Scotland – 12 days in Inverness, Skye, Outer Hebrides, St.Kilda & NC500
Jun 30, 2021, 10:27 am
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Scotland – 12 days in Inverness, Skye, Outer Hebrides, St.Kilda & NC500
With international travel in the state it’s in at the moment, I thought that my annual leave was better spent exploring parts of the UK rather than risking going abroad. In a way I have to thank Covid as the idea of spending 12 days on holiday in Scotland probably would never have happened without it!
I had originally booked a weekend to Inverness with BA last year for this Spring. For various reasons the flights had been changed and cancelled numerous times. At one point I was even booked via MAN on Loganair! My annual leave dates too had moved around. In the end my weekend trip had extended to 12 days off – much longer than anticipated, but as it turned out, I could have spent much, much longer up there.
My itinerary changed daily over the month or so before I left. Uncertainly overwhat would be open, or if large parts of my trip would be possible at all due to unknown lockdown dates made it nearly impossible firm plans far in advance. Thankfully travelling before the summer holidays meant that I didn't need to worry about the inter-island Cal Mac ferries being fully booked before I'd decided on a date. All my hotels/Airbnb had flexible cancellations policies.
The first week I’d be travelling with a friend from uni, and the middle weekend we’d be joined by a few others (plus their dog!). The second week i’d be going solo.
My trip would take me from Inverness, down to Fort William, across to the Isle of Skye, then Harris and Lewis (Outer Hebrides), then back to the mainland, around the North Coast (following the NC500 route), to John O’Groats, and back to Inverness.
Here’s a rough, blurry map of my route, going clockwise from Inverness
i’d never heard of St.Kilda before I started putting this trip together. you’ll read more about it later, but she lies 40 miles off the West coast of the Outer Hebrides.
I had originally booked a weekend to Inverness with BA last year for this Spring. For various reasons the flights had been changed and cancelled numerous times. At one point I was even booked via MAN on Loganair! My annual leave dates too had moved around. In the end my weekend trip had extended to 12 days off – much longer than anticipated, but as it turned out, I could have spent much, much longer up there.
My itinerary changed daily over the month or so before I left. Uncertainly overwhat would be open, or if large parts of my trip would be possible at all due to unknown lockdown dates made it nearly impossible firm plans far in advance. Thankfully travelling before the summer holidays meant that I didn't need to worry about the inter-island Cal Mac ferries being fully booked before I'd decided on a date. All my hotels/Airbnb had flexible cancellations policies.
The first week I’d be travelling with a friend from uni, and the middle weekend we’d be joined by a few others (plus their dog!). The second week i’d be going solo.
My trip would take me from Inverness, down to Fort William, across to the Isle of Skye, then Harris and Lewis (Outer Hebrides), then back to the mainland, around the North Coast (following the NC500 route), to John O’Groats, and back to Inverness.
Here’s a rough, blurry map of my route, going clockwise from Inverness
i’d never heard of St.Kilda before I started putting this trip together. you’ll read more about it later, but she lies 40 miles off the West coast of the Outer Hebrides.
Last edited by shefgab; Jul 5, 2021 at 6:00 am
Jun 30, 2021, 10:29 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day One – London to Inverness
This was my first leisure flight since September last year, and I was itching to get back in a lounge, so headed to LHR arriving around 3 hours before the flight.
Onto the Heathrow Express at Paddington
There was no queue to drop my bag off at the self service tagging area, and I was through security in less than five minutes.
The South Club lounge was busy, but not packed. Unfortunately all the window seats were occupied (mostly by people that seemd to have no interest in the goings on outside). I got a nice set of 4 armchairs to myself though, with a partial outside view.
Since Covid, BA has adopted an online order system in the lounge. Whilst not perfect, it’s a great improvement overall to the lounge experience. You can see everything that is on offer, and your order turns up at your seat very promptly. I hope it stays around once things get back to “normal”.
With a 1305 departure time, I arrived early enough to get the tail end of breakfast, and then lunch. Obviously as I was off on holiday, I had a few drinks.
