The overnight gales had dropped a bit and thankfully the rain had stopped. I was heading for the 7am ferry so didn’t bother with breakfast and just had some water and packed things away. I rode along the deserted roads to the ferry terminal where things were already busy as many motorists were there lining up for the ferry. I wheeled my bike on board and was the first on. My first objective was the restaurant where I found a seat and made sure I was the first in the queue for breakfast.

06:10am in Stornoway

the morning ferry waiting in Stornoway

We’d been underway about 15mins before the food counter opened and I had a traditional Scottish breakfast menu which was sausage, bacon, fried egg, bean, potato cake, tea and toast. Amazing value at £5.99.

The rest of the crossing was uneventful and we arrived in Ullapool in sunshine, though most of the sky was overcast. I was going to return on the same ship but still had to get off so wheeled my bike to the assembly area across the street and picked up a boarding card from the Calmac office across another road. Back on the ship I was instructed to park my bike at the stern. I pointed out to the operative that I’d have to wait for all the cars to leave before I could. I walked to the bow and asked if I could leave my bike there and was told I could, so I moved it. This time I didn’t need the restaurant so sat in one of the comfy chairs.

approaching the mainland
(Click on image for Flickr version)

A dramatic view of Ullapool from the ferry.
A shaft of sun crept under the clouds to give this lighting effect.

bikes outside Stornoway Museum

A cyclist I’d seen earlier in the assembly area sat next to me. He was called Paul and we chatted for most of the journey back to Stornoway. Before we arrived he left to get a coffee and I chatted briefly with a lady on the same row of seats. Passing the site of the Iolaire disaster she said she’d met the man who set the line used to rescue some of the survivors. She was an islander and knew all about the disaster, as did most islanders. She was originally from Port Ness to the north but now lived near Stornoway. She was brought up with the Gaelic language and didn’t learn to speak English until she started school. We were due in Stornoway at 13:10 but it was 13:20 when I wheeled my bike off the ship and set off to find the Museum.

One of the Lewis Chessmen in the museum

a Chess Bishop

The Lewis Chessmen (or Uig Chessmen, named after the bay where they were found) are a group of 78 chess pieces from the 12th century most of which are carved in walrus ivory, discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis. The chessmen were probably made in Norway, in the 12th century

I knew it was in the vicinity of Lewis Street but still had to ask a couple of people the way. As I arrived so did Paul on his bike and the reason we both wanted to visit was that some of the collection of Lewis Chessmen were on display. The pieces were exquisite and I was pleasantly surprised when the lady on the desk said it was OK to take pictures as long as they were for personal use. I wanted to stay longer but still had a long ride ahead of me. I left shortly after 2pm and after calling at the Co-Op supermarket set off on the A859 then the turn off along the A858.
The signposts were very indistinct and without a map I double a stranger would find their way. For an A road the A858 is single track and feels like nothing more than a farm track at times, though the surface is good. I was heading almost due west and a strong cross wind was coming from the south. I knew this would cause me some problems later on. I eventually reached the A858 and turned south into a fierce and vicious wind. Passing by Calanais I could see the standing stones on the hill but didn’t have time to stop as there was still a long way to go. A few miles on and I came to the right turn to the Uig area along the B8011. Even though it leads to a dead end it has been substantially upgraded in many places. The hardest part of the day now started as I was cycling into the full force of a gale. For several miles I battled on then to make things even worse the rain started. My objective was somewhere around Uig Bay but although there were signs none said how far it was. Reaching a long sea loch the road turns NNW for several miles and I had a mix of cross and tail winds.

memorial to where the Lewis Chessmen were found

At Miabhaig the road turns west into a strange rocky valley which funnelled a severe headwind until I could hardly stay on the bike. It emerged above Uig Bay and the cloud, wind and rain made a very depressing sight. Exactly the opposite of what I’d been told by people who’d been here. I now needed somewhere to camp but there were few streams and they didn’t have any flat or dry ground near them. I came to a sign pointing down a minor road and it said ‘toilets’. I reckoned there’d be a tap so set off. I stopped by an information board and wooden carving saying it was hereabouts where the Lewis Chessmen had been found. The dilapidated toilets came in to view and thankfully the single tap in the gents worked. So with my water bag full I cycled to the beach area where camping areas were set out. A few hardy souls were there in tents and I battled to get mine up in the strong wind.