Two days without rain – even a few rays of sunshine – have changed the landscape here beyond belief. Little did we realize how beautiful the mountainous region is – the colours and textures are so vivid – if only I could paint!
Getting off the main roads is our passion – not that the main roads are particularly busy here. Back roads are much more exciting! They are VERY windy and narrow, with potentially dangerous drops off the pavement into bog or over a cliff! Never ones to be put off , we set ourselves a two-day challenge. The first was to drive Molly westwards to Uig Sands.
Coffee break was taken overlooking Loch Suaineabhal, (66.7m) reputed to be the deepest lake in Britain’s offshore islands.
Uig Sands are popular, not least because the Lewis Chessmen are said to have been found here in 1831 amongst the sand dunes. A large wooden statue of the ‘King’ ensures we don’t forget this!
The beach at Uig has an extraordinary tidal range – the distance between low and high tide can be as much as a mile – walking across the sands towards the sea seemed to take forever – but oh, what a joy! Miles and miles of clean white sand!
A quiet spot off the road gave us beautiful views down Loch Rog Beag, where we spent a relaxed night, watching the sea birds as the light dimmed.
Our day two challenge was Huisines – a remote settlement on the west coast of Harris. With only four houses, it is at the end of a 14 mile very narrow single-track road, which twists and rises, in keeping with the contours of the rocky outcrops. Blind summits and tight curves kept us on the edge of our seats – and yes, we shared the driving! But the views were worth it . . . .
A brazing walk along the beach was needed to settle the adrenaline rush before we started the journey back.
Anhuinnsuidhe Castle
The narrow track to Huisines takes you right past the front door of this castle, built in 1868 by the Earl of Dunmore – we are thankful that the present owners are happy for the road to pass so close to the castle, and through their gardens. Perhaps it is so remote, that the passing of cars (and motorhomes!) reminds them that there is a world out there!
North Harris Eagle Observatory
Given our pathetic record for seeing any wildlife, the Eagle Observatory was like a magnet to us! A 45-minute walk up the valley of the River Mhiabhaig – mostly peat bog on the valley floor, with the mountains rising up on either side. The Reynolds ‘jinx’ took over again . . .. the clouds rolled in over the higher peaks as we approached the ‘observatory’. As you’ll see from the photo, it is a little wooden hide-out – where we sat for some time with our binos – WE DIDN’T SEE ANYTHING! If the eagles were soaring, we couldn’t see them! As we commented on the walk back down the valley, we didn’t even see a rabbit! The valley was silent . . ..
We’ve moved on to Skye today, so I will record a further entry later in the week.
Molly's Folks 
Just been watching ‘Wonders of Scotland’ from Harris and Lewis on ITV – we envy you guys being in Scotland.
Sent from my iPad
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I always have something to look up after reading a new post. This time the Lewis Chessmen.
Glad the sun returned.
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I looked up the Chessmen too. 12th Century – impressive. Good luck with the jinx – hope you see some wildlife soon.
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