A torrid night of gale force winds and driving rain reduced my tent, and most of its contents, to a sodden lump this morning. At least I know now that the various bits of 'lightweight' camping kit I bought really are lightweight - I could see them floating around the tent at 1.30am.
So, another very early start got me out into the mist and drizzle across South Uist, and with a relatively flat moonscape to cycle over and relatively light headwinds, it felt things were suddenly getting better. More island-hopping over dramatically long causeways (above), which like those yesterday - according to the signs - are apparently riddled with traversing otters.
The ferry from Eriskay took me to Barra, the southernmost major Outer Hebridee. Here I found a very nice indie hostel overlooking the castle and bay of Castlebay, the island's main town, whose name was clearly decided by a committee.
Barra is famous for its airport, whose runway is a beach. Here planes really do take off and land on the sand, with timetables determined by the tide. Except there weren't any because of the ash cloud.
Miles today: 40
Miles since Cape Wrath: 241
Ouch - I won't tell you how pleasant the weather is in Alaska....
ReplyDeleteA joy, as ever. Thanks for helping me name my electro-skiffle band too. A signed copy of the first album by Traversing Otters will be on its way soon.
ReplyDeleteIm signing on everyday now waiting for a picture of "otter bike-kill", or even better, some bike-kill being cooked and eaten in thename of survival...
ReplyDelete