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Guidebook to walking the Hebridean Way, a 155 mile (247km) walking route along the length of the Outer Hebrides. From the island of Vatersay to Stornoway on Lewis, the waymarked route can be walked in 8 to 13 days and crosses a variety of terrain including shell beaches, rugged hills and wild moor. Also includes an extension to the Butt of Lewis.
Free Royal Mail 48 postage on UK orders. European postage is £3.50 per item. Worldwide postage is £5.50 per item. If you're not happy with your purchase for any reason, we'll give you a full refund.
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Guidebook to the Hebridean Way, a 155-mile (247km) trail across 10 of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides islands. This waymarked, multi-day route is ideal for a fortnight’s exploration, using mostly low-level paths and crossing a variety of terrain, from dazzling white shell beaches to rugged hills and wild moors.
Map key
Route summary table
Overview maps
Trek planner
Introduction
How the Hebridean Way came into being
Planning your trip
Selecting a schedule
When to walk
Getting there
First and last nights
Accommodation
Facilities
Money matters
Baggage transfer
What to take
Planning day by day
Using this guide
Maps
Waymarking
Weather forecasts
Phones and Wi-Fi
Emergencies
All about the Outer Hebrides
Geology
Plants and flowers
Wildlife
The history of the Outer Hebrides
Economy
The Hebridean Way
Stage 1 Vatersay to Ardmhor
Stage 2 Eriskay to Howmore
Stage 3 Howmore to Baile nan Cailleach
Stage 4 Baile nan Cailleach to Lochmaddy
Stage 5 Lochmaddy to Berneray
Stage 6 Leverburgh to Horgabost Township
Stage 7 Horgabost Township to Tarbert
Stage 8 Tarbert to Aline
Stage 9 Aline to Laxay
Stage 10 Laxay to Stornoway
Additional stages to the Butt of Lewis
Stage 11 Stornoway to New Tolsta
Stage 12 New Tolsta to the Butt of Lewis
Appendix A Useful contacts
Appendix B Accommodation
Appendix C Common Gaelic and Norse name elements
Appendix D Further reading
June 2019
Page 143; Line 4 -
"Go through the gate and up the muddy track, eventually leaving the fence to you left and crossing a footbridge to meet the days first stretch of raised turf path."
Page 148
Description "From Laxay, regain the route by turning immediately after the public toilets and walking up the track with Loch Ulapuil, Laxay Community Woodland and Loch na Criadha (the clay loch) on your left," I've redrawn the map which in available through the downloads.
Re Leverburgh to Seilebost –
Map p108 - Between about NG 999922 and 008930 the route has been signed towards the dunes behind Scarasta Bheag as an alternative to walking along the road.
The two small sections of boardwalk behind Scarasta (p110) are pretty deadly when wet and urgently require some wire netting on them. Until such time as this is done, they are better avoided, even if it does mean wet feet.
P111 - Approaching Gleann Horgabost the signed route is higher up the hillside than is shown as it rounds the spur of Bulabhall – more like at 100m asl. It doesn’t go near the pass.
Re Seilebost to at least Urgha –
The marker posts have a blue ring – none of the yellow topped ones seem to exist anymore - P120
Typo on p110 / line 5 – ‘solder’ should be soldier
Nov 2017
Vatersay –
There is no obvious sign to show where to leave the road to go up round Beinn Tangabhal at NL642 977. It might worth mentioning that it is just before a stream that is ~250m along past the quarry.
Barra –
Signs peter out at around NF 701 046 with no obvious way to deal with the barbed wire fence by the roadside. Again there is no roadside sign to assist those going the other way.
South Uist –
The turn off at West Kilbride is not clearly signed, and people would be best advised follow the coast round to the left shortly after the café at the camp site.
At Loch Carnan community wind farm NF 820 421, the description is fine for going north. But for folk going south they need to know that the path across the moor is near the most easterly turbine.
Descending down the windfarm track to the road to turn left; the quarry is ~100m along not 250m. On turning right past the quarry, there are no signs between there and the next road; the track mentioned swings right to a lochan but walkers need to go straight ahead at that bend. This section is particularly soggy / boggy. Towards the end, on approaching an obvious house, it is important that people swing left to find a gate about 50m along, otherwise they will end up going through someone’s garden.
Benbecula –
At Lionacleit the sign to the left is immediately after the Dark Island Hotel.
From the top of Rueval there are no waymarkers at the moment. In misty conditions people should follow a compass bearing of 350° which will take them towards the east end of Loch Olabhat, to pick up a rough track leading to a gate and onto the road. This is where the road-side sign is (NF 821 555) and not at the traditional thatched cottage.
North Uist –
On approaching Carinish, there is a road-side sign at ~NF 832 601, pointing right into a small wooded area. A signed path goes from there to intercept the other towards the NW end of the woodland shown on the map (but not yet all there in reality). So those folk who don’t need to go to Carinish can reduce the road walking by taking this option. At Carinish, there is no road-side sign pointing to the route described and once the route is found (by following the description) the signage is disintegrating.
At Balthaisbhal water treatment plant there are currently some works going on in the immediate surrounds of the plant. The high security fence prevents people easily accessing the signed route from there. If this is a temporary blockage, perhaps on your web updates, people could be advised to follow the high fence round to the left, carefully cross over the new fence that abuts it, and continue following the high fence until the waymarkers can be spotted. Signage from here across the moorland isn’t great and would be difficult to rely on in misty conditions. If it is very misty people could follow the road.
Thank for the updates from Margaret Porter at C-N-Do Scotland - www.cndoscotland.com
Richard Barrett spent his working life as a professional marketer, but still found time for climbing, winter mountaineering and sea kayaking. He first visited the Harris hills as a teenager and became a regular visitor. He lived in North Harris for a number of years, where he and his wife ran a guest house and, although now a city-dweller, he still makes frequent forays to the Hebrides, reconnecting with the wilderness and catching up with old friends.
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