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WALK 5

Lewis – Western Mountains

Start/Finish	A small lay-by at a gate with a track leading down to the beach at Mangurstadh in West Lewis (grid refNB013307). Reach this from Stornoway by following the A859 south from the town and turning onto the A858 towards Callanish. Just before Callanish take the B8011 and follow it beyond the superb beach at Traigh Uig. Drive on up the hill, passing a gravel pit on the left and a track just beyond. Ignore the next turn on the right to Mangurstadh and look for the lay-by after another 1.5km.
Distance	40km (24.75 miles); Day 1 – 19km (11.75 miles), Day 2 – 21km (13 miles)
Total Ascent	Total: 1140m; Day 1 – 890m, Day 2 – 250m
Maps	OS Landranger sheet 13 West Lewis and North Harris
Number of Days	2

The Outer Hebrides, also variously called the Western Isles, or the Long Island, consist of a narrow chain of islands 209km long, lying around 64km off the northwest coast of the Scottish mainland. Much of the interior of these islands is bleak and barren, with mile after mile of peat bog bejewelled with tiny lochans and rocky hills. There are also some superb coastal cliffs, and the finest beaches in Britain, with wild mountain tops rising from the shore. Remote crofting communities are scattered around, and with 5000-year-old archaeological remains in their midst, a visit to these islands is a truly unique and magical experience.

The northern part of the Outer Hebrides is made up of Harris and Lewis. People tend to think of them as two separate islands, whereas in fact they are all one land mass. In past times it was easier for people to travel from Lewis to Harris, or visa versa, by boat, rather than trudging across the harsh landscape, so many local people simply thought of Harris and Lewis as being separate.

This walk is in the mountains of west Lewis, one of the wildest areas of this beautiful land.

A walk suitable for experienced backpackers. The route takes you through some very wild and remote terrain, far from help, and although the mountains traversed are never too high, they are nevertheless incredibly rocky. There is a low-level alternative for those who would like an easier walk.

The route leads into the mountains from near the Sands of Uig. Great mountains crowd around on all sides as you walk up a wonderfully wild glen, then you leave the track and make for the heights of Mealaisbhal. A series of rocky hills is then traversed before dropping down on the south side of the range into the wilderness at the head of Loch Tamnabhaigh. A wild camp is taken on the little peninsula of Rubha Garbh. The following day gives a superb coastal walk around to Mealasta, then on around the point of Aird Feinis and back to the starting point.

Tourist Information

There is a good tourist information centre on Cromwell Street in Stornoway, tel 01851 703088. The Outer Hebrides Tourist Board also has a useful website www.visithebrides.com.

Transport

There are two ways of getting to the Outer Hebrides.

Air You can fly to Stornoway from Inverness, Edinburgh or Glasgow. For details of British Airways flights, tel 0345 222 111, or visit their website at www.british-airways.com. British Midland also flies from Edinburgh to Stornoway, tel 0870 60 70 555, or visit their website at www.flybmi.com. From Inverness you can also fly with Highland Airways to Stornoway, tel 0845 450 2245, or visit their website at www.highlandairways.co.uk.

Ferry You can get to Stornoway from Ullapool, or to Tarbert on Harris from Uig on Skye with Caledonian MacBrayne, tel 08705 650000. You can also check timetables and book online at www.calmac.co.uk.

Transport on Lewis A car is essential to get to the start of this walk. You can hire one in Stornoway with Lewis Car Rentals on www.lewis-car-rental.co.uk, tel 01851 703760, or Mackinnon Self Drive on www.mackinnonselfdrive.co.uk, tel 01851 702984.

Accommodation and Supplies

There are a few guest houses in the Callanish area on Lewis. Try Leumadair, tel 01851 621706, e-mail info@leumadair.co.uk. Further north at Galson is the superb Galson Farm Guest House, tel 01851 850492, www.galsonfarm.co.uk.

They also have a comfortable bunkhouse at Galson!

You can buy all the supplies you need in Stornoway, but there are no shops along the route.

Overnight Options

No option but to camp – but what a location to camp in! Pick a wild site somewhere on the Rubha Garbh peninsula at the mouth of Loch Tamnabhaigh.

Escape Routes

To the west lies the narrow, dead-end road running from Uig to Mealasta, while to the east the glen has a good Land-Rover track running north to Uig. (Note Following this Land-Rover track southwards just leads even further into the wilderness.)

