Adventure

Cycling The Hebridean Way: Day 10

Today was a bit of a transitory day; moving from the business of cycling the Hebridean Way to thinking about the long journey back home. But it did have its moments, starting with a 6am paddle / wash in the sea. That was an envigorating way to start the day. I returned to the tent to make coffee but within minutes the tent had been surrounded byโ€ฆ cows! They can be dangerous animals so with this thought in mind, my tent was packed up in record time and I was heading – tentatively – towards the gate.

The main aim of the day was to move myself over to Stornaway on the east coast from where I will catch the ferry to Ullapool. After the cow incident – it was still very early – but before setting off south and then east – I detoured to the Port of Ness, a place consisting of a port that was clearly once of greater importance than it is now, lots of houses, a gallery (shut at 8am) and a cafรฉ (shutโ€ฆ). I busied myself brushing my teeth and pondering just how stinky and grimy I had become after over a week on the road and a night of wild camping. This is the unglamorous side of cycle-campingโ€ฆ

After a call to the ferry company to rectify one administrative error on my part from the previous evening (more were to be revealed laterโ€ฆ), I set off on the trudge – for that is what it was – across the vast peat bog – for that is what it is – that is otherwise known as Lewis. It had its charms in the sun when I was approaching the end of the Hebridean Way yesterday; today, in the drizzle, it seemed less so. Even the petrol station I passed wasnโ€™t โ€˜ableโ€™ to fill my water bottles. The Twitter reaction was pleasing and supportiveโ€ฆ

After about 45km – this was certainly not a day off the bike – I arrived at the campsite in Stornaway that I had booked last night. Or had I?

Me: Hi, I have a booking for one person, a tent and a bicycle.

Receptionist: Are you sure? We donโ€™t have your name.

Me: Yes, I paid ยฃ10 over the phone.

Receptionist: We donโ€™t normally ask for payment over the phoneโ€ฆ

Me: How much is it for the night?

Receptionist: ยฃ13

Me: Mmmโ€ฆ

There was no problem with a place at the – excellent – site in Stornaway but I was sure Iโ€™d paid ยฃ10. And indeed I had. To the wrong campsite. I figured this out while watching my clothes spin around the washing machine. When I had called to book the site the previous evening, the women I spoke to had thought it strange that only a few days ago another person called Andrew Sykes had stayed at the site. Indeed he had. It was the same Andrew Sykes who had chosen to call the wrong numberโ€ฆ

The early afternoon was spent doing a bit of camping admin; washing my clothes, drying the tent, recharging batteriesโ€ฆ But my own batteries were far from recharged and when I arrived in the centre of Stornaway for a look around, I was far from enthusiastic. Fortunately I bumped into Jon France, a Twitter / website correspondent who also happened to be in Stornaway. He reminded me that we met back in 2014 on a previous ride in Scotland and he was good company for a couple of hours. After quick investigation of Lews Castle – Iโ€™m back tomorrow morning to visit the museum there – we sloped off to the pub to chat over beer.

itโ€™s now 9pm. Iโ€™m knackered. But there are still a few days to go. Tomorrow I head to Ullapool on the ferry and a night at the campsite at Ardmair Point. There Iโ€™ll be tuning in to listen to Tim Sanders deliver this monthโ€™s Cycle Touring Festival online talk. All the details here.

And then itโ€™s the arduous cycle / bus / train journey back home via Garve? Inverness? Glasgow? Who knows? If my administrative skills are as good as they e been in the past 24 hours I might end up in Alaskaโ€ฆ

Here’s the plan for my trip to the Outer Hebrides

…and here’s a podcast I made about cycling the Hebridean Way prior to setting off:

More episodes of The Cycling Europe Podcast can be found on this page of CyclingEurope.org.

And finally, since you’ve made it this far, just one more thing:

Since 2009, CyclingEurope.org has established itself as a valued, FREE cycle touring resource. There’s now even a podcast, The Cycling Europe Podcast. If you enjoy the website and the podcast, please consider supporting the work of CyclingEurope.org with a donation. More information can be found here. Thanks if you do!

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