Cycling the Hebridean Way

Cycling 185 miles across 10 islands of the outer Hebrides for Maggies Forth Valley & Falkirk Active Travel Hub… Find out how Vass Media Owner, Brian Vass found a solution to conquering the Hebridean Way, his way! The following article was published in 17 Degrees Magazine in Autumn 2019. Read it online here.

I forget how I first found out about the Hebridean Way, a 185 mile cycle route crossing 10 islands of the Outer Hebrides, but it caught my attention and I knew I’d be doing it at some point. To be clear, I’m not a cyclist, but despite my lack of experience, the Hebridean Way was a trip I wanted to do somehow, so I put it on the back burner until a solution came along. That was in 2018. Later that year I was doing some video work at an event hosted by Falkirk Active Travel Hub. One of the staff members was trying out an ‘e-bike’ which boosted pedalling power using an electric motor to varying degrees depending on the setting. I had a shot and got that ‘e-bike smile’ within a few metres on turbo mode. I’d found my solution! The added power would let me carry the extra weight of photography equipment and tackle the notorious headwinds without much cycling experience. Ray at Falkirk Active Travel Hub was open to the idea of loaning me the bike to do the cycle, which I’d decided to do for charity and raise some funds for Maggie’s Forth Valley, who do vital work supporting people with a cancer diagnosis and their friends and family.

I announced my plans on my Vass Media social media channels before doing much planning. I’m quite glad I did because it kept me accountable when the uncertainties and scope of the trip started to dawn on me - going from more or less zero cycling experience to a 185 mile solo trip across 10 sparsely populated islands might have been a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, I got to work researching the route, the islands, accommodation and spots for landscape photography. I reached a point where I was as prepared as I could be, and just hoped for the best while simultaneously imagining every disastrous possibility I could come up with.

The trip started in July 2019 in Oban with a mercifully calm four hour ferry ride. I arrived to a colourful sunset on the Isle of Barra and those stunning white sand beaches and turquoise blue seas. I cycled south to Vatersay via a causeway to the start of the route, waving to several cheery cyclists on the start of their trip. The first day was overcast, but I pedalled off with a smile. I immediately loved the simplicity of the trip. There’s just one goal each day - cycle the route. Each island is unique from the barren fields in South Uist to stunning beaches and mountains in Harris. Harris offered one of the highlights of the trip; Luskentyre Beach. This beach is often deserted, which adds to its beauty, but it’s becoming more well-known due to being named on various Best Beaches lists. The weather was perfect and terrible on different days. While I’d prefer sunshine, even the rainiest, windiest days added to the trip.

While a blustering headwind would have made me miserable for me on a regular bike, the e-bike kept my spirits high as I was able to make progress even with the wind & rain blasting in my face. It was on those days that I really appreciated the infrequent places to recharge. Eriskay’s Am Politician pub was a welcome pit stop with friendly staff and gorgeous fish and chips. The pub is named after the SS Politician, a cargo ship that ran aground during a storm in 1941 and spilled several thousand bottles of whisky which were swiftly looted by the locals. The pub still has one of the bottles on display. Harris and Lewis are separated by a mountain range that looms ahead of you as you approach.

I booked accommodation several weeks or months in advance. I wasn’t sure what I was in for when I booked The Tractor Pods on North Uist, but these little wooden huts with grass covered roofs really suit the island pace of life. Peat burners sit outside the huts along with a couple of camping chairs facing out towards rolling hills and grassy fields with cows calmly grazing as the sun goes down. The Isle of Lewis, home to the 4000 year old Callanish standing stones, has Gealabhat B&B; the most pleasant overnight stay of the week long trip with its Harris Tweed cushions, friendly owners, and a proper breakfast with home-baked bread. The trip ended in Port of Ness at the north end of the Isle of Lewis. That was a rainy, blustery day and I was utterly soaked by the time I got there, but it was a great feeling as the lighthouse, sea stacks and stormy waves came into view. A few selfies later, I was very happy to find a bus heading South to Stornoway, where I’d catch a ferry back to the mainland the next day.