Hiking 156 Miles in Scotlands Outer Hebrides

Hiking 156 miles in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. The summer was coming to a close and I wanted one last adventure to make the most of the warm weather. This was my plan then. Hike 156 miles of the Hebridean Way, starting in Vatasey and finishing in Stornoway. You may be asking, but Liam, it's the UK, it doesn't get that much sun right? Let me tell you about this place. With it's 10 islands, 6 causeways and 2 ferry crossings, Oh, if you didn't know by now, I'm Liam. Rugged peat bogs, pristine golden sandy beaches and emerald blue waters are just a few things the Outer Hebrides are famous for. The Outer Hebrides has a small population of around 26,000 people, the main bulk being on the last island of Lewis. That means the first few islands are pretty remote. I'll be carrying everything I need in my pack. This is food, water, shelter, clothing and electrics. I don't know where I'll be setting up camp each night. This is the beauty of adventures like this. I'll be enjoying the sunsets, swimming in the ocean and taking in the views. This should be fun. It all started with a train journey across the UK to the top of Scotland. I'd arrive in Oban the night before I got the ferry. This was the actual ferry that I'd be taking in the morning. I walked a mile out of town and found myself a place to camp. I just spotted a deer. I think it spotted me. Right now it's 4.30am and just over that way is where I'll be getting the ferry. It was a five-hour ferry ride. It actually went pretty quick. I arrived at Castle Bay, had one last look and set off for the start point of the Hebridean Way. I couldn't believe how great the beaches were. This was only the beginning. I took it all in for five minutes. I had to get a quick selfie in. What a beach that is. Start the journey. This is how I imagined the Outer Islands to be. So I'm just following the quiet roads that just go along the coast. Some places to tell you. But at some point, I think I get across the causeway and we go over them hills and I can actually see there's a cairn right at the top and I'm going up there. I swear the guidebook said it was supposed to be flat. Oh, I'm knackered. Mate, them views. What is this? Ocean. Well, I'm pretty much at the top now, so that view is well worth it. I mean, if it was late enough, I'd probably get my tent on there. Find somewhere flat and just... Oh, this wind is amazing. So the cairn I seen was that up there. That there. Oh, this is brilliant. We're just heading that way. I can't stop. I keep wanting to stop just to admire the views and I can't. So it's summer right now. Well, it's actually the 31st of August and this is just peat bog. It's still watery. It's pretty dry where I've been walking, but I can imagine in the rainy season and in winter, you'd be up to your knees. So yeah, if you're gonna ever do stuff like this, come when the weather's nice. The view I got at the top of these hills already made the trip worthwhile for me. It was pretty remote from this point on. Lots of peat bogs with views of the open ocean. I imagined when the Vikings first landed on these islands that they'd sail up ocean inlets just like this one. It was getting late in the day and it was time to look for a camp. I got a little lucky with this one. This place is magical. I need, yeah, I'm staying here tonight. Go for a little paddle, wash myself, even though it's seawater, it doesn't matter. I have picked such a good time to film. There's a sheep right there nearing at me. I'm on his beach or her beach. All right, let me set up camp. A nice cold dip is exactly what I needed after a long day of walking in the hills. I am speechless. I just can't believe it. What a beach this is. This is hands down one of the best places I've stayed and it's the first day. I mean, I don't really need to say anything do I? Just be quiet. I'm camping right there. Got the beach to myself. Just been for a nice dip, walking around. It's like a nude beach. Hopefully no one comes here, but you would pay thousands for this. If you're in England, this would be rammed full. But I'm just blessed, got it to myself. I don't want to leave it. So I'll just stay here for a week. All right, I'm going to sleep well tonight anyway. I made some food and watched the sunset. I woke up early, eager to rack up the miles. The dew on the grass made it look like a winter's morning. I couldn't wait for the sun to poke its head over the hills. What a morning it is. Blue skies, sun's out, doesn't get any better. Slept well last night, but I've got to catch a ferry. You have to island hop to do the Hebridean way. You have to, I think it's two or three ferries you have to take. And this time it's Barra to Eriske. It's about 40 minutes and it leaves at 10 minutes past 11, I think. So best get a mover. I passed the odd church here and there, but there wasn't sign of anybody around. I got to the ferry