Cycle Touring in the Outer Hebrides - Questions

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Richard Barrett
Posts: 92
Joined: 25 Mar 2010, 12:23pm
Location: Isle of Harris
Contact:

Re: Cycle Touring in the Outer Hebrides - Questions

Post by Richard Barrett »

Call in for cake and coffee, first house on the left in Maraig.
Cheltourer
Posts: 13
Joined: 29 May 2014, 9:29pm

Re: Cycle Touring in the Outer Hebrides - Questions

Post by Cheltourer »

Hello, I did this trip 9 years ago.
I drove up to Oban and left my car at Park and Sail and got the ferry to Barra. Staying in Gatliff hostels, I took 6 days in total to ride from Barra to Stornoway. This included one day riding around Barra and Vatersay and another day riding around Lewis to visit the Callanish Stones. There was also a day when I did not cycle, as I visited St Kilda - highly recommended!
At Stornaway I took the Ullapool ferry and returned to Oban via the Great Glen.

Its a great trip and I went in mid July and had good weather.

Cheers
Dudley Manlove
Posts: 249
Joined: 18 Jun 2009, 10:41am

Re: Cycle Touring in the Outer Hebrides - Questions

Post by Dudley Manlove »

...simplicity... wrote:Thanks for all the insightful responses as always. To explain a bit more on the bike, I recently toured the Transam on the same bike, so hopefully this should be fine for this! I was a little concerned the route may have gone off road, but I was always have the option of locking the bike off and having a little wander if I do fancy hiking off for the day? While I was in the US I didn't have any issues with leaving my bike about, I would assume the same for the Hebrides?

Max


Just thread skimming apres pub, so appologies if not read anything that's been already covered.

You can tour fine on a road bike. When me and my mate went, we used rigid MTBs with 26x2" semi-slicks and for the most part they were overkill - apart from the odd dirt track. However, most of the off-roading seems to be on Harris and our short impression of the tracks there, was that an unloaded MTB with knobblies was required (but we enjoyed all the messing about and pushing). Unless you like just taking on whatever terrain on a loaded bike and walking if you have to for the hell of it, I'd suggest parking up and going for a hike.

As a side note, the path from the Butt of Lewis heading towards to Stornoway is pure bog and it's tempting to have a punt on a MTB but don't.

I'm not sure on the security situation. It's probably totally fine to leave the bike (like most of the highlands) but there's quite a thru-put of cyclists or whatnot doing from end to end over summer and it shorted my spidersense on this a bit.
...simplicity...
Posts: 45
Joined: 26 Oct 2011, 5:28pm

Re: Cycle Touring in the Outer Hebrides - Questions

Post by ...simplicity... »

Thanks to everyone who gave advice on the route.

Amazing place to cycle tour if anyone gets the chance!!!
Post Reply