L2L Day 96 Butt of Lewis

So! The walking is done,  but there a good few things to do up here now that we've arrived. The Butt of Lewis beckons - the most Northerly point on the island and according to the Guiness Book of Records, the windiest place in the UK.

Cyclists can get there by road but the walking route isn't recommended as the route goes as far as Tolsta and effectively stops at 'The bridge to nowhere'.
Having bog-hopped for the last few days, another 13 miles really didn't appeal. I decided that the W1 bus was the best option by far.
After a relaxed breakfast we had a walk around the town and the busy harbour - one side for leisure boats and the other for ferries and decidedly commercial.
In addition, Stornoway has recently opened a deep water terminal for large cruise ships - we were told that 90 will visit this season and as a consequence there's a regular convoy of double decker buses conveying disorientated looking Americans in their tell-tale baseball caps and white sneakers.

Also in the harbour, the 150 ft long Mogambo - a super yacht that apparently belongs to the founder of WhatsApp.
They all must have heard we were coming!!!

We popped in to the RNLI shop and met Iona who was already having a busy day. 


The local RNLI life boat has been away for servicing in Poole so another one had been brought in as a temporary replacement. Though the local boat is back, the replacement hasn't been found a permanent home yet so seeing two identical lifeboats in one harbour is noteworthy.


Then on to the W1 to Eoropie.
I'm glad we weren't walking this bit - the flat moors extend for almost 30 miles, certainly further than the eye can see. Even by bus it took more than 90 minutes.

The bus dropped us off at Eoropie leaving a mile walk over the brow.



It may have the reputation as the windiest spot but it wasn't today - almost calm with distant views over the placid sea in every direction. Wonderful!!






The lighthouse at The Butt of Lewis.




A sheep confessional !



We waited a short while for the return bus. I like these no-fuss bus shelters.


After supper we met Paul and Diesel his precious 4 year old merle coloured bull dog.


Paul had been called up from Carlise to fix the compacter /bailer at the Co-op. He brought all the spare parts he could possibly need in his 3ton van. He told us of his long CV in rubbish! 

As Paul and Diesel seemed to be so contented,  we both suspected that he might cancel his return and stay on. 

Comments

  1. Barrie2 July 2026 at 06:26

    David, Sally, reading your blog has been so enjoyable & certainly an experience worth recording , possibly for posterity, but certainly for sharing with friends. Thanks for making the effort so that we could share it with you. Sheila xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. David's 2022 Walk5 July 2026 at 13:36

    Hi Sheila. Looking forward to tasting some more Whitstable Oysters when next we meet in Kent but before then, let's see what Ireland has to offer. Dx

    ReplyDelete

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