Monday 14/03/05

At 10.30, I go into town for a few bits and pieces before setting out on the midday bus to Shawbost. Passenger tells the story of a ewe that had given birth last night, but the lamb was dead this morning. Halfway across the Barvas Moor, a lorry has skidded on black ice and has ended up in the ditch. When you’re in the ditch on this island, you are stuck in mud. Up to the wheel arches. A tractor is on the scene, preparing to pull the lorry out. I jump off in New Shawbost, outside the home of the busdriver. He is stopping for his lunch. Like you do on a scheduled service. An elderly gent hails me from his gate and asks where am I going today. I point to Beinn Bhragair, 2 miles away. He advises me to climb it from the side (west) not the north (full on). There is a metalled track all the way to the pumping station that sits directly underneath the mountain. Once beyond that, things get progressively more complicated. There is snow on the ground at higher levels, some of which melts and slips off steep ledges with a soppy thud. It gets very warm, although the thermometer says it’s only 8C. The insects are out as well. There are a few steep sections, but at the end of the day, the easiest ascent is from the south, the reverse end of the hill. There is a cairn, and a little way further north a trig-point. The view is phenomenal. There are light showers about over the West Side, and heavier ones further south and west, where the hills are higher. The Harris mountains loom up far away, wreathed in white. The Lochs and Pairc hills stand out, including the ones I recognize as standing near Loch Sgiobacleit. Ròineabhal, Èitsal are also visible, as is one of the Shiants. Mùirneag and the Barvas Hills stand to the north. On account of the showers, I can only dimly discern the beaches at Ness. The townships from Shader westwards, right up to Carloway by its loch, Great Bernera, Gallan Head (Uig) and 35 miles away in the Atlantic: the Flannan Isles. I leave at 2.45, after a 1 hour break for lunch. How to get down? Well, I walk in the direction of the coast and descend as far as possible. Then I discover a useful shute. Quite steep, but the wetness of the ground combined with patches of snow make it ideal for a slide on the bum. Once below, it’s a case of walking off the foothills onto the moors beyond and hoping to encounter a decent track. I was unable to ascertain where exactly I was, but I hada faint idea. I ended up about half a mile east of my starting point. I slowly walk the length of Shawbost in the rain. Meet a young lady with her young child. Have a look at the school museum (closed). What cannot be locked is the public loo, even when in use. The bus turns up nice and on time at 5.08. The driver is in no hurry at all, and he even waits at Arnol for the clock to turn to 5.17. But it already is that time… He is a pleasant chap, but he does not look forward to the immanent tourist season and its associated crushes. Last year, the season didn’t stop until mid November. Returned to Stornoway at 5.40. Sunset today at 6.27, so we’ve gained 3 hours since Christmas!