Pre covid, champagne was “on request” in the Club lounge, and was hard to get hold of, as you needed to get a staff member’s attention, and they had to remember where you were sitting. It could be a long drawn out process. Not any more!
After a pleasant few hours eating and drinking in the lounge, I headed to the gate. Given the flights for the following two days had been cancelled, this flight was unsurprisingly busy.
London Heathrow (LHR) – Inverness (INV)
Aircraft: A320 Neo G-TTNF
Scheduled: 1305-1445 (1h40m)
Actual: 1323-1430 (1h07m)
There’s no priority boarding at the moment on BA, it’s “fill up from the back”. Upon boarding you get given a sanitiser wipe.
Nice view of the wing today. We push back roughly on time, and before long were on our way.
Pre Covid, 09L was very seldom used to depart from at LHR due to the lack of space for aircraft to queue. Since Covid, and the subsequent collapse of traffic, 09L departures have become manageable, and it’s where we left from today.
Overflying MAN
The scenery improved as we headed north.
Another Covid improvement, free catering is back! Ok, so it’s limited to a small bag of crisps and a bottle of water, but it’s better than nothing. The revamped Buy on Board is still available, although currently everything is pre-order only.
Over Loch Ness, a few minutes out of INV
Over Inverness City
We land into a very sunny Inverness – it’s 25C and actually warmer than southern Portugal (which at the time was on the Green list, and was nearly my chosen destination).
Disembarkation is in small groups, and we walked across the tarmac to the international arrivals building, which was just large enough for a single baggage belt, and half a plane load of passengers.
My bag appeared pretty quickly, and I was soon on the bus into Inverness. My friend was flying easyJet from Bristol had his flgiht cancelled and changed nearly as many times as me. By some twist of fate, he ended up being rebooked on a flight landing just an hour before mine, some 3 days before we originally arranged to meet.
We were staying at the Mercure, which is in an ugly building right in the centre of town – we had a nice view of the river. No aircon, but a comfy room nevertheless.
Anyone headed to the Highlands will undoubtedly pass through Inverness at some stage. It’s by far the largest town in the North, with pretty much everything you could want for. It’s not especially pretty or interesting though, so one night is all you need.
Onto the Heathrow Express at Paddington
There was no queue to drop my bag off at the self service tagging area, and I was through security in less than five minutes.
The South Club lounge was busy, but not packed. Unfortunately all the window seats were occupied (mostly by people that seemd to have no interest in the goings on outside). I got a nice set of 4 armchairs to myself though, with a partial outside view.
Since Covid, BA has adopted an online order system in the lounge. Whilst not perfect, it’s a great improvement overall to the lounge experience. You can see everything that is on offer, and your order turns up at your seat very promptly. I hope it stays around once things get back to “normal”.
With a 1305 departure time, I arrived early enough to get the tail end of breakfast, and then lunch. Obviously as I was off on holiday, I had a few drinks.
Pre covid, champagne was “on request” in the Club lounge, and was hard to get hold of, as you needed to get a staff member’s attention, and they had to remember where you were sitting. It could be a long drawn out process. Not any more!
After a pleasant few hours eating and drinking in the lounge, I headed to the gate. Given the flights for the following two days had been cancelled, this flight was unsurprisingly busy.
London Heathrow (LHR) – Inverness (INV)
Aircraft: A320 Neo G-TTNF
Scheduled: 1305-1445 (1h40m)
Actual: 1323-1430 (1h07m)
There’s no priority boarding at the moment on BA, it’s “fill up from the back”. Upon boarding you get given a sanitiser wipe.
Nice view of the wing today. We push back roughly on time, and before long were on our way.
Pre Covid, 09L was very seldom used to depart from at LHR due to the lack of space for aircraft to queue. Since Covid, and the subsequent collapse of traffic, 09L departures have become manageable, and it’s where we left from today.
Overflying MAN
The scenery improved as we headed north.
Another Covid improvement, free catering is back! Ok, so it’s limited to a small bag of crisps and a bottle of water, but it’s better than nothing. The revamped Buy on Board is still available, although currently everything is pre-order only.