terminal early. I finally met some people waiting for the same ferry. I got on board and enjoyed the views. It was great to rest my legs, but another island awaited. I wouldn't see another ferry for a few days to come. That football pitch down there has to be one of the most remote pitches in the UK. It's got to be. It's just on this little island of Eriske, I think you pronounce it. And there's a causeway that connects it to the larger island. So this, I mean, it's pretty remote. There's just houses dotted around everywhere. This is beautiful. I've decided to take the road. So there's a cycle route and a hiking route for the Hebridean way. And you can interchange them. So I'm for this little bit until I get to the causeway. I'm taking the road just to get above. And look at these views, they're amazing. Ferry ride was decent. 30 minutes it was. Really cheap, like £3 for a five or six mile crossing. These views are so good. Best place I've walked so far, by far. Helps that the weather's good as well. First shop, Eriske Humanities Shop. Yes, hopefully it's open. Ah, that's better. Causeways connected the smaller islands together. Six in total on the Hebridean way. You know, when you look at something and you think, oh, it's not that big. I've been on this causeway for what feels like two hours. It doesn't end. You just curl all the way there, just come from that way. We're going this way now. Officially in South Uist. I feel at home next to the coast. The sounds, the smells, the visuals. I love it. Just following the coastline. Hebridean way, a track, kind of for quite a few miles. Following the sandy beaches. I mean, look at these views. I can't believe this is the UK. So it's largely flat. It's pretty exposed to the wind coming off the sea. And there are a few hills in the distance. But we're not taking them for the next few days. It's going to be this. I'm kind of happy about that. I think there's a weather front coming in. I've been lucky the first two days. They might give out gales and rain. It's expected though. Just had something to eat before and it just felt good. I love not knowing where I'm going to end up that day. I'm going to set up camp in a place. I don't know. I love it. I love adventure like that. I just love not knowing. The route would take me inland towards the hills and back out near the beaches. It was a brilliant way to mix it up. Look at this. Time wasn't really a thing. So I'd look in rock pools and there seemed to be life everywhere. The sun was beating down on this part of the world. A fishing buoy made a great makeshift football. A hard one at that. I don't recommend kicking one. No matter where you go, you will always find plastic. I made sure to take it all in. The views, the sun. I just wanted to be in that moment. I came across quite a large jellyfish and something even stranger caught my eye. I'm pretty sure that's a whale spine. Oh my. That is crazy. I've never seen one of them. That is actually mad. That's my knuckle. I really couldn't get over this place. It was still in the UK but felt a million miles away. Been walking for a good few hours now. Got some good miles in. And I'm just on the sand dunes. Below is the beach and behind are the hills and a couple locks. A few farmer's fields. The sun was going down so I pitched my tent on the beach. For some reason, I always sleep better when I've watched the sunset. It's massively important to get the calories in. A hot meal does wonders for morale. Have a look at these tan lines. That's from two days. I've been lucky with this weather. Waterproofs going on can only mean one thing. The bad weather has started to roll in. I managed to get some miles in before the heavens opened. There were lots of farms in the Outer Hebrides. A pass through so many. Luckily old bros. Probably shut down about 100 years ago that. Old phone box. The rain had well and truly started. The one positive I took are the farms will get a little watering. This weather is terrible. There's no shelter. Awful. Some of the roads were amazingly long. Featureless highways of bleakness at times. The only bit of refuge was the bus shelters. I was so grateful for them. This is awful. I've been looking for a camping spot for two and a half hours. I was going to try and make it an easy day because I've done some miles today. But there's no suitable spots. It's all just straight road. Bog either side of me. Locks. Just nowhere where you can set a tent up. It's just too wet. I've asked at campsites, hotels, you name it. They're all booked or they've got no room. And it's like 20 to 8. It goes dark about half 8. So I best get a hurry on and I'm not fully wet but I'm getting there. Just saturated. This road sucks. It just goes on forever. There's a village hall car park. I might have to set up in that. Managed to get a camping spot. It was a, I think it's a village hall. I just asked some of the guys inside. There was a boxing session