Loch Morsgail, Beehive house, Scalabhal, Lewis, Outer Hebrides.
[13.2 km] Sat 13 Apr 2013

NB 1386 2374
It was a clear cold night and -3degC just before sunrise. I was away early and drove to Cnoc Sgoilte where an old length of the B801 is redundant due to a new length and new bridge replaced it. The drive there was about 4 miles but it was made difficult due to the ice coating both inside and outside the car. At home I’d have no problem getting the windows clear but here there was only wiping with a cloth to get the ice off. I had a small area clear to see ahead and as there was no traffic on the road it wasn’t too much of a problem.

I left the car at the end of the road and headed through the gate for Morsgail Lodge and followed the tarmac track towards the lodge. It was still cold and clear but the sun hadn’t risen above the mountains yet. Being below freezing and dry it felt very cold. As I reached Loch Morsgail I could see the Lodge and some fine nearby buildings across the Loch. The path I was to take didn’t take me past the Lodge but on the opposite side of the Loch. The morning was wonderfully clear with nice views all around. At the south end the path crossed a footbridge over Ahainn a Loin but instead of continuing along the guide book route I headed up the bank of the burn to rejoin the path as it was more picturesque.

The river bank was quite interesting as every so often there was a manmade stone weir across the river creating a shallow pool. Presumably this is for fishing or fish cultivation purposes. I came to the site of a long vanished bridge where he track crosses the burn. The stone abutments were in place but the timber crossing section had probably been gone for decades. Crossing was easy as there were plenty of large boulders to hop over and the water level was low. The continuing track was well made at first but soon became very boggy. It wasn’t much of a problem today but in wet weather it could be difficult.

My objective was to have a look at some ancient stone Beehive huts and the guide book said they were adjacent to the next burn. I could see the valley up ahead so knew how far I had to go.

I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to see three interconnecting stone huts with the central one still intact and up to full height. The entrance was a low crawl but once inside I could stand up. I tried a few photos using the tripod and available light but the confined area made it difficult. Close by was another ruin but this was a conventional croft or sheiling rectangular in plan.

The guide book said go back to the start by the same route. The weather was too nice to do that and the nearby summit of Scalabhal looked interesting so I headed for it. It was boggy at first but got a bit drier higher up. The summit area was a delightfully flat stony plateau.

I headed for the trig post and slowed my walking pace to appreciate the amazing panorama of distant hills. The plateau continued for quite a while to the north until a steep descent took me down to a very boggy walk back to the track.

On reaching Loch Morsgail again I decided not to retrace my route along the east side as recommended but to follow a path along the west shore instead. This route would take me past the Lodge buildings so I could get a closer look. The only disadvantage of the sunshine and warmer temperature was that clouds of annoying black flies were around the shore area. They vanished as I went through a gate and along a nice path through trees to the main Lodge building. It was well maintained but didn’t seem to have anyone at home. Two other houses nearby were occupied with work going on but nobody about. It had just gone 12 noon so presumably they were out at lunch. It was an easy walk back to the car.