Day twenty-eight - Sunday

Slept pretty well in the new tent - first outing for the replacement Tadpole 23! The old one I'd had for quite a few years but was no longer waterproof so I chanced it and sent it back to North Face via Cotswolds and a few days later = brand new £200 tent! So first time I've used the new one, did well. Pitched on top of lots of heather, so was super comfortable to sleep on. Great view in the morning, although probably due to lack of wind and proximity to water it was midge central - unreal. Packed as much up inside the tent as I could before donning the head net, covering up as much skin as possible and doing a speed tent take down before running up to the car. Was horrendous, at one point I focussed on the net hanging about 10cm in front of my face to see about 100 midges all crawling over it, trying to get through to my face! Argh!

The view in the morning

Tent did well on it's first outing!

Sped off down the road with windows wide open to blast all spare midges away before pulling into the Sligachan hotel for a rather posh breakfast - decided since I'd saved the money on a nights accomodation I could treat myself for breakfast! Plus it was either that or cook porridge outside my car whilst slowly being consumed by midges. On the way in I overheard the receptionist saying that it was one of the worst days of the year for midges - I felt slightly less of a wuss! The breakfast was only £10 too, great value for buffet cereal, coffee, orange juice then very nice fry up with poached eggs etc. Beautiful! I was enjoying it perhaps too much, as when I glanced at my watch and saw it was nearly 10am I quickly got my stuff together and set off for a horseshoe walk up Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach, Beinn Dearg Mhor and the finale Glamaig (775m).

Great views from the bridge near Sligachan

Start was really boggy underfoot until I gained a bit of height. Sun was beating down and before long I'd followed suit to yesterday and the t-shirt went into my bag - something I'd pay for later! Superb clear skies and great visibility all over the island. Bit of a slog up to the top of Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach, not very high at 651m but the Druim na Ruiage ridge is pretty long. From there I turned north, descended to the bealach before ascending up to 731m for Beinn Dearg Mhor - a tough ascent in the heat but was thankfully over before long. From here the views towards Glamaig were fantastic, as well as across to Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir, the end of the Cuillin ridge.

Glamaig in the middle, with Beinn Dearg Mhor to the right

The route ahead

From here the ridge descended steeply to another bealach, at 415m before one of the most punishing ~350m ascents I've ever done - relentless steep scree slope to gain the summit of Glamaig, horrible! By this time I knew I had to get motoring in order to make the ferry at Uig as well, so I was trying to push on in the sweltering heat with my legs burning from the Bla Bheinn traverse only 18hrs ago! The views from the summit of Glamaig were fantastic, although the pain in my legs made me consider whether it had been worth it! Either way I then had to push on down the other side straight down to Sligachan, bit of screen running, bit of falling over down the grassy slopes, bit of jogging over the boggy flat end to the car. Forgot to mention I'd neglected to fill up my water bottle in the rush to set off, and so had done the whole round in the sun without a drink...

Looking back at the steep descent off Glamaig - the route of the infamous fell race

Got back to the car at 1240, quickly filled up a water bottle in the hotel before speeding off towards Uig and my ferry. The tickets said last check in was at 1315, and the hotel receptionist had said it was ~35min drive... Cue some rather tense driving, the black box really won't like me for that bit. Was amazing road though, piercing straight north through the heart of Skye.

Arrived with lots of time to spare in the end

Arrived at the ferry terminal in Uig after a frantic drive, picturing the ferry docked and ready to leave, me driving down the road and boarding just as the ramp was about to be pulled up and set sail. Sadly I was instead met by a man in high vis saying that I had about 45mins and to collect my tickets from the office - bit of an anticlimax and seriously (cue rant) why on earth do they say that last check in is at 1315 when you could arrive at 1350 and drive straight aboard the ferry? If I'd known that they cryptically meant 40mins after the time they wrote I wouldn't have punished myself on the walk or driven so fast to get here, thinking I had only 1min to spare! Whilst waiting in the queue I rang Alice and caught up - she got back from France and was now working on a DofE trip in the Peak.

Harris in the distance

Anyway, boarded and set sail at 4pm! I spent most of the journey relaxing in observation lounge where they had a cool computer screen diagram showing where the boat was on a map of the crossing. Ventured outside onto the deck for a time, but pretty windy and chilly, plus the sea was so calm that I didn't feel ill staying inside where it was warm!

Arrived in Tarbert on Harris at 1540, and straight away hit the road north to Stornoway. It was about an hour drive, and had a fantastic contrast between Harris, a mountainous land full of rock, to Lewis, a barren flat heathery island with no trees. Drove past lots of small lochs/tarns, with small dilapidated crofting communities dotted by the sides of the road. Was a little bit grim!

Arrived at the hospital and picked up my keys from the reception. Had a chat to the receptionist, who explained that everything is shut on Sunday. And by everything they mean everything. Can't buy food. Can't even buy petrol! Moved into accomodation, it's a shared block where I've got a single bed (booo) room in a 4-bedroom flat, very similar to my accomodation whilst on a placement in Chichester/Worthing. Sadly the room's no where near as good as my Fort William one, but on the plus side I've got full kitchen facilities here! First things first, a hot shower, desperately needed after a big hill day, camp, then another hill day! Terrible pressure, but hot at least. Bad showers do my head in! It's the one requirement to make me feel human, a shower with a decent pressure and hot.

As I didn't have much food with me I went back to the hospital for shepherds pie dinner, only £2.39 and was pretty tasty. Back to the room and settled in, skyped parents on wifi = that's the other requirement to make me feel at home - hot shower and wifi! Had a second dinner of potato/tuna/sweetcorn, cramming in the calories after an epic 24hours on Skye! What a weekend. I'm in Stornoway!