going on and I said, you don't mind if I camp outside on the grounds do you? And they're like, no, that's fine. So that's good. But I've just got my kit out and come to get my quilt out of the supposed waterproof sack. This green thing called a canoe bag. And I think there's a leak or it's just not waterproof anymore because my quilt is drenched. I cannot sleep in that. Luckily, these clothes have stayed dry. I've got some socks and a microfiber towel that I can use as a little nature quilt. It gets down to about 10 degrees tonight, which doesn't sound cold, but without a quilt, I'm probably going to get quite cold. So yeah, that sucks. Especially when, yeah, it's just annoying when kit fails. So annoying. Anyway, I'm dry right now. I feel good. I did about 24 miles today, which isn't too bad. So yeah, my mind is made up for me tomorrow. I'm going to have to find a hotel just to dry all this stuff out, charge my power banks and I can get on the road again. Yeah, one of those days. Got to make one of these hot camping meals. That should make me feel a little bit better and then try to get some sleep if I can. It's about 3am and I am shivering. Tell you what, you take sleeping bags and quilts for granted. It's mild. It's 10 degrees, 9 maybe. You can feel the breeze. It's crazy. We're really weak modern humans. We're not up to it. Just done some press-ups every 10 or 15 minutes. Just do like 20 press-ups just to get warm. Just to take that chill off. This doesn't do anything, this little microfiber towel. On and off rain. That was a dreadful night. Probably the worst night I've ever had. Didn't sleep a wink. I was shaking most of it. Not good. I'm just trying to... I'm dreading getting into these waterproofs. They're just saturated so I'm kind of trying to air them out. It's really windy. I've got 80 miles until the ferry but I've managed to book a hostel tonight. It was pretty cheap. It was £25 so I can dry all my stuff out, charge my stuff and get the ferry tomorrow morning. So yeah, at least I've got something to look forward to but I am shattered. But I best get moving. I was in my element now. Rain, wind and wet clothes. The only way was up from here. It couldn't get any worse. I've been walking for a couple hours now. Just got my head down. I've dried off a bit. My waterproofs are nice and dry now but it's pretty bleak. Luckily, no rain. Just wind. I keep seeing this all over... over there. Lots of peat bog kind of... I don't know what you'd call it. They basically make blocks out of peat and they use the peat as fuel. So when it's dried it's pretty much just grass and wood, isn't it? So that's what they do on these islands instead of using all the coal. They use peat. I came across the most Scottish pub you'll ever see. I got myself a well-earned pot of coffee. I did ask for a beer but it was 10am after all. Fueled by caffeine, I headed north. I couldn't believe the changing weather over the past couple days. I was wishing I was back on that beach watching the sunset again. But I had to snap out of it. I came across a forecasting stone. It's the little things that raise your mood. I was near the hostel that I booked. I'd never actually stayed in a hostel so I didn't really know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. It was only £25. I dried all my kit out, grabbed myself a shower and charged my power bank. The morning after, I got the early ferry to what would be the last stretch of the adventure. It was only a short ferry ride. I was now on the isle of Lewis and Harris. I spoke to one of the locals and they said because it was a Sunday, every store was shut. I had a look on Google and there was a murmuring that a small coffee shop was open. I used that little bit of hope to get me through the next few miles. Look at that beach, wow. Yes, Sunday's open. I have just had some of the best coffee I've ever tasted. It's... If you're ever in that isle of Harris, it's called Temple Harris and it's just a really small kind of... Think of like an old circular house with a cone on the side but it's down the lane and wow. It's like locally brewed and if you like coffee, taste that stuff. I was in such a zone, I was so happy I didn't even record anything. So I've... I've just got to the main road again. It was a mile that way to get to that coffee shop because it's Sunday in the Isle of Hebrides. Everything's closed except from that place. So I was like, yes, it was open. Having a break with the neighbouring islands in sight was a view to behold. There's rumoured to be one of the world's best voted beaches in the Isle of Hebrides. I'm not sure where but there was a couple I spotted that fit the bill. This weather is amazing now. I just hope it stays like this. On adventures like this, the elements play a huge role. It affects your mood and your physical health too. After a few days of continuous rain, I was so happy to soak up the sun. I'm well ahead of schedule so I've