Outer Hebrides tour - Best places to stay with a Cali...

[thojak]

Hi all,

Going for a trip from south to north (Oban - Barra - Eriskay - South and North Uist - Harris - Lewis - Stornoway - Ullapool in first weeks of October this year.
Anyone wants to share the best places to stay overnight with our Swedish Cali?

Many thanks,
Thommy

 

[Stu@rt]

Hi all,

Going for a trip from south to north (Oban - Barra - Eriskay - South and North Uist - Harris - Lewis - Stornoway - Ullapool in first weeks of October this year.
Anyone wants to share the best places to stay overnight with our Swedish Cali?

Many thanks,
Thommy

You might find @CaliforniaTime Will & Sarah's YT videos of use..............

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Hi Thommy,

Great trip you have planned

You can wild camp if you want and there are plenty of places but the following is a list of campsites we stayed at.

Borve Campsite on Barra is lovely. Only a short drive from Castlebay ferry port so perfect for your first night or two.

Kilbride campsite South Uist. Good facilities and nice cafe on site.

Balranald campsite on North Uist. Good facilities.

Traigh Horgabost campsite on Harris. Basic facilities but great location. Don’t miss Luskentyre Beach. Fabulous.

Ardroil Campsite on Lewis. Basic facilities but good location by the beach.

Eilean Fraoich campsite on Lewis. Good campsite and facilities. Not by the beach but there’s a good circular walk across a causeway.

Have a great trip.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

You might find @CaliforniaTime Will & Sarah's YT videos of use..............

Our 2-tone is in the background at 1 minute 50 seconds in Part 3. That was a VERY wet and windy night.

 

[kp64zl]

Barra - try Bolnabodach as a good place to camp. Excellent facilities and great hosts.

 

[thojak]

You might find @CaliforniaTime Will & Sarah's YT videos of use..............

Thanks a lot!
Thommy

 

[thojak]

Hi Thommy,

Great trip you have planned

You can wild camp if you want and there are plenty of places but the following is a list of campsites we stayed at.

Borve Campsite on Barra is lovely. Only a short drive from Castlebay ferry port so perfect for your first night or two.

Kilbride campsite South Uist. Good facilities and nice cafe on site.

Balranald campsite on North Uist. Good facilities.

Traigh Horgabost campsite on Harris. Basic facilities but great location. Don’t miss Luskentyre Beach. Fabulous.

Ardroil Campsite on Lewis. Basic facilities but good location by the beach.

Eilean Fraoich campsite on Lewis. Good campsite and facilities. Not by the beach but there’s a good circular walk across a causeway.

Have a great trip.

Thats great!
Thanks Grumpy
Thommy

 

[Stoo24]

Vatersay Hall Cafe run by the local community is worth a visit, south of Barra, fantastic beach (see photo) and can wild camp close to the cafe (showers and toilets available). The community take donations for overnight stops.
Try and time a visit to Barra airfield to see a plane land on the beach. regular (but not frequent) LoganAir flights arrive from Glasgow.
https://www.moorcroftholidays.com on North Uist, lovely site, with very friendly and helpful owners. I was there in May on a motorbike tour and we bagged the last room available in the bunkhouse on a night when the wind would have made sleeping in a tent impossible (probably too much for a pop top too so bear that in mind).
Luskentyre beach car park on Harris also good for an overnight, with toilets there too.
Some useful info here too https://www.westharristrust.org/camping/
Take your time heading north, Barra and Uists are my favourites.
Enjoy, hope the weather is kind.

 

[thojak]

Vatersay Hall Cafe run by the local community is worth a visit, south of Barra, fantastic beach (see photo) and can wild camp close to the cafe (showers and toilets available). The community take donations for overnight stops.
Try and time a visit to Barra airfield to see a plane land on the beach. regular (but not frequent) LoganAir flights arrive from Glasgow.
https://www.moorcroftholidays.com on North Uist, lovely site, with very friendly and helpful owners. I was there in May on a motorbike tour and we bagged the last room available in the bunkhouse on a night when the wind would have made sleeping in a tent impossible (probably too much for a pop top too so bear that in mind).
Luskentyre beach car park on Harris also good for an overnight, with toilets there too.
Some useful info here too https://www.westharristrust.org/camping/
Take your time heading north, Barra and Uists are my favourites.
Enjoy, hope the weather is kind.

