Tuesday

A bad news start to the day concerning our ferry on Sunday. It was scheduled to leave Barra at 7:00 but the time has been changed - to 5:15!! So a 4:00 alarm call!!! I know we plan to overnight on the quayside but that's still a bit of a wrench, especially since I plan to drive all the way down to Ayr. Perhaps we're can get some kip on the crossing.

Forecast today is for a fairly grey day so we'll go for a drive. Anyway I forgot to mention yesterday that the walk was actually quite strenuous, some quite steep (albeit short) climbs on the dunes but the real hard work was the boulder fields we had to cross. In four or five places there was no option other than to pick our way through some quite large clumps of boulders for several meters. So a lot of clambering up, and trying to reduce the impact of stepping down on rocks that were often quite wobbly. 

Anyway the reason for that post scriptum explanation is because we are worried about Liz's mobility after her recent problems and she did have a little hip ache today (but, fortunately, gone now) so we decided to have a much less strenuous day.

From N Uist to S Uist you travel over the island of Benbecula. From N Uist to Benbecula you travel over the island of Grimsay. From N Uist to Grimsay you travel over the islands of Leathann and Ghiorr but they are so small and part of the causeway as not to be noticeable. 

First stop was actually on Grimsay, Uist Wool. Now this is not your normal wool shop, this is the industrial wool spinning mill for the entire Outer Hebrides chain. Oh, and it does have a wool shop too. No twee little spinning wheels but a proper, serious wool mill

The wool was interesting, all undyed, i.e. just the natural colour. Some skeins were single breed, some a mix and some with two different breeds plyed together to make a two colour pattern. Liz just went for a skein of creamy-white Cheviot and the almost black, dark brown Hebridean sheep wool, along with a couple of interesting hat patterns. We like our woollen hats! Anyway nice to buy something local that was produced and finished on the Islands.

On down to Benbecula, a small butcher/baker seems to be a bit deal according to the tourist bumph, but I guess he was a big deal because he was "Number one in a field of one" as they used to say in Mad magazine. But the reason we've headed off the through road and towards the airport is for a charity shop,. It was closed!

Benbecula airport is interesting. It was a fairly large air force base during the war and the consequent housing makes the community one of the largest in the Islands. The base still plays part of UK defences by being the control point for our rocket base on nearby S Uist (and one of the islands of St Kilda is a tracking point). Obviously I don't have any details but even if I did and told you, then I'd have to kill you! 

No charity shop, so let's get a coffee, nope the coffee shop is closed. OK head on down towards Linaclate, our last trip hereabouts recalls a community centre somewhere down there. Well if it's still there it doesn't advertise coffee. Hey folks, we're getting thirsty! 

A Google Map search and there's a coffee shop, community place up on Grimsay, on the way back, that is purported to be open. Full steam ahead. Not only is it open it's on the same road as that wool mill, so we must have past it earlier. Interestingly it is the Scandinavian Bakery https://www.uistscandibakery.com/ run by a Swede. The coffee was good, as was Liz's scone (unusually with a choice of jam flavour) but my chocolate cake, probably kladdkaka was excellent; thank goodness I elected for the extra cream, it would have been far too rich otherwise. 

Back onto N Uist and why not head up to the main village and ferry port Lochmaddy to their museum. Well the museum was dedicated to Calmac the ferry company so of limited interest, but one islander's scathing critique was an interesting read. The art gallery part was an exhibit of work by students from the local college. Let's just call most of it 'experimental art'. 

But there was one plus, the museum sold CDs. Now I suspect I'm the only one to have heard of Julie Fowlis, but she's big in the UK folk scene, particularly the Scottish folk scene, and she just happens to hail from N Uist, so a CD was a must (I have a couple of hers already so had to choose carefully).

The road from Benbecula to Lochmaddy is very unusual - it is two lane almost all the way. It's a longer way back to the campsite but far, far faster as only the last about 8 miles are on single track. Anyway we have to go that way, we have an appointment with history. We were on the island some 30 years ago and discovered two things, a fairly recently opened smokery and a remote pub. Both are still there

The smokery used to be a shed and sold smoked salmon from its side door. It was so good that for several Christmases afterwards we had some sent by mail order. Today it has a gift and food shop and is much larger. Wonder if the girls remember it?

Just a mile or so up the road is the remote pub. I remember turning up there with the girls in, at most, their early teens, and asking if it was alright for them to go in. I was told yes, but only the lounge because of the bad language. I got not a flicker when I quipped back that I'd tell the girls to tone it down for a while! 

These days the pub is probably one of the remotest in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. With Fyne and Skye Brewery beers

You can tell I didn't take many pictures today when I have to include two of the pub! 

The pub is only 6 miles from the campsite on single track road so I trusted myself with a pint. I'd forgot it was close to 5pm and the nearest thing to rush hour hereabouts, we must have met perhaps a dozen cars or so over those 6 miles!

About 77 miles today, including a lot of backtracking