I'd been looking forward to this programme and spent a pleasant hour watching Cameron McNeish's journey. It reminded me of the first time I travelled to the Outer Hebrides. Myself and my better half were camping at Sligachan on Skye and it had simply pished down with rain all week. On a whim we caught the first bus to Uig and the morning ferry over to Lochmaddy on North Uist. Halfway over the Little Minch the skies cleared to a beautiful Hebridean blue and the sun shone down clear and bright. On arrival in Lochmaddy, I saw a wee poster for an island tour which covered North Uist, South Uist and Benbecula (for a very reasonable fee). Sure enough, at the end of the pier there was a wee minibus decked out with tartan rugs and a local driver/ tour guide/ wise-cracking joker by the name of Mr Fergusson.
We were treated to an extraordinary day with Mr Fergusson and the few other souls who'd stumped up their three quid. We were driven all over the islands and stopped at burial cairns, saw standing stones and were treated to local legends about them. We were driven to the top of a hill on South Uist with some masts /radar stuff on it (I think it was Ruabhall). The skies were cloudless... it was just glorious. We picnicked in warm sunshine on the stunning machars on the west coast looking out to St Kilda in the distance. Our guide opened the minibus's glove compartment and pulled out a beautiful polished flint axe he'd found and passed it around for us to have a wee look at.
I have been back a few times since and have explored sites on the Uists and journeyed on up through Harris to Lewis and Callanish... and to anyone who watches the Hebridean Trail programme and thinks they might like to do the journey (or even a part of it) up the islands and finish at Callanish... Do it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/e[...]/b00x53sb/The_Hebridean_Trail/
 Reply | with quote | Posted by Howburn Digger
28th December 2010ce
20:44 |
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Head To Head 
TV just finished (wideford)