Safe Return Doubtful

48 miles (77 km) – Total so far: 50 miles (80 km)

The morning dawned bright with the rain gone, but not the wind. Breakfast in the Castlebay Hotel, then the ride started with the 9 miles around the east Barra coast. It is a gently hilly little island, and the riding is tremendous, especially with the string south-westerly in support. Ferries run every couple of hours at this time of year to Eriskay, so a short wait and by late lunchtime I had arrived in the Uists via the windy causeway.

The wind was now a west south westerly. Sounds great, but sometimes the single track road veers into it. Heavy showers made going tough also – but I guess it’s far better than riding in the opposite direction. It was Saturday lunchtime and I had heard plenty about how nothing opens here on Sundays, so at the northern end of South Uist I stopped at a supermarket and stocked up with lunch and some snacks. In the summer I don’t bother with much more than fruit for lunch, but in 8C feeling like 3C it is more necessary.

South Uist is flat and featureless and rather bleak on a day like today. By causeway onto Benbecula, another supermarket a mile or so after the last, having not passed any in the previous 40 miles – and another flat and featureless ride occasionally veering into the teeth of the westerly wind. By 5 pm after a steady climb into the wind, almost unrideable, I had had enough. Sheltering fm a heavy shower in a bus shelter, I noticed a hotel not far up the road, and found a place to camp that was relatively sheltered about a mile further on. This village is Temple View, and although nothing more than a few houses and a hotel, it is the site of an ancient temple. The food was great, and they kept an interesting range of bottled beers in their fridge.