The trouble with going to a place like Harris – even in the winter – is that you have to leave again. On a Sunday in winter the only ferry leaves at 9am and travels via Lochmaddy in North Uist, turning a two hour trip into a four hour Hebridean cruise. Still, it was a lovely calm morning for a boat trip. As we drew close to Skye, I fuelled up on that Scottish staple of macaroni cheese and chips. And green peas. We arrived in the harbour in Uig at 1pm, leaving me barely four hours of daylight to complete the 46 miles to Broadford backpackers hostel. Just about doable.
And I did it – just about – in the gloomy late afternoon light. Crossing Skye is really just a case of following the main A85. There aren’t too many choices. At this time of year, the road was quieter than on previous visits, but it isn’t an ideal cycling experience, despite the superb scenery. You follow the east coast of the island as it weaves in and out all the way from Portree to Broadford. It makes for pretty flat cycling. The main road has to make one major foray uphill and inland, but that was avoidable in the past by using a very small road that skirts the edge of the sea loch for a few extra miles. Then, a few years ago, there was a landslip and the road was closed to traffic. Since then, the surface has deteriorated and gates have been installed, but you can still get through with a bike. There is one rather dicey section by the landslip itself where you have to walk your bike along a pretty narrow strip of remaining land. But it’s worth it.
The rest of the way it is a very straightforward route. In clear weather, the mountain views are superb. Today the higher slopes were shrouded in cloud. But it is still an impressive landscape. On the bus two days ago it was all out of cloud. Today, with the cloud cover, the darkness came early and I made it without much to spare.
And now I have just one day of cycling – and one more ferry – left to complete this adventure. Let’s hope the heavens stay dry until I reach Fort William. I’ll gladly settle for that.