stopped some food at, you guessed it, the bus stop. Sun's out, it's beautiful. Just drying my stuff there. I got my stuff out. Towel and the phone box. But this place is beautiful. When there's no clouds and you can see for a couple of miles, it's great. So, yeah, feeling good. Way ahead of schedule, I couldn't believe it. I've got about three or four miles until camp and it's only 3pm. So I might take an hour or two here, just chilling in the sun. I spotted the first sign for Stornoway, only 43 miles. The road took me into the hills. There was a house in the middle of absolute nowhere. I couldn't believe it. I found the rocky crag and set up my tent with a perfect view. Well, today was one of the most contrasting days I've ever had walking. This morning, I was pretty annoyed with the weather. It was terrible. It was sideways rain. The wind was unbelievable. You couldn't see more than a few hundred meters. It was just foggy, terrible. And I've just watched an amazing sunset. You can kind of see it through the tent there. Had some good food and I'm ready for bed. It's only like 8pm, maybe half eight. Yeah, I'm feeling good now. Tomorrow, I'm not sure what the weather's going to be like, but it doesn't matter. We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it. It's going well so far. If you didn't know the climate of the UK, then you do now. Chocolate oats were on the menu. A good amount of calories to make up some distance. Some crazy weather on this island, I tell you. It changes so quick. The Hebridean Way has signposts all along the route like this one. The writing along the top is actually the Gaelic language. It's spoken all over these islands. The smell coming from the distillery was amazing. The road followed the coast, then revealed some pretty decent hills in the distance. Coming up hills like this on a bike must be torture. I was so glad I could walk up. Yeah, it's raining but the sun's out. It's strange. So we're heading somewhere in that direction. I don't know whether to get my waterproofs on or not. I've just got some places. I take short water breaks, take in the views and get going again. I love being transient, wandering through different backdrops. I think it's how humans are supposed to live, at least me anyway. During the middle of the day, I'd air my tent out. No matter what type of tent you have, the price, quality, it doesn't matter. Condensation will always get you. This was one of only a few forests I'd seen across the whole Outer Hebrides. It was actually a great sight to be honest. This is probably one of the most picturesque places I've ever been to. What is this? This door is never locked. Push hard to open. Electric in a what? Are you kidding me? This is luxury. It's like staying in a hotel or what, even better. So I've tried the plugs but they don't work. So I'm guessing there's no electric. I've got my own toilet back there that I'll show you actually. Let's show you all my crib. All right, so we've got a nice toilet, a sink, but it says no drinking water. And I've just looked outside. I'll show you. It's a rainwater catch tank, but I've got a water filter so it'll be fine. I'll fill it with water. That's brilliant. See that down there and then that. And I've got a dining area. I can eat my food. This is, I've got a little play area. I'm not going to play on it, but that's decent. Some chairs and there are no signs saying don't stay here. So it says it's open to the public all year round. Brilliant. Oh yeah, I've got an extra room there. I might lay on my bench or I can just move this over. I don't have to set the tent up. So the last night, I think I've got about 19 miles left tomorrow. So I can get up early, do it and then get the ferry back, which is... I mean, I don't want to jinx it, but what a last night this might be. The perfect place to stay. Luxury. No tent having to set up. I can just lay down, get a good night's sleep. Oh, I'm happy. I filtered the water, watched the sunset and got what would be the last night's sleep. There's something about walking while the sun rises. I feel ahead of the world in that moment. Oh, it's early. I had a good sleep last night though. That place is brilliant, so I'm glad I found it. Nice and warm. Didn't have to set my tent up. Sunrise is brilliant. Road is about two miles long and it's very straight. So hopefully should arrive at Stornoway by early afternoon. It's about 16 miles, maybe. It's a bit less. More and more signs appear for Stornoway. The end seemed to be in sight. It was such a beautiful morning. I finally arrived in Stornoway, the capital of the Outer Hebrides. It seems so similar to being back at home. Boats are obviously a huge part of these islands. Finally made it into Stornoway. Oh, that walk. Them roads are just relentless. Oh, nice golf course that. So I'm looking for the Hebridean Way's end sign, which is around here somewhere. I think that's it. Is it? Yes. Nice finish line.