Thursday 14/04/05

Bit of a wet morning to start the day, as I set out to Luskentyre at 10 o’clock. Had initially planned to climb Mullach an Langa, but this is out of the question with the cloudlevel at 1,000 feet. Mullach is 2,000 feet high! Frequent showers accompany me to Tarbert. Also on the bus was a lady I met on the machair off the Butt of Lewis. On arrival at Tarbert, I have about 25 minutes till the bus continues on its way south, so I pop into Firstfruits for a coffee and apple pie + custard. When I returned to the bus, a gentleman came on board who was very much the worse for wear. Smelling of drink, professing to feeling rough and admitting to having been ‘pissed’ last night, he was a sight. I politely but firmly declined an offer of a ‘dram’; not this time of the morning, no thank you. He says he is going to Uist, but god knows where he’ll end up. Probably in a ditch half way between Berneray and Lochmaddy. Get dropped off at the Luskentyre roadend at 1147, and promptly set off for Luskentyre village. First house is a so-called ‘pod’, a self contained unit, which originates on Taransay. These environmentally-friendly pods (including compost loos) were the living quarters for the 36 participants in the Castaway 2000 project in the year 2000. They were supposed to make a community, well **** to that. Locals never stopped laughing. Anyway, go all the way up the road to the beach, arriving there at 12.40. Greeted by two old dogs, one with a blind eye and the other too decrepit to walk very far. Have lunch in the dunes above the beach, and look out over West Loch Tarbert to the mountains in the north, stretching from Sron Scourst in the east to Amhuinnsuidhe in the west. To the west lies Taransay. Nice beaches over there. Have to leave the beach at Luskentyre at 1pm. It’s quite beautiful and quiet, and would have liked to have explored the dunes. However, the last bus of the day goes at 2 pm, so I have to hoof it back to the busshelter. The sun shone brightly all the way back to town, wish it had been like that all day. Returned to Newton at 4.45. Was disappointed to read about the ‘private road’ sign at Morsgail. I was welcome to walk wherever I wanted on March 9th. Two Swedish guests have arrived in the B&B tonight.