I crossed to Bernaray on Saturday afternoon, last ferry full of folk going home after a day in Stornoway. Stayed 2 nights in the Bernaray dunes, walked around the island on Sunday, only a few people tending their “lazy beds”, strips of sandy land, which they manure with seaweed, but nothing else going on – but the public toilets were not locked up as they used to be.
Yesterday I went to the RSPB site in North Uist in the morning and drove down to Benbecula in the afternoon. I went back to the RSPB site for the 9.30 pm corncrake walk and, illicitly, stayed the night there. It was just as well I went in the morning as I heard more corncrakes then than on the evening walk.
Benbecula is not a bonny island which has shattered my illusions. While in boring meetings at work I would dream of walking along unspoilt beaches on Benbecula. However the beach at Berneray, over 3 miles long – it took me over an hour to walk it – reminded me of the “endess” field in Siberia, an abandoned field which would have been the result of the Russian co-operative farming initiative, if not some sort of Gulag.
Today I am drifting around North Uist as I am doing an “otter” walk tomorrow morning (no chance!) after which I will drive down through Benbecula and South Uist to Eriskay and cross to Barra and Vatersay, coming back to North Uist on Thursday for a trip to see an eagle’s nest in the evening, I intend to cross from Lochmaddy (North Uist) to Uig (Skye) on Friday….
Am seriously conserving energy on all electronics at the moment as there are no camp sites with electric hook ups so by the time I get to Skye I will need a couple of days to power up and catch up on everything. However “wild” camping isn’t that much of an idyll – finding places can be a problem.
So probably my next post will be at the weekend or early next week and, hopefully, with photos.
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