Heading North. Again.

From England and the Borders of Scotland, there are two ways to get to the Uist chain of islands in the Outer Hebrides. You can either sail from Oban to Lochboisdale on South Uist (5hrs direct, 7hrs via Barra), or from Uig in Skye to Lochmaddy in North Uist (1hr 30). Now that CalMac ferries charge a 'Road Equivalent Tariff' the cost is about the same whichever route you choose. Oban offers the faster journey time (despite the longer crossing) but Uig is the route to choose if you have the time. The A87 from Fort William to Uig via Kyle of Lochalsh and Portree has to go down as my favourite road in the UK. The scenery is stunning, absolutely stunning. Mountains tower either side of the valley on the mainland making for a dramatic drive, not to mention crossing the jaw-dropping Cuillin Mountains on the Isle of Skye. It's a wonderful, wonderful drive.







First port of call, just South of Fort William, was Bunree Caravan Club site at Onich.

The wind was still blowing but it was a gorgeous evening on this gorgeous site. Across the water from the Ardmamurchan Peninsula, the view was spectacular. And there was even a grassy area to set up the kite, so out I went onto the water to flirt with the Corran Ferry.

Once again, it would have been rude not to.

And the next morning, I did it all again! Brilliant.







As if that wasn't enough, I found out that there was a mountain bike trail just North of Fort William at the Nevis Mountain resort. So a small diversion was made.

It was a pleasant ride with some nice singletrack, but nowhere near as challenging or time-consuming as the publicity suggested. But the best thing for me was that the car park was ENORMOUS, so there was plenty of space to park the entire rig. Downhill fans were taking the gondola up the mountain to charge down it at breakneck speeds, but I decided that I quite like having my own front teeth so settled for a sarnie in the trailer instead.







That night, along the stunning A87, I sought refuge at Morvich Caravan Club Site. What a beaut! Towering mountains all around… but sadly no time to climb them. I had a ferry to catch the next day.