Hebridean Islands Cycling Adventure Sept 1st – 11th 2026

Day 1 – Starting from Oban

A good start... the sun came out!

After all the bad weather news and my usual “let’s manifest the sun” attitude, the universe amazingly delivered a lovely first afternoon in Oban.

After flying to Glasgow and then catching the train to Oban, the first step towards the Outer Hebrides had been made.

This is a trip I have wanted to do for many years. There had been a few false starts and quite a lot of wondering about how I could make it happen.

Now I have Mick in my life... it made it possible.

Onwards...

Oban is known as the “Gateway to the Isles”, and it certainly feels like one. Sitting on the west coast of Scotland, it is the main departure point for ferries heading out towards many of the Hebridean islands.

Tomorrow, we would leave the mainland behind and take the ferry across the sea to Barra, the most southerly of the inhabited Outer Hebrides.

The Hebridean Way itself is a long-distance route running for around 185 miles (297 km) through the Outer Hebrides, from Vatersay in the south to the Butt of Lewis in the north.

But we weren't simply going to cycle the official route.

We had decided to make a bigger adventure of it, starting in Oban, travelling by ferry to Barra, cycling across the islands and eventually reaching Stornoway before taking the ferry back to the Scottish mainland.

A mixture of cycling, ferries, weather, logistics, e-bikes, panniers and hopefully a bit of fun along the way.

What could possibly go wrong?

Day 2 – Arrival on Barra

After a five-hour ferry crossing from Oban to Barra, we left the ferry on foot.

It was raining sadly... but it was 6pm in the evening, so that was acceptable in my book!

Barra is one of the most southerly islands in the Outer Hebrides and is famous for its beautiful beaches, rugged landscape and strong Gaelic culture. It is also home to something quite extraordinary, Barra Airport, where planes land and take off from a beach at low tide.

Luckily, Tony from Barra Bike, our bike hire supplier, already had our bikes in his van and offered to drop us off at our accommodation, with a stop at the local Co-op on the way!

What a gem!

It saved a lot of potential stress and gave us time for an evening stroll from our glamping pod in Borve.

Very cosy!

First impressions: it is wild here.

No trees.

Very quiet.

And the presence of that special feeling of natural nature.

All how it should be when left to be as it is.

Barra has a population of only around 1,000 people, and the landscape feels a world away from everyday life. White sandy beaches, rocky hills, open moorland and the Atlantic all around.

It already feels very different.

Thank you, Tony, for making our arrival so easy.

Will sleep well...

Day 3 – Starting with Vatersay

55km warm-up ride

Getting it all together on trips like these takes a bit of mental and emotional resilience plus a good sense of humour. Luckily for us both have that as it definitely was to be tested.

We needed a warm-up day, getting to grips with the e-bikes, the changeable weather, carrying heavy panniers, the remote landscape etc. before heading off on the main route.

This was a good idea.

Well done Mick for suggesting it!

Plenty of goofing around to start with, followed by what turned out to be a great day.

Vatersay, is the southernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides and the official starting point of the Hebridean Way.

There is a sign to prove it, which we found.

Remote, wild, with light blue sea and white sandy beaches.

I resisted the temptation of a swim.

Getting the cycling right was more of a priority. And it needed some concentration.

The road around Vatersay is beautiful, with the Atlantic never far away and the landscape feeling almost completely untouched.

After touring Vatersay, we cycled back up to a café at the famous Barra Airport, with the world's only commercial runway that operates on a tidal beach.

The runway is literally the beach. You have to check the tide before you fly!

Quite extraordinary.

Then it was on to the Barra Beach Hotel for a beer with a sea view.

I think we had the best of the day's weather too!

Tomorrow, we begin the route for real!

Day 4 – Hebridean Way 70km – Barra to South Uist

So, from a rather worrying text message saying there was a high chance that our ferry crossing would be cancelled due to high winds, and some rapid contingency planning might be required, it eventually all fell into place.

As I had prayed it would!

We had set off from our pod in Barra to catch the ferry, not knowing if it would actually run or not.

At 7.45am it was wet and windy.

Very windy.

Full rain gear on.

The wind was so strong the bikes were shaking!

