Stunning North Uist

14 June - A stunning cycle ride around the north coast today, beautiful bays, blue sea, fields of flowers, hardly any traffic, and a white beach with turquoise water for our lunch stop at Vallay. Not bad for birds either...... Hen Harriers, Short-eared Owl...

Also Merlin, Golden Plover, Curlew. And the coastal Balranald nature reserve here is full of birds - waders and feisty Arctic Terns that buzz you near their nests. And other friendly locals ........

The views today were all that the Hebrides are supposed to be - such big skies and space - no wonder the locals are always smiling........a stunning pink sunset over the sea at 10.30pm.

Benbecula and South Uist........

11-13 June- rain on 11th but not too problematic as a travel day....... Ferry from Barra to Eriskay, then drive the length of South Uist to Benbecula - a dreich journey in rain and mist. Fortunately the 12/13th bright with some sun. Amazing big skies and Hebridean white beaches, single track roads fairly flat and ideal for cycling....... Very scenic bays, here is Shell Bay on Benbecula, looking to South Uist

.....beaches and crofts scattered over the landscape. Amazing for wildlife - a carpet of noisy breeding waders with their chicks at this time of year. Good photo opportunities......also dramatic mountains on The east coast of South Uist, highlands in miniature with heather clad slopes and numerous lochs.

A beautiful place, totally away from the rat race. Now arrived on scenic North Uist, accessed by a causeway across the bay, more white sand, fresh air, quiet, and birds!

Travel here is slow on the winding roads, and it's over a hundred miles from north to south on the Western Isles as a whole.

To Barra.........

9-10 June -

Another stunning day for our crossing to Barra, at the southern end of the Outer Hebrides, via Oban. A 4 1/2 hour crossing up the Sound of Mull, past Ardnamurchan and Coll, then across glassy seas to the Outer Hebrides, and Borve campsite overlooking the Atlantic rollers on Barra's west coast. A quick evening cycle on arrival was accompanied by at least 3 rasping Corncrakes in the iris beds around the crofts, and another dramatic sunset.

We woke on the 10th to cloudier skies and occasional spots of rain, though still calm and warm. A cycle around the circular island main road took around 5 hours including stops

- surprisingly rocky but with beautiful white beaches on the Atlantic side. The airport is on the beach and we saw the daily Glasgow service throwing up spray on its arrival and departure. A good day for down time, catching up and looking at maps for next week. I actually thought all day that it was Saturday not Friday, so I must be on holiday, though the pace of life here is so slow that it almost stops......

Stunning Mull

7-8 June - slowing down to the Island pace of life - it's a surprise to meet any other traffic! Superb day for wildlife yesterday, a White-tailed Eagle flew over our coffee stop and perched in a pine, our cycle ride was interrupted for 20 mins watching an Otter on the rocks then feeding offshore - then late afternoon we stopped by a Golden Eagle eyrie and the adult bird immediately flew round as if showing off! A superb sunset over Loch an Keal from our camping spot on the lochside, with only the lapping waves and nesting birds for company......

8th, sea most in the morning gradually burned off, an afternoon boat trip to the Island of Staffa - Fingal's cave, and amazing close views of Puffins at their burrows. Incredible.

Another stunning sunset, this time at Craignure ready for the ferry back to Oban tomorrow morning. Oh, nearly forgot to mention, 1 Golden Eagle and 1 Otter on the rocks today :)

Crannich and Ben More

5-6 June - Amazing weather - (too) hot, sunny, ideal for swarms of midges, but good for everything else - Mull is very quiet, single-track roads, wildlife much in evidence - so far we've cycled across the island (seeing 2 White-tailed Eagles) and today I climbed Ben More, the only Munro on Mull, amazing views but strenuous on the heat. My 179th Munro, 966m.

Julie very sensibly stayed by the beach with her bike.....we've discovered there are fewer midges on the beach. Sunset not til 10pm so light til 11. Learning the orderliness is all-important in the caravan......such a slower pace of life here, courteous drivers, smiling people.....just like Swindon really!

To Oban...........

4 June - An early start and a 10h drive to Oban, increasingly sunny as we headed north......lunch by Loch Lomond and we parked for the night by a beach S of Oban.......very quiet, and a nice sunset.........a novel experience sleeping by the water!

We have a van!............

3 June - Our small motorhome / large campervan duly collected and run in on the M5 on the way home.....it's brand new! A small fortune to fill it with diesel.... loaded, too much luggage and not enough space..... but all in, bikes attached, and ready to roll early tomorrow.