The wind dropped overnight which was a problem. It meant that the midges were out in clouds. Clouds of them welled up from the damp grass as I moved around packing the tent away. There was welcome relief from the midges as I set off along the road towards Tarbert. It was totally overcast but was much easier with little wind. There was little to see so I pressed on. I recognised the side road coming in from the right as the way I’d come in from the east side of the island on my last visit. After a few more miles I reached the descent down to Tarbert. Even though I’ve seen it before I was still surprised how small the town looks from above. I didn’t stop but continued along the A859 to Ardasaig where there is a filling station and adjacent shop. I’ve stopped here before and called in again to buy a pie and chat to the lady proprietor who originally comes from Homefirth, Yorkshire.

I sat on the bench outside to eat my pie then set off to tackle the long steep climb towards Stornoway. Having done the climb before I was prepared and knew what to expect. It turned out not to be too bad. With little wind the ride over the top was quite enjoyable. After the long steep descent I continued by Loch Shiphoirt on the long run to Stornoway. On the left was an interesting stone monument that I decided to investigate. It was to the Pairc Deer Raiders of 1887 and was another case of oppression of tenants by the landlord.

Monument to the Pairc Deer Raiders of 1887

inside the monument

I carried on to Stornoway and arrived just before 1pm. My plan was to camp on a promontory overlooking the sea. I wanted to check out the ferry terminal first ready for my planned trip to Ullapool in the morning. The ferry sign took me along a road to avoid the town centre.

boat art in Stornoway

Lews Castle in Stornoway

I followed it to the harbour then cycled through the town back to the roundabout where the Co-Op was. I called in to buy some bottled water ready for my camp. I returned back through the town centre but I didn’t consider there was much to see. I headed out towards the airport. A sign pointed to my planned camp. It was to be near the memorial to the Iolaire disaster.

the Beasts of Holm

Monument to the Iolaire disaster

The lane was about a mile, then a rough path took me to the monument on the cliff top. A short way out to sea I could see the post marker on the rocks called the Beasts of Holm. This where the Iolaire ran aground at 1:55am on 1 Jan 1919 . 205 lost their lives and 175 were islanders. I pitched my tent on the grass to the west of the monument and thankfully I was able to get the tent pegs well in to firm ground. I had a pleasant afternoon but during the early evening it began to rain and soon afterwards the breeze became a full blown gale.

The wind was so fierce that the tent fabric was cracking like rifle shots. I packed all the loose items in the tent into the pannier bags in case I needed to make a hasty retreat in the night. Considering my tent is only a single pole hoop tent I was amazed how it stood up to the battering. During the night the wind dropped a little and I was able to get some sleep.

the evening ferry heads out for Ullapool into the gale