Over Loch Ness, a few minutes out of INV
Over Inverness City
We land into a very sunny Inverness – it’s 25C and actually warmer than southern Portugal (which at the time was on the Green list, and was nearly my chosen destination).
Disembarkation is in small groups, and we walked across the tarmac to the international arrivals building, which was just large enough for a single baggage belt, and half a plane load of passengers.
My bag appeared pretty quickly, and I was soon on the bus into Inverness. My friend was flying easyJet from Bristol had his flgiht cancelled and changed nearly as many times as me. By some twist of fate, he ended up being rebooked on a flight landing just an hour before mine, some 3 days before we originally arranged to meet.
We were staying at the Mercure, which is in an ugly building right in the centre of town – we had a nice view of the river. No aircon, but a comfy room nevertheless.
Anyone headed to the Highlands will undoubtedly pass through Inverness at some stage. It’s by far the largest town in the North, with pretty much everything you could want for. It’s not especially pretty or interesting though, so one night is all you need.
Jun 30, 2021, 10:57 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day Two – Inverness to Loch Ness and Glen Affric
Before picking up our hire car, we went up to the castle, which is the official start and end point of the NC 500.
I got a nice deal on a car from Enterprise. Thankfully I was able to extend my reservation after my dates changed as when I looked at making a new booking, the rates had jumped massively. My mid size ended up being a sporty new Ford Focus, which suited my mission perfectly. Small enough to manage the small roads, big enough to be exciting to drive.
First stop was Culloden Battlefield (thanks to Outlander for teaching me some Scottish history!), which is just a few miles from Inverness.
We were staying out first night on the shores of Loch Ness in the village of Drumnadrochit, home of “Nessie Mania”. I’d been here many years ago and not spotted the Loch Ness Monster, so wasn’t holding out much hope this time. Urquhart Castle is around the corner from the village – sadly it was pre-booked timed entry only, so no visits this time.
Not far from Drumnadrochit is the beautiful Glen Affric.
I got a nice deal on a car from Enterprise. Thankfully I was able to extend my reservation after my dates changed as when I looked at making a new booking, the rates had jumped massively. My mid size ended up being a sporty new Ford Focus, which suited my mission perfectly. Small enough to manage the small roads, big enough to be exciting to drive.
First stop was Culloden Battlefield (thanks to Outlander for teaching me some Scottish history!), which is just a few miles from Inverness.
We were staying out first night on the shores of Loch Ness in the village of Drumnadrochit, home of “Nessie Mania”. I’d been here many years ago and not spotted the Loch Ness Monster, so wasn’t holding out much hope this time. Urquhart Castle is around the corner from the village – sadly it was pre-booked timed entry only, so no visits this time.
Not far from Drumnadrochit is the beautiful Glen Affric.
Jun 30, 2021, 11:05 am
#4
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day Three – Loch Ness to Fort William, with the Steal Waterfall walk
We started the day taking a scenic loop to Fort Augustus on the south end of Loch Ness. We did a walk along one of the hills next to the loch which some great views.
The Commando Memorial, with Ben Nevis in the background
The weather was still stunning, and I was seriously considering trying to climb Ben Nevis (the UK’s highest mountain). My travel partner wasn’t so keen though, so we settled for the walk up to the Steal Waterfall. And I’m glad we did – the walk was fanstastic.
The Commando Memorial, with Ben Nevis in the background
The weather was still stunning, and I was seriously considering trying to climb Ben Nevis (the UK’s highest mountain). My travel partner wasn’t so keen though, so we settled for the walk up to the Steal Waterfall. And I’m glad we did – the walk was fanstastic.
Jun 30, 2021, 11:41 am
#5
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day Four – Fort William to Skye, with Glenfinnan Viaduct
Day four dawned cooler and cloudier than the last few days, and I had to dig my trousers out of my bag. Today’s goal was the Glenfinnan Viaduct, better known as the viaduct shown in the Harry Potter movies. There’s a twice daily Jacobite Steam Train that goes over the viaduct on the Fort William to Mallaig line. When I looked a month or two before the trip it was already sold out of the day, despite tickets going for £49 in standard class (£69 in First). As such, we bought a return ticket on one of the four daily normal trains for £7 return.
