our first sight of seals basking on the rocks, and like the proverbial bus, you see one, then you see many more, nether the less, they are a lovely creature, especially when in their natural habitat.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see any dolphins, or eagles, but the journey along the Golden Road was a lovely experience, and thoroughly enjoyed.
Thus, ends part one of our trip to Harris and Lewis, part two will follow shortly, we hope you have enjoyed our recollection of our first few days on the islands.