But 20 minutes later, amazingly, the sun came out and the winds calmed down.

Another Hebridean miracle maybe. I prayed that the ferry would run.

By 8.30am, we were sitting in the café at the tiny ferry terminal when a sign went up saying the crossing would run to test the conditions.

The first sailing of the day had been cancelled. This was the second.

What a relief!

Cancellation would have made a complete mess of all the pre-planned stages and accommodation.

But that didn't happen.

The ferry took us from Barra across to Eriskay, linking us with South Uist and the main Hebridean Way route.

The crossing between the islands is part of what makes this adventure so different from an ordinary cycling trip. The route isn't just about the miles on two wheels, it involves ferries, causeways, constantly changing weather and a landscape shaped by the sea.

Our ride across South Uist took us over several causeways, past deep blue natural freshwater lakes, out to the wild coast and along quiet country roads flanked by grasses and rushes, with views of the hills in the background.

The causeways are an amazing feature of travelling through the Uists, narrow roads stretching across the sea, connecting islands that were once separated by water.

With the wind behind us and the sun in front...

What more can you ask for?

Our accommodation, almost at the northern point of South Uist at Kilaulay, was perfect.

South Uist is long and narrow, with mountains and lochs on one side and a spectacular Atlantic coastline on the other.

And then there are the beaches.

Huge stretches of white sand and turquoise water that wouldn't look out of place somewhere much further south. We finished our day with a sunset walk on the beach at Kilaulay.

It was a good day.

Day 5 – South Uist to North Uist 65km

Woke up to sunlight! Yes!

A beautiful wild beach walk was the order of the day before setting off towards Lochmaddy in North Uist.

We had to change our accommodation last minute.com because of a ferry change due to bad weather being on the cards!

Hard to believe possible when looking out the window this morning.

I am ever the optimist, so only believe bad weather when I actually see it.

So far, the Hebridean Islands have been so good to us.

We made the most of the ride today.

North Uist felt like a wild moorland, with lakes in the foreground and huge hills in the background.

Simple and dramatic at the same time.

The islands are known for their lochs, peatlands, machair and extraordinary birdlife. The landscape is shaped by wind, water and centuries of relatively low-impact human habitation.

Those that live here have a very simple life.

There must be peace in that.

Being content with a small community, nature's friendship and the silence in the air.

Do we all have too much, I wonder?

Does this always make us either wanting or missing something?

I was not missing anything today.

Day 6 – Hoolie on Harris

Hebridean Islands Adventure

The threat of extreme windy weather, and a rainstorm, meant our ferry from Lochmaddy to Tarbert was moved to a 6.30am crossing.

Not great news. Another early rise was the order of the day.

But at least it was running.

Our plan was to hunker down in Tarbert for the day.

And that is exactly what we did.

We managed a wet and windy 8km hike, posh fish and chips and a cosy stay in The Nook and Cranny.

Sometimes the best plan is not to have a plan!

You have to remain flexible on a trip like this.

Plans may need to change last minute.com.

Tarbert is the main settlement on Harris and an important ferry port, linking Harris with North Uist. Harris itself is famous for its dramatic mountains, huge sandy beaches and, of course, Harris Tweed.

Although Harris and Lewis are often described as two separate islands, geographically they are actually one island, the largest in the Outer Hebrides.

Having read a poor weather forecast for the next day, we were slightly worried about the distance, elevation and bike batteries lasting the course.

I sorted out a bus/coach alternative that would take bikes for part of the journey, if needed. I really did not want to do this!

But I was ever hopeful that the weather gods just might deliver something special instead.

We would see...

Day 7 – Tarbert, Harris to Lewis (Carloway) 75km

Lost in the Landscape of Lewis

I almost couldn't believe it when we woke up to sunshine.

Bright sunshine!

After a grey, wet day, it appeared that the sun was back.

Another miracle! Or was it my prayers to the weather Gods.

The back-up bus ride was canned.

We were off to tackle the steepest climb of the week and make the most of this good fortune.

It was a great day.

Big hills.

Bright blue lochs.

Wind that moved you. And an energy you felt a small part of.

This is the thing about cycling here.

You aren't simply travelling through a landscape.

You become part of it for a while.