Ben Nevis in the background
The viaduct from the train
We had 2 hours before our train back to Fort William – there’s a great circular walk that goes along by the viaduct, and then down to Loch Shiel.
When we were waiting for the train back to Fort William, the Jacobite passed through. The passengers onboard didn’t look overly excited. Speaking to a friend about it later he confirmed it was a big rip off. The best thing I would advise is to time your scenic walk to see the steam train going over the viaduct to get the best “Harry Potter Experience”.
Once back in Fort William we headed to M&S for a picnic lunch, and then down the road to Mallaig for the ferry to Skye.
With time to spare before the ferry, we took the scenic route along the coast, and managed to stumble across the gorgeous Silver Sands of Morar.
Mallaig is the terminus for the Jacobite steam train, and the port for the short crossing to the Isle of Skye. Cal Mac ferries run six or so daily ferries to Skye. Due to Covid, we were instructed to stay in our cars for the 45 minutes crossing. I managed to get a photos on the crossing whilst en route to the loo.
Welcome to Skye!
We checked into our cute B&B, and went to meet our friends for a nightcap.
Ben Nevis in the background
The viaduct from the train
We had 2 hours before our train back to Fort William – there’s a great circular walk that goes along by the viaduct, and then down to Loch Shiel.
When we were waiting for the train back to Fort William, the Jacobite passed through. The passengers onboard didn’t look overly excited. Speaking to a friend about it later he confirmed it was a big rip off. The best thing I would advise is to time your scenic walk to see the steam train going over the viaduct to get the best “Harry Potter Experience”.
Once back in Fort William we headed to M&S for a picnic lunch, and then down the road to Mallaig for the ferry to Skye.
With time to spare before the ferry, we took the scenic route along the coast, and managed to stumble across the gorgeous Silver Sands of Morar.
Mallaig is the terminus for the Jacobite steam train, and the port for the short crossing to the Isle of Skye. Cal Mac ferries run six or so daily ferries to Skye. Due to Covid, we were instructed to stay in our cars for the 45 minutes crossing. I managed to get a photos on the crossing whilst en route to the loo.
Welcome to Skye!
We checked into our cute B&B, and went to meet our friends for a nightcap.
Jun 30, 2021, 12:02 pm
#6
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day Five – Skye sightseeing; Fairy Pools and Dunvegan Castle
With three nights in Skye, we decided to base ourselves in the “capital” village of Portree.
Nice view from the B&B
Tasty calorific breakfast
The first morning was a little grey, and it even rained for about ten minutes
First stop was the very nice Fairy Pools. This is possibly the only place on my entire trip that actually felt busy. It’s a shame it was such a grey day as i’m sure these look amazing in sunlight!
Despite the chilly temperatures, a few hardy walkers went for a dip
By lunchtime the sun had come out. We paid a quick visit to the Talisker whisky factory
In the afternoon we drove to the other side of the island to Dunvegan walk along to the Coral Beach
Dunvegan Castle
Dinner was a little un-Scottish….at the delightful Portree Taste of India!
Nice view from the B&B
Tasty calorific breakfast
The first morning was a little grey, and it even rained for about ten minutes
First stop was the very nice Fairy Pools. This is possibly the only place on my entire trip that actually felt busy. It’s a shame it was such a grey day as i’m sure these look amazing in sunlight!
Despite the chilly temperatures, a few hardy walkers went for a dip
By lunchtime the sun had come out. We paid a quick visit to the Talisker whisky factory
In the afternoon we drove to the other side of the island to Dunvegan walk along to the Coral Beach
Dunvegan Castle
Dinner was a little un-Scottish….at the delightful Portree Taste of India!
Jun 30, 2021, 12:04 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,238
I went to the Highlands twice last year, but driving from London (and vowed not to do that again!)... I was considering a quick weekend up there again to test my new sleeping bag but the car prices are absolutely out of this world! I'll make do with your TR, shefgab.