Day 1

From the small lay-by walk back along the road to the track near the gravel pit. Turn right onto this track and follow it down to the crossing of Abhainn Stocaill. The track takes you around a big bend to the left, then back right as the views open up before you.

The line of hills on the far side of the glen leads the eye right up to its head. The hills here are some of the rockiest in the Outer Hebrides. Keep a lookout for golden eagles – this is an important territory for them, and it is not unusual to see a pair hunting along the ridges.

Continue to the rise of a knoll then head west across a boggy moor to the east side of Loch Brinneabhal. Red-throated divers regularly nest here, and it is also a good location for dunlin and golden plover on the moorland, and common sandpipers by the shore.

Callanish stone circle on Lewis

Walk around to the south side of the loch from where a rocky slope leads onto the north ridge of Brinneabhal. The top of this low hill at 213m is a good place to view Uig Sands to the north. Leave the top by heading southwest along a vague ridge, passing just north of a little lochan. Continue southwestwards beneath the steep, craggy northern slopes of Mealaisbhal until you reach the gentler northwestern slopes.

Here turn to the southeast up bouldery slopes, then eastwards to a small knoll on the ridge known as Mula Mac Sgiathain. From the knoll a good rocky scramble leads directly southwards to the summit of Mealaisbhal at 574m. (A slightly easier alternative lies to the left, up grassy slopes to a col, then right along the ridge to the top.) A pile of huge boulders marks the highest point.

Thirty-three kilometres west of Lewis the Flannan Isles can be seen on a fine day from the top of Mealaisbhal. There are three small clusters of islands in the group, the main one having two islands, Eilean Mor (Big Island) and Eilean Tighe (Islands of the House).

Head southeast from the summit down a ridge of boulders and grass leading to a col with two lochans at 293m. Again you must skirt under crags to gain easier slopes leading to your next summit, Cracabhal. Head southwestwards to Loch Clibh Cracabhal, then pick up the west ridge leading to the summit of this fine hill at 514m.

The view to the Sands of Uig from Mealaisbhal

Descend to the south to a col, then head east down into the head of the glen draining Loch a’ Chama. Here you pick up the Land-Rover track that you started out along earlier in the day. Turn right and follow this down the glen, heading southwards for the sea at Loch Cheann Chuisil.

As the track drops down to sea level, bear in mind that you’ll need to cross over the river to the west side at some point. The water here can be difficult to cross in flood, so it might be better to go higher up if there’s been a lot of rain.

Once on the other side, walk round the coast across rough slopes beneath Sgaladal to cross another burn at Gleann Sgaladail. Continue around the coast to the little cove at Tamana Sear, then around to your overnight campsite at Rubha Garbh.

Day 2

Pack up the tent and start off by following the coast round into the bay at Tamana Siar to the west. Continue around the coast to the rocky headland at Aird Dhrolai Geodha, then turn northwards with the coast.

Keep an eye open for red deer on these slopes. There are good populations of deer all over these hills, and for the most part the stags and hinds will be apart for much of the year. They generally only get together in one big mixed herd during the rutting season in October and November.

Continue northwards along the coast, with great views out westwards to Eilean Mhealasta.

A little further north you will reach the road head at Mealasta village. Follow this for a short while, then make your way back to the cliff top. It’s easy walking round the headland of Aird Bhreinis and on to the bay at Camas Islibhig.

Mhealasta island lies about 750m offshore and is used as grazing land for sheep. As you continue northwards, keep an eye on the shoreline for otters. Although they are not easy to see there is a small population on these coasts. Otters inland on the mainland and in England and Wales are almost always nocturnal, whereas on the coasts of Scotland they tend not to be so choosy. These otters are governed more by the tides, preferring to hunt on a rising tide, whatever the time of day or night. Many people talk about these coastal otters as ‘sea otters’, but although they live and feed in the sea, they are the same species as the otters found inland in Britain, the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra. There is such a thing as a sea otter, but this is a North American species. Eurasian otters, even those that live in coastal waters, need freshwater to clean their fur in daily.

During the summer months there will be lots of seabirds in this area. Fulmars, shags, rock doves and kittiwakes nest on the cliffs, while you may also see puffins, guillemots and razorbills. Out at sea occasional pods of pilot whales and sperm whales are seen, although you need a very calm sea to stand any chance of a clear view.

Walk around the bay and out to the headland of Aird Feinis. Continue along the cliff tops to a descent onto the small but beautiful beach at Traigh Mhangurstadh. Walk up the beach on the right and you’ll pick up a track taking you the short way back up the hill to your car.