A stop at the Callanish Standing Stones emphasised the historical context in which we ride this way today.

The stones are thousands of years old and are one of the most extraordinary prehistoric sites in Scotland — a huge cross-shaped arrangement of standing stones that has been part of this landscape for around 5,000 years.

Just passing by like the wind on the water.

And on the way we met a local artist, Debbie Cuss, who works from a small croft the route. She shared some of her work with us, along with tea and homemade scones.

Quirky and inspiring! We bought some cards.

With over 1,000 paintings, she has managed to communicate something of the essence of this place.

As we cycled, our connection with the landscape was growing.

Lost in the landscape is a good way to describe the feeling.

So lucky to have had the weather on our side.

We just made it to our hotel (The Dunan) in Carloway before the rain set in.

Another miracle.

Day 8 – The Last Leg, Carloway to Stornoway – 55km

We waited in our cosy hotel beside a small loch in Carloway until the early morning rainstorm had passed.

Good call.

The rest of the day gave us a mixture of headwind, side wind and cyclist-power wind, as well as pockets of sun!

We stopped to visit the Blackhouse Village at Gearrannan, one of the best-preserved groups of traditional blackhouses in the Outer Hebrides.

These traditional houses were once common across the islands. Built with thick stone walls and thatched roofs, they were designed to withstand the harsh Atlantic weather and were homes, byres and working spaces all in one.

It is hard to imagine living like that now.

Our ride started out around the central west coast, hit our chosen northernmost point on the Hebridean Way, then crossed the bleak and barren peatlands, ending up at the port of Stornoway.

We made it! We left our bikes for collection and headed into the town on foot for a well deserved beer.

Stornoway is the largest town in the Outer Hebrides and the main hub of Lewis.

After days of tiny settlements, open landscape and very few people, arriving at the harbour felt like arriving back in civilisation.

Although I wasn't sure I was ready for it!

It has been both a challenge and a pleasure.

We really appreciated the e-bikes, which really made carrying heavy panniers and getting up hills easier than it might have been on normal bikes.

It's still been a very good workout physically!

On the way, speaking to a number of those who have chosen to live and work on the islands, I understand more about the place we have passed through this week.

You could say there is nothing here...

But maybe for those that live here there is everything here.

One thing is contentment.

No need for more.

There is peace, nature, community and freedom just to be, untainted by materialism.

That's a lot.

We have been blessed to share in this for a short while.

Ferry to Ullapool early tomorrow morning.

On foot!

Day 9 – The Return

We took the early ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool, back to the Scottish mainland.

And found the sun in full force!

Ullapool is a small fishing town on the shores of Loch Broom in the north-west Highlands and is another important gateway to the islands.

We enjoyed a hike around the loch, a picnic on the beach and a beer listening to the bagpipes playing.

A pretty perfect way to come back to the mainland.

This is a return to society as we know it.

People.

Cars.

Tourism.

Shops.

And more noise.

I can feel myself missing the simplicity already.

This often happens on a trip like this. A week can feel like a month.

The contrast with normal life is so great.

But the return this time brings with it a memory of a special, unique place that I feel I have a real sense of now.

Somewhere we will return to again.

Day 10 – Last Highland Hike 18km

It had to be done!

One final day on foot before getting the bus from Ullapool to Inverness.

Beautiful vistas and truly unspoilt peace and quiet.

On foot, connecting with the Scottish earth.

Ullapool sits beside Loch Broom, surrounded by mountains and open Highland landscape. After the intensity of the cycling adventure, walking felt like the perfect way to slow everything down before heading home.

Lovely end to a super trip.

Mick did very well, as this was his first long-distance, point-to-point adventure of this nature.

And there yes there were certainly some challenges.

Lots of tricky logistics.

Navigation.

Unpredictable weather.

Ferries that might or might not run.

Changing accommodation.

Long days on the bikes.

And the small matter of making sure the bike batteries lasted!

But we made it work.

Positivity.

The ability to find quick solutions.

And, most importantly, humour.

We made it work together. As a team.

I'm proud of Mick.

And proud of us.

We are looking forward to another trip out this way already.

#HebrideanIslands #HebrideanWay #Scotland #Cyclingthehebrideanway