Jun 30, 2021, 12:17 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: YUL
Programs: Various airline, hotel and credit card programs
Posts: 1,903
Thank you for this interesting trip report.
In Canada, most people are obliged to do vacation travel within Canada for the same reason.
For those living in the east part, Vancouver and the whole province of British Columbia is quite of interest. I was there last weekend. Of course, did not plan for the 40C tropical heat wave...
In Canada, most people are obliged to do vacation travel within Canada for the same reason.
For those living in the east part, Vancouver and the whole province of British Columbia is quite of interest. I was there last weekend. Of course, did not plan for the 40C tropical heat wave...
Jun 30, 2021, 12:25 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Thank you for this interesting trip report.
In Canada, most people are obliged to do vacation travel within Canada for the same reason.
For those living in the east part, Vancouver and the whole province of British Columbia is quite of interest. I was there last weekend. Of course, did not plan for the 40C tropical heat wave...
In Canada, most people are obliged to do vacation travel within Canada for the same reason.
For those living in the east part, Vancouver and the whole province of British Columbia is quite of interest. I was there last weekend. Of course, did not plan for the 40C tropical heat wave...
Jun 30, 2021, 12:48 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day Six – Skye sightseeing; Quirang hiking
Today’s goal was a walk around Quirang. The weather was stunning, and the scenery just gorgeous
Doggo enjoyed the walk
Cliffs
Fashion guru Alexander McQueen is buried along the north coast of Skye
Rain incoming – thankfully it missed us
Dinner this evening was the only gastro event of the trip – a delicious dinner at Dulse and Brose
Doggo enjoyed the walk
Cliffs
Fashion guru Alexander McQueen is buried along the north coast of Skye
Rain incoming – thankfully it missed us
Dinner this evening was the only gastro event of the trip – a delicious dinner at Dulse and Brose
Jun 30, 2021, 1:16 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day Seven – Skye to Harris
Before my friends and dog headed South, we met for a quick drink
I’m not a big coffee fan, so go with a local option
Once I was solo on the road, I made a quick visit to the supermarket to stock up before heading out to the Outer Hebrides. The further you go, the more you see Gaelic
My ferry to Tarbet on Harris
Thankfully as this crossing was over an hour, there’s no requirement to stay in your car
Before heading to my Airbnb, I decided to go to Luskentyre Beach, voted 13th best beach in the world last year.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...lands-54160738
My top tip for a summer trip to Scotland would be to bring a wetsuit! There were so many fantastic beaches on my trip, but the water was CHILLY!
Gaelic comes before English!
I got lucky with my accomodation. They even had dogs!
I bought a pick-me-up!
Before my friends and dog headed South, we met for a quick drink
I’m not a big coffee fan, so go with a local option
Once I was solo on the road, I made a quick visit to the supermarket to stock up before heading out to the Outer Hebrides. The further you go, the more you see Gaelic
My ferry to Tarbet on Harris
Thankfully as this crossing was over an hour, there’s no requirement to stay in your car
Before heading to my Airbnb, I decided to go to Luskentyre Beach, voted 13th best beach in the world last year.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...lands-54160738
My top tip for a summer trip to Scotland would be to bring a wetsuit! There were so many fantastic beaches on my trip, but the water was CHILLY!
Gaelic comes before English!
I got lucky with my accomodation. They even had dogs!
I bought a pick-me-up!
Jun 30, 2021, 1:36 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day Eight – Lewis Sightseeing, and some amazing beaches
Originally this was supposed to be my daytrip to St.Kilda. Sadly the weather is very unpredictable there, and the wind was apparently too strong to operate despite the fabulous weather on the “mainland”.
This did mean that I had a free day to explore Harris and Lewis. First stop was the Standing Stones at Calanais, which have been here for over 5000 years.
The wide open roads of the Outer Hebrides
The stones
There was even a working phone box!
I randomly stumbled across Dun Carloway Broch, an amazing ancient building with two outer walls
Next was Gearrannan Blackhouse Village – occupied until not so long ago
I finally headed to the far north of Lewis, which had some stunning beaches, and the home of the Butt of Lewis lighthouse, the windiest place in Britain (thankfully not today).