View attachment 98495

Hi Stoo24,

Certainly will visit Vatersay and stay at the beach if the whether allows. We will most likely spend most of the time on Barra and the Uists. The big challenge will of course be the whether but it changes a lot to so I am sure it will be great anyway.

Many many thanks Stoo24, it was valuable for us.

Thommy

 

[PhilR]

How did you get on? I’m here now, at Borve campsite as recommended by GrumpyGrandad and others. It’s awesome! Off to Kilbride on South Uist tomorrow if the ferries aren’t affected too much by the horrendous winds.

 

[Camperfamily]

@PhilR we stayed at Borve in July 2021. Then went Kilbride on South Uist too, then Balranald on North Uist.

Amazing trip - hope you enjoy your time on the islands.

 

[PhilR]

Thanks! That’s the same itinerary as me! Just watching some @CaliforniaTime videos that I pre downloaded. They stayed at Balranald too - looks ace.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

How did you get on? I’m here now, at Borve campsite as recommended by GrumpyGrandad and others. It’s awesome! Off to Kilbride on South Uist tomorrow if the ferries aren’t affected too much by the horrendous winds. View attachment 103850

Great trip. Have fun @PhilR

 

[KJKookaburra66]

OMG all of this sounds amazing- something I have always I have wanted to do and now I have my Cali will plan to do.
Any other sole Cali owners done this trip?

 

[calibusje]

How did you get on? I’m here now, at Borve campsite as recommended by GrumpyGrandad and others. It’s awesome! Off to Kilbride on South Uist tomorrow if the ferries aren’t affected too much by the horrendous winds. View attachment 103850

Cool! Hopefully you don't experience like us a few years ago when we wanted to sail from the Isle of Barra back to Oban and the ferry had a crack in the hull a few miles in sea by the storm at sea and was making water. We had to go back to Barra and later via South Uist-North Uist sail to Skye. It was something different

 

[PhilR]

OMG all of this sounds amazing- something I have always I have wanted to do and now I have my Cali will plan to do.
Any other sole Cali owners done this trip?

Dragging up an old thread here but only just realised (after a notification saying you’d replied to another thread I’m watching) you’re one of my favourite YouTubers! I really love your cycling vids, very inspirational as I also like long, multi day solo challenges. I’m doing Switzerland to England in September.
Anyway, the Cali & a road bike are just the best combo. Did you do the Outer Hebrides Kate? If not, you’ve absolutely got to! I did the NC500 in my Cali this January and whilst it was amazing, the OH are better.

 

[CaliMac]

If you fancy a nice meal at, I would argue the best restaurant in the world: https://www.uigsands.co.uk/
This is on the west side of Lewis, they should allow you to park for the night too.
There are also lots of great park ups around this area with some of the most amazing beaches. I am in Lewis now and I have been blessed with many days of sunshine that should last another week, hopefully you get the same

 

[KJKookaburra66]

Dragging up an old thread here but only just realised (after a notification saying you’d replied to another thread I’m watching) you’re one of my favourite YouTubers! I really love your cycling vids, very inspirational as I also like long, multi day solo challenges. I’m doing Switzerland to England in September.
Anyway, the Cali & a road bike are just the best combo. Did you do the Outer Hebrides Kate? If not, you’ve absolutely got to! I did the NC500 in my Cali this January and whilst it was amazing, the OH are better.

Sorry PhilR think you may have the wrong Kate here. . I’m no YouTuber I’m afraid. Thanks for the message tho.
Still want to do NC500 and OH though

 

[PhilR]

Sorry PhilR think you may have the wrong Kate here. . I’m no YouTuber I’m afraid. Thanks for the message tho.
Still want to do NC500 and OH though

Oops!!! Sorry Kate! There’s at least 2 Katie Kookaburra’s with good tastes in “vehicles” then