Day 10 of my treadmill trek through the Outer Hebrides took me from the east coast of Harris to the west coast.
At roughly the 1 mile mark on the map, I passed the spot where my wife and I have parked to start two walks - or rather to do the same walk in opposite directions. In 2017, we followed a track called the Coffin Road from the east coast to the west coast and returned along another track to the north. Last summer, we did almost exactly the same route but anticlockwise. On the map, the Coffin Road takes a more-or-less direct line between the 1 and 7 mile markers.
The track is so-named because the terrain on the east side of the island is extremely rocky and not suitable for graves, so coffins were carried across to the west side where the ground is less rocky.
Last summer, we did another walk near today's route, which was mostly on the incredible sandy beaches between Seilebost and Luskentyre. But first though...
...The Coffin Road: In 2017, the weather was sunny and clear. Last year, it wasn't, so I'll use that walk for the more atmospheric (and probably more typical) photos:
The rain, a great many lochs and lochans, soggy ground and no wind meant midges - millions of them! But the walk was still fantastic and took us through the lunar landscape that is so typical of Harris.
My wife in her anti-midge net:
One of hundreds of streams we passed:
Me on a soggy, rocky Harris!
That walk came very close to the walk we did between Seilebost and Luskentyre last summer:
Although the forecast was for rain, it was warm and sunny all day. Perfect for a stroll along miles of beaches!
We didn't bother with a planned route because where we could go depended greatly on the tide. The tide was quite high which meant that less of the vast expanse of sand was visible than it might have been, but the beaches were still unbelievably amazing!
Here we're about to set off along the first beach:
Expecting rain, my wife wore her new waterproof socks - and tested them with a paddle:
We headed inland a little way and up a small hill to visit a standing stone:
The campsite at Seilebost:
Despite the highish tide, we were able to get a long way out into the bay:
We mostly followed the road back to the car and the views were unbelievable. If there's a more incredible place in the British Isles than Seilebost, we've not seen it yet!
Last summer, we also did a walk on the hills near Luskentyre that can be seen in the distance, but I'll save that for my next update.