Now this was my favourite beach on the trip, the tiny, blink and you miss it, beach at Port Stoth
These are all over the Outer Hebrides – I forgot to ask when I was there, anyone know what they’re for?
Stunning scenery in every direction
Local cows enjoying the beach
This did mean that I had a free day to explore Harris and Lewis. First stop was the Standing Stones at Calanais, which have been here for over 5000 years.
The wide open roads of the Outer Hebrides
The stones
There was even a working phone box!
I randomly stumbled across Dun Carloway Broch, an amazing ancient building with two outer walls
Next was Gearrannan Blackhouse Village – occupied until not so long ago
I finally headed to the far north of Lewis, which had some stunning beaches, and the home of the Butt of Lewis lighthouse, the windiest place in Britain (thankfully not today).
Now this was my favourite beach on the trip, the tiny, blink and you miss it, beach at Port Stoth
These are all over the Outer Hebrides – I forgot to ask when I was there, anyone know what they’re for?
Stunning scenery in every direction
Local cows enjoying the beach
Jun 30, 2021, 2:53 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: London
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 2,644
Day Nine – UNESCO St.Kilda
St.Kilda is a tiny archipelago 40 miles off the coast of Harris & Lewis. Tiny tiny, and in the middle of a vast and angry ocean. Amazingly it was permanently occupied for at least 1,500 year until the local population was voluntarily relocated to the mainland in 1930.
One of the few UNESCO sites in Scotland, as soon as a I read about St.Kilda I wanted to visit. There are only a few companies that run trips there, and they’re not cheap (£220pp). I have a thing for random islands (Easter Island, Svalbard, Alderney, Hawaii, Solovetsky, Orchid Islands done), so a trip here was definitely on the cards.
All the companies coming here offer 3 tours a week, with a pair of days having a guaranteed and a standby trip. The guaranteed trip runs on the day with the best weather (if applicable), with Sunday off.
As the weather was not great on the first day of my pair, it was moved to the standby day (although only confirmed by text message the night before the trip.
Boats to the island are small – just 12 seats
The crossing was pretty rough. Thankfully spending an inordinate amount of time on plane with turbulence meant I was able to survive the 2 hour trip without a trip to the bathroom – not so much 4 of the 8 other passengers! It was actually pretty scary in parts, with us getting tossed around in the waves.
It was a real relief when the islands came into focus. “Big” boats aren’t allowed to dock on the island, so we needed to tender to the dock.
My 228nd UNESCO site official
We got a little intro from the National Trust host when we arrived, and given the run down of the island for our 4 hours before the boat left.
Nearly as soon as we arrived it started raining. I took shelter in the little chapel and ate my lunch. Thankfully by the time i’d finished lunch, the rain had abated.
There are thousands of these little cleits all over the island – used to store food by the islanders. Despite being in the middle of the ocean, the islanders survived mainly off eating seabirds rather than fish.
Out of nowhere, the clouds cleared, and the sun came out!
I took the opportunity to hike up to the a viewpoint before the inevitable clouds shimmied in. There was a great view over to neighbouring Boreray island.
The high street
Crazy shaped fields
The military installation
There’s a local breed of sheep endemic to St.Kilda – the lambs are so cute! Shame they’re so skittish.
There were a few helicopter flights in and out too – sadly not available to the general public
To keep the Germans away
Four hours was a fairly long time on the island to be honest. Some people come here and camp, but to be honest I don’t know why you’d bother as there’s not so much to see. Plus it’s crazy expensive and there’s no way to know if you’ll be there for one night or many more. When our muster time came around, everyone was ready.
Before we headed back to Harris, we did a bit of a tour of the neighbouring islands. St.Kilda is a major breeding area of seabirds.
Puffins
Many years ago St.Kildans used to climb up this stack and stayed for days to harvest seabirds. Barefoot! And sometime in the 1700s during a smallpox outbreak on St.Skilda, 10 guys stayed here for 9 months!
