Travel report: Cycling tour in the Outer Hebrides

We chose a very special and adventurous destination for this year's bike tour in mid-August: The Outer Hebrides, a chain of islands far out in the Atlantic off the coast of Scotland. The first question for the three of us was: "Do we take organic bikes or e-bikes?". The answer became clear relatively quickly after we looked at the climate table for the remote islands. We opted for e-bikes.

Our hotel, the Craigard Hotel, which is located next to the small church in the middle of the village, was on a slight hill not far from the landing stage. We also reserved a table for dinner here when we checked in. The hotel restaurant offers an incredible view of Castlebay Bay, in which the 15th century Kisimul Castle lies on a tiny island in the middle of the water. We immediately felt at home and enjoyed the peace and quiet as the sun set over this beautiful backdrop. After a Guinness in the hotel bar with a spontaneous Scottish accordion interlude and a darts match, we went to bed so that we could fully recharge our batteries for the first day of cycling.

After we left Vatersay the same way and cycled back the same way for a few kilometers, we cycled through rocky landscapes, which were mostly covered with greenery and heather and the many sheep along the way often greeted us with their bleating as we passed. Our next destination was the ferry port near Ardmhór, where the ferry we had booked to Eriskay was due to depart at 3.45 pm.

At around 6 p.m. we arrived at our destination for the day, the Polochar Inn Hotel near Lochboisdale on the island of South Uist. Still stunned by today's stage and the beautiful weather, we had a Guinness outside the hotel, which was right on the water, and toasted our first completed stage, after which we had dinner in the hotel restaurant and then went to bed exhausted.

This was our worst day weather-wise, which is why we did quite a few kilometers in one go and also skipped Loch Druidibeg, one of today's stage options. Like many of the islands, Benbecula can be reached by bike via artificial, narrow causeways. At the causeways you will always find funny signs indicating that otters are crossing the road. Once we had also crossed this island, we then also went over a causeway to the island of North Uist, at the southern end of which was our accommodation for today, the Temple View Hotel in Carinish.

Once we had reached the highest point and it was only about three kilometers to Tarbert, we had to deal with the rain and got really wet on a rapid descent. We were all the more pleased when we arrived at the Hotel Harris in Tarbert a little later to enjoy a warm shower. The hotel was in no way inferior to the beauties of today's leg. It was a very fine hotel in an authentic English style. The restaurant was also one of our tour highlights, also in terms of the food.

After our visit, another long stretch of inland road awaited us. We rode our bikes along an old connecting road between Carloway and Stornoway, where there was very little traffic. Here we simply enjoyed cycling along and letting our eyes wander over the vast Scottish landscape. Once we arrived in Stornoway, we checked into the hotel and took our rental bikes to the agreed meeting point. This was located in the harbor area and is more of a large shipping hall, which we couldn't initially identify as the right place to return our bikes. However, after a quick inquiry in one of the buildings, we were quickly helped and were able to return the bikes there easily and without complications. From here, we then set off on a leisurely walk through the island's main town and paid a visit to Lews Castle and a Harris Tweed store. Later, we had dinner at the hotel and tried our hand at a round of snooker, which we failed miserably at, before heading to our rooms to sleep.

Departure:

We had planned to leave early in the morning at around 8.00 am. A plane was to take us from the small airport to Edinburgh, where we had booked the following nights to review the bike tour and relax at the end of our vacation. After breakfast, we went to our rooms to pack our last things while we got the message on our cell phones that the flight was canceled. "What now?" we thought, but then decided to go to the airport anyway to find out our alternatives. We were then quickly rebooked on a flight to Glasgow, which took off a little later. 
Taxis were then organized for us in Glasgow, which took us to Edinburgh in an hour. The Edinburgh International Festival was taking place in Edinburgh at the time, and due to the large number of people and the background noise, we had a brief sensory overload and then took a short nap in the hotel, as we were still a little exhausted from the last few days. After that, however, we enjoyed the rest of our time in Edinburgh until it was finally time to say "Bye Scotland and hello Germany!". Conclusion: I can highly recommend this trip, because the rough, harsh nature of the Outer Hebrides really impressed me every day anew. 
Each of the islands also has its own special charm. Due to the two more athletic stages in terms of the altitude profile, this trip is definitely more recommended for experienced cyclists, especially if you choose an organic bike. In addition, you should not be a "fair-weather cyclist" if you undertake this tour, as the weather on the Atlantic islands can always change. You should also be aware that there is no continuous cycle path. There are generally few roads on the Outer Hebrides, as the islands are not very densely populated. You mainly drive on narrow, moderately busy roads, where two oncoming cars can only ever avoid each other through the many passing places. 
These passing places are bays in the road where we, as cyclists, often had to stop to make way for oncoming traffic and the traffic behind us. It is advisable to always stock up on snacks in the towns, as there is often no opportunity to buy anything along the way. We have definitely got the desire to explore the Inner Hebrides by bike one day and are already looking forward to our next cycling trip!