We keep trying to see how far away we can get in Scotland. Last fall we headed fairly far north & east, with some excursions west. This time, it took three long ferry rides, lots of causeways, and over a week of island hopping, taking us to what truly felt like the ends of the earth in the Outer Hebrides.
We started in Inverness, with lovely river walks and exploring. We had a day to acclimatize, get some light beamed into our eyeballs, and take a day off before driving again. Then, we headed west to Ullapool, for our first ferry, to Stornoway. Two-and-a-half hours of steady rain did not bode well for sightseeing and vistas!
Our flat in Stornoway set us up for some exploring to the west and north: the Callanish stones, a bridge to nowhere, and the port of Ness; and easy access to shopping and restaurants when we returned.
Soon, it was time to drive again: south to Leverburgh, across the Isle of Harris, of Harris Tweed fame. Our 2nd ferry brought us to Berneray, on North Uist, and we kept driving, as several of the islands here are connected by causeways.
Our home for the next few nights was Kilaulay Bay on South Uist, a gate away from sandy beaches to the north, and sheep in fields to the south. From there, we managed to get as far south as Eriskay (look it up!), found some Highland cows, and had a fine dinner out at Langass Lodge.
To get home, we simply drove north to Lochmaddy, ferried to the Isle of Skye, drove down it and over the bridge to Eilean Donan castle, then across to Invergarry for a night’s stay. Nothing to it, right? In fact, it was only a few hours of driving total, just lots of stops for pictures! After a good night’s sleep and a quick tour of castle ruins on the hotel grounds (because, duh!) we were back in the car and on the way to Glasgow, where we really had to face the fact that we were headed home.