There were even some seals
Thankfully the boat journey back was a lot less rough the way over. Once back on the mainland it was an hour or so drive up to Stornoway, the largest town on the Outer Hebrides, my home for the night.
One of the few UNESCO sites in Scotland, as soon as a I read about St.Kilda I wanted to visit. There are only a few companies that run trips there, and they’re not cheap (£220pp). I have a thing for random islands (Easter Island, Svalbard, Alderney, Hawaii, Solovetsky, Orchid Islands done), so a trip here was definitely on the cards.
All the companies coming here offer 3 tours a week, with a pair of days having a guaranteed and a standby trip. The guaranteed trip runs on the day with the best weather (if applicable), with Sunday off.
As the weather was not great on the first day of my pair, it was moved to the standby day (although only confirmed by text message the night before the trip.
Boats to the island are small – just 12 seats
The crossing was pretty rough. Thankfully spending an inordinate amount of time on plane with turbulence meant I was able to survive the 2 hour trip without a trip to the bathroom – not so much 4 of the 8 other passengers! It was actually pretty scary in parts, with us getting tossed around in the waves.
It was a real relief when the islands came into focus. “Big” boats aren’t allowed to dock on the island, so we needed to tender to the dock.
My 228nd UNESCO site official
We got a little intro from the National Trust host when we arrived, and given the run down of the island for our 4 hours before the boat left.
Nearly as soon as we arrived it started raining. I took shelter in the little chapel and ate my lunch. Thankfully by the time i’d finished lunch, the rain had abated.
There are thousands of these little cleits all over the island – used to store food by the islanders. Despite being in the middle of the ocean, the islanders survived mainly off eating seabirds rather than fish.
Out of nowhere, the clouds cleared, and the sun came out!
I took the opportunity to hike up to the a viewpoint before the inevitable clouds shimmied in. There was a great view over to neighbouring Boreray island.
The high street
Crazy shaped fields
The military installation
There’s a local breed of sheep endemic to St.Kilda – the lambs are so cute! Shame they’re so skittish.
There were a few helicopter flights in and out too – sadly not available to the general public
To keep the Germans away
Four hours was a fairly long time on the island to be honest. Some people come here and camp, but to be honest I don’t know why you’d bother as there’s not so much to see. Plus it’s crazy expensive and there’s no way to know if you’ll be there for one night or many more. When our muster time came around, everyone was ready.
Before we headed back to Harris, we did a bit of a tour of the neighbouring islands. St.Kilda is a major breeding area of seabirds.
Puffins
Many years ago St.Kildans used to climb up this stack and stayed for days to harvest seabirds. Barefoot! And sometime in the 1700s during a smallpox outbreak on St.Skilda, 10 guys stayed here for 9 months!
There were even some seals
Thankfully the boat journey back was a lot less rough the way over. Once back on the mainland it was an hour or so drive up to Stornoway, the largest town on the Outer Hebrides, my home for the night.
Jun 30, 2021, 6:08 pm
#14
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: London, England.
Programs: BA
Posts: 8,476
These are all over the Outer Hebrides – I forgot to ask when I was there, anyone know what they’re for?
All bits I'm familiar with. I haven't been to Skye since the late 1970s, but it doesn't look to have changed much. Our office goes every year (apart from now) to Fort William for a major sporting event, for which we (I) drive rented minibuses. Off from near Heathrow at 9am, into The Fort at about 7pm. It's 550 miles.
The last time I flew into Inverness it was when BA were running it as a BAe146 from Gatwick (and for the picky lot, it was indeed a 146 and not an RJ85). Before that in a BA One-Eleven, and even a BMI A320. The route has gone through lots of changes over time; customer there told of older times still on a Viscount, 7pm from Heathrow, into Inverness at 9pm. The airport closed at 9.30pm then, if you were more than half an hour late leaving Heathrow (not infrequent) nobody waited for you, the airport closed, the flight diverted to Aberdeen where coaches were eventually arranged, into Inverness airport car park at after 1am.
I may be off there again soon, seemingly.
Last edited by WHBM; Jun 30, 2021 at 6:15 pm