Lewis and Harris

It’s becoming quite a regular occurrence for the start of my journeys to have transport issues. This one was no different.

The ferry from the mainland to the isle of Lewis and Harris normally takes about 2.5 hours, mine took 5 hours because the engine cooling system failed and we had to just drift.

Anyway once there, I settled into my Airbnb in Stornoway and where I based myself for the twelve nights. Stornoway is the main town, large for the isles but still relatively small. Lews Castle and it's grounds are the main attraction.

Lewis and Harris is the furthest and largest island from the mainland in the Hebrides group off the Scottish west coast.

It’s not overly touristy and has everything that other Scottish islands have to offer if one is prepared to drive, walk, bike or use public transport to enjoy it.

Public transport is good and the journey provides awesome views so time goes by quickly. The buses are comfortable and go to most places but are few and far between. Miss one and you could be stuck and have to use your thumb to get home.

My plan was to walk as many treks as I could and get as remote as possible. I didn’t have to travel or walk far before I had those “where the hell am I” moments.

The landscape is simply stunning! It’s hard to photograph with the iPhone however because it’s so vast and verdant with amazing depth. And there so many lochs it’s like the island was taken to with a shotgun.

When walking these awesome trails with music playing in my earphones like a soundtrack and my eyes working like a camera, I felt as if I was making my own nature documentary.

It didn’t matter that the rain was smashing my face like a sandblaster or that I was constantly wet, or that on occasions I was knee deep in peat bogs, it was all worth it. I loved it.

These two images are from the Callanish Stones. A 4000 year old site. I had to spend quite a long time waiting for the tourists to get out of the way to take a decent shot.

Here are some videos from the numerous treks I did while on Lewis and Harris.