10 Days OUTER HEBRIDES in November (Days 3/4 Berneray and over to Harris)

Fab breakfast next morning…cereals, granola, muesli, prunes, various prepared fruits, yoghurts, honey…gallons of tea then scrambled egg and smoked salmon for me (again!) The Full Monty for Chris…bacon, fried egg, sausages, black pudding, beans, mushrooms.The black pudding and beans were for me as he never eats either and I love both so I always ask him to keep them in the order!

Well fuelled, we decided not to walk to the Stone Circle named Piobull Fhinn or Finn’s People, the only such Circle on North Uist.It really is a lovely spot with a fine view of Eaval.

But it was a gorgeous morning and we wanted to fit in another favourite short walk…up onto the highest point of tiny Beinn Shleibh, the neighbouring island of Berneray’s highest little hill at not even 100m high.

Kept a lookout for otters on the 30min journey, especially near Otternish (which appropriately translates as Otter Point), where we’ve previously seen a family of otters hunting off the rocks in the clear water.North Uist was looking SO beautiful, the sea a mix of pale turquoise and emerald green.This part of the island is included in one of Scotland’s 40 officially designated ‘National Scenic Areas’ which also covers Berneray and Harris.Had just about given up on otters when we saw the familiar shape of a large otter hunting just off shore…possibly a dog otter , all on its own…

Over the causeway to Berneray and we headed out along the the main road(single track) through the village, following it for 5 mins or so out to the very end near Sandhill Farm.There is no official parking as such but you can park on the solid , short grassy turf above the beach.

Got the boots on, put some snacks in the rucksacks(not that we’d need them, stuffed to the gunnells as we were from dinner and breakfast!) and set off along the grassland, admiring the scene.The walk is signposted through a gate and across a field, taking you up to an ancient graveyard.But we prefer to walk to the right, along the road to the last house, then veering off onto the open grassy field which soon becomes the broad ridge of Beinn Shleibh.I also enjoy the views better this way as it opens up to Harris much more quickly.Also there are usually cattle in the other field and although they are perfectly used to people and very benign, I prefer to avoid them! For more detail and photos re this walk and the wonderful beach loop we usually do see A Walk on Beautiful Berneray

This time, almost immediately as we began the easy ascent, we spied a Sea Eagle flying west followed by another two! Watched them for five minutes or so until they disappeared, making for Harris.We have seen these magnificent birds so frequently, throughout the Outer Hebrides…they are very common to see but always such a thrill.

Our route was largely pathless but the grass is so short cropped, it’s a pleasure to walk on and the angle of ascent is very gentle.360 degree views soon opened up to the mountains of North Harris, across Berneray itself and over to North Uist, including Eaval, the island’s highest hill.Skye was visible to the east and way out west lay the unmistakable outlines of St Kilda – Hirta itself and Boreray. Always fab to see these Ultimate Thule islands ! We visited these remote islands on a day trip a few years back, truly an out of this world experience. For more on that trip, not an easy one to make happen see ..ST KILDA DAY TRIP.

It was so clear that the Torridon mountains were visible beyond Skye’s north coast…

We sat at the top, looking across the Sound of Harris to Leverburgh, Ceapabhal( hiked up a few days later) , the Flannan Isles away out to the north west…it’s a sublimely beautiful place to sit and contemplate and enjoy.It was cold but not too bad.

If we hadn’t been heading for the ferry to Harris, we would have done what we normally do and walked downhill to the end of Berneray’s gorgeous West Beach(lots of these in the Outer Isles!)

Instead we retraced our steps back to the car.It’s only a 30 min or less trek to the top, so a very short hop really.

Berneray is surprisingly well populated with the houses all quite close to each other.Luckily, we had enough for food tonight as Berneray’s tiny shop was shut on a Sunday -as most are in the Outer isles.That’s the only thing to always watch, arriving on the islands on a Sunday when shops don’t open , even the Tesco in Stornoway is shut.The only one I can think of that does open is the Co-op in Creagorry, Benbeclua. The Sabbath is still strictly observed on many of the islands; in Scotland, church going and observance is at its highest in the Outer Isles.

At 1.30pm we drove onto the Berneray – Leverburgh ferry, accompanied by quite a few other cars and vans.

Although it’s a short stretch of water, the crossing takes an hour.The Sound of Harris is so shallow that the ferry has to follow a circuitous route to avoid grounding.It’s lovely but not my favourite journey as I always feel a bit frustrated that it takes so long! Chris loves it.

Nonetheless, there are some beautiful views with Skye very clear today…

I do however love seeing Harris finally edging closer and by 2.30pm we were driving off along the single track road through Leverburgh, heading for our accommodation above Borve beach.

As ever, driving through Harris gave that feeling of ‘wow’! We decided to go straight to the little Shepherd’s Hut which we’d stayed in last summer.It’s so pretty inside, quite stylish and really cosy and comfortable, very attractive all in.Plus, a 5 min walk at most to stunning Borve beach.We had four nights on Harris.

The coast of SW Harris is ringed with sands like clotted cream, pristine and gorgeous.Even in summer they rarely get busy though the first bit of Luskentyre does get busier these days.The coastal drive is a photographer’s dream.Its a good road too, quite fast in places all the way to Tarbet, the islands main village and on to Stornoway, about an hour north.Although Lewis and Harris are listed as separate islands, they are the one landmass.Very different however.

Once we’d unpacked the car I headed off to the beach, to catch the last of the light at 3.34pm before the sun went down.Past an impressive standing stone, then across the grass and down one of many little paths onto the gorgeous sands.Big surf crashing onto the beach which shelves steeply; not sure how easy it would be to swim here.Spent a good half an hour just wandering about enjoying the ever changing light.

Ate in, soup for me (which I rustled up quite quickly with tinned tomatoes,onions, carrots, small bit of cabbage and stock cubes.Tasty! Chris had toasted cheese.What I would have liked to do if timings had allowed, would have been to call in at Kallin Shellfish at Grimsay harbour on North Uist and buy some of their amazing shellfish for dinner, a favourite treat.The Co-op also stocks their first class produce though it goes fast.

The night sky was a wonder, the Milky Way very clear above us though no Aurora Borealis unfortunately.A bit of light rain forecast for tomorrow, the first of the trip.

Days 4& 5 Northton Walk on Harris and a stroll on Luskentyre , Scarista and Traigh IarbeachesTHE OUTER HEBRIDES 10 DAYS NOVEMBER TRIP(Days 4-5Harris)