barra to lewis help

karnali

thinkingof doing this with our little one next may, he'll ben a trailer and looking for advice on hostels and routes poeple have used, we have a week and an probably do about 40 miles tops in a day any advice or links would be great

thanks

chasctc

All(?) hostels are listed on either www.syha.org.uk or www.hostel-scotland.co.uk but reaching Rhenigidale may be not out of the question with a load (unless you like to walk!). For ferries see www.calmac.co.uk.

From Castlebay to Butt of Lewis is around 150 miles. As a first timer may I suggest you try Barra to Berneray saving Harris and Lewis for another year. There aren't any real hills but wind can be troublesome.

andrew_s

Accommodation:
note that the Gatliffe hostels can't be booked - it's first come, first served, though they are generally amenable to camping outside or sleeping on the floor if necessary.

a) Dunard hostel, Castlebay, Barra, 8.5m to ferry for Eriskay
b) Howmore Hostel (Gatliffe) S. Uist - about 20m from Eriskay ferry
c) 2 Hotels at S end of Benbecula (10m from Howmore)
d) Hotel Lochmaddy (30m from Howmore)
(also Uist Outdoor Centre bunkhouse, lochmaddy)
e) Berneray Hostel (Gatliffe) 42m from Howmore, 2.5m past ferry to Harris
f) Am Bothan hostel, Leverburgh, near ferry
g) Macleod Motel, Tarbert 20m from Leverburgh
h) Reinigidale hostel (Gatliffe) 31m from Leverburgh
note that there's a stiff climb after Tarbert, and another one on the 5m dead end road to Reinigidale (and back out).
i) Kershader hostel (SYHA affiliated) 25m from Reinigidale, 6m up a dead end road
j) Heb Hostel, Stornoway 22m from Kershader
There's also a bunkhouse at Laxdale campsite, just on the north edge of Stornoway.

Distances are direct with no sightseeing.

Note that if the weather is poor, there are very few places to get out of it - cafes, small museums etc. It's also fairly unlikely to be warm - you need sun and no wind for that, otherwise it's more likely to be about 12-14C

marcusjb

Great choice of location to cycle for sure - I did a similar route this summer (though the other way around).

A week will be a little bit of a squeeze to really enjoy the sights. Personally, I really enjoyed Lewis and Harris the most - there is so much to see and do (especially if you have any interest in history). There are some seriously splendid beaches as well - if the weather's playing nicely, it'd be great to let the little one play.

I have nothing against the Uists or Barra at all - they have their own merits for sure (Berneray in particular is incredible). But, if it were my week off, I think it would have to be Lewis and Harris. Highlights (to me) were the Butt of Lewis (amazing rocks and seas), Dun Carloway (a huge Broch), Gaerrannan (blackhouse village), Kneep (truly awesome beaches), Luskentyre (more beaches) and Rhenigidale (though be prepared for a stiff climb!).

I am not sure how child friendly the Gatliff Hostels are - but they all seemed well equipped (I camped, but stayed next to the hostels in a few locations).

I wrote about my travels here:

http://marcusjb.wordpress.com/2008/08/2 ... 851-miles/

Tim Farr

Any recommendations for camp sites please?

pneumatic

Good advice already posted here. the Gatliffe hostels were very good and they really don't turn anyone away, even when all the beds have gone. Most have extra folding beds, anyway. If you want a treat in Stornoway, book the Heb hostel; it is very comfortable compared to most I have stayed in.

As for camping, the airport at Barra has a water tap outside the terminal and lots of beachside pitches. The hostels had ground on which you can camp, too. We were told to avoid the official site on Harris on account of the warden being somewhat difficult to handle (but that is gossip passed on, so check with others).

We did South to North in 5 days (but that included an 80 mile day and one day when it was too stormy to ride). Barra is lumpy (go West to avoid the worst hill), the Uists are flat and fast (if you have the wind behind you), Harris is spectacular (long climbs but worth it), Lewis seemed quite hard work (but that was the 80 mile day). Certainly the last 25 miles up to the Butt of Lewis was a struggle even with the wind but arriving at the lighthouse, it is suddenly breathtaking and worth the effort of getting there.

We came back down by bus and, with a little charm, we got the bikes onto all but one of them. The custom seems to be that big buses will take bikes (up to four), small buses shouldn't but will if you look desperate.

We met people with a trailer. They were taking their time and enjoying it. It was a very memorable cycling experience.

crossborderreiver

Gatliffe Trust hostels won't accommodate children under 5.
You will need to make sure you stock up with food on Saturdays as you are unlikely to find any shops open on a Sunday, also there is no ferry on a Sunday from Stornoway.

lloyd_bower

crossborderreiver wrote:

Gatliffe Trust hostels won't accommodate children under 5.
You will need to make sure you stock up with food on Saturdays as you are unlikely to find any shops open on a Sunday, also there is no ferry on a Sunday from Stornoway.

Yep, you will not regret the route choice.

I did Barra (ferry from Oban) through to Harris (via the ferries again), returning via the length of Skye, ferry to Mallaig, then west coast down to Ardmurchan and further ferry to Mull (Tobermory) and another ferry back to Oban. I was warned about no shops open on Sunday, but I didn't find any problems on the Uists, all open. Highlights for me were Barra, Harrris, Skye and Western Coast around Mallaig.

The bunkhouse at Castlebay, Barra is an excellent one, they organize sea kayaking if you're interested. I stopped at another bunkhouse on the island between South and North Uist (sorry not got the map handy!) which was clean and well run, couldn't say the same about the one in Tarbet, though may have changed as it was some 4/5 yrs ago.