Storm passes on the Isle of Lewis beaches Mealasta and Mangersta. It’s a wild coastline exposed to Altlantic ocean and storms, yet still the sun shone. I was lucky to experience changing weather systems as beach transitioned from sunshine to rain/sleet/storm/sunset.
Road? It’s really a 12 mile single track “B” grade metalled or tarred road to an alcove of unspoilt Harris beauty. Hushinish the most westerly point on Harris and Lewis emits a contented solitude that envelops. Your worries calm, soaking in a landscape as devils fall from the shoulder. Inhale and rejuvenate over and over. The back is straight. Head rises as eyes blink clear, lungs fill then walk anew. Carrying no burden. Becoming a sprite upon the beach.
Forsooth Miss Haversham, these lands do give me the vapours. Its taken too long to reach the Outer Hebrides, and oh boy it was worth it. Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) runs many ferries to Scotland’s Outer and Inner Hebrides. The Outer Hebrides are a collection of 100 islands off Scotland’s north west coast of which only 15 are inhabited. I visited in November 2016 to tour, camp and photograph the views and detail of Harris and Lewis in the north. I drove up to Uig on Skye for the ferry to Tarbert which lies on Harris just south of Lewis. Confusingly they are different regions of the largest island. Harris is very rocky with many hills while Lewis is more gentle, lower level and marshy.
Following on from my Spring Beauty series these are a few views of the Ochil’s in the new spring lush green finery.
In November I visited Harris and Lewis on a photography tour. They are part of the Outer Hebrides lying on the north west coast of Scotland. I had planned to travel the group of islands from Vatersay then through the Uists onto Harris and Lewis. However it became clear during planning how large these islands are. In the past I considered backpacking or cycling, but as summer melted into autumn then blown away by winter so I choose motorised transport.
An autumn stroll above the Ochils Dollar in Clackmannanshire. Castle Campbell (aka Castle Gloom) looks over the Forth Valley. Midday sun in November brought the colours to life as a mist creeps along the river Forth in the valley below.
