This is the story of a holiday that I’m sure will nourish my spirit for years to come.
When the bleak days of winter close in I shall sit in front of a log fire and ponder on a rich list of spellbinding moments.
The memories are from a long-distance motorhome trek to Na h-Eileanan Siar, the Gaelic name for the Western Isles, or Outer Hebrides. These are a beguiling, fascinating, string of islands which act as a rocky last British bastion before the restless Atlantic and its wild winds take over.
I’ve always loved visiting Britain’s remote corners – and this journey to Scotland’s western frontier had been in my thoughts for many years.
BBC newsreading legend Cliff Michelmore fired a myriad of dreams when he presented the groundbreaking Holiday series in the 1970s. I became fascinated in the scattering of 65 Outer Hebridean islands, just 15 of them inhabited, back then.
Guidebooks showed aquamarine seas, creamy-white beaches, mysterious ancient monuments and spectacular coast and mountain scenery. But could it possibly be as good as indicated?
It took retirement for both my wife and I – and the arrival of a motorhome – to spur us towards finding out, on an epic journey of 1,750 miles.
Studying maps and watching weather forecasts through the years, it was clear the windswept islands are often blessed with a couple of weeks of high pressure and great weather during May. So May 2024 was decided upon, with a south to north drive through the islands in scope.
The plan was to sail from the mainland port of Oban to Barra, a picturesque island in the south, and to take ferries, to drive over bridges and to navigate causeways to reach Lewis, 150 miles to the north. The Lewis capital or ‘town’, as islanders call Stornaway, was to be our last stop before returning to the mainland, ready for the long drive home to the south east of England.
One chilly day in January this year the early foundations were laid with a call to the ‘lifeline of the western isles’, ferry firm Caledonian MacBrayne.The call centre team couldn’t have been more helpful and soon four crossings – two to and from the islands and two internal sailings – had been booked.
Framework in place, it took several days of online searching, phone calls and filling in booking forms to secure half a dozen pitches for our home on wheels….
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