Day 4

A more relaxing day compared to yesterday, it started off with a very leisurely getting up by the beach at Luskentyre. I had beakfast, eyeing warily the clouds which were hanging over the hills but noting a hopeful glint of blue out over the sea. This grew closer as the day warmed up and by a little after breakfast my beach was bathed in sunlight. This warmed me enough to try a morning swim in the exhilarating cold waves which were crashing onto the golden sand. I wrote some postcards and did some general sorting out before packing up and moving on shortly before twelve.

Not a moment too soon either - as I cycled back towards the main road no fewer than 3 cars passed me packed with people ready for the beach. But I'd had enough sand for a while (it does tend to get everywhere!) and so headed back a short way up the mountain that I had descended yesterday evening. By now the sky was a clear blue and the wind which had been so prominent yesterday was just a gentle breeze, welcome for its cooling effect. I stopped by a delightful burn, rushing down over rocks, pausing in deep, clear pools. This provided a paddle, but more importantly refilled my water bottles and also did the washing while I ate lunch.

Refreshed after lunch I coasted back down the hillside and took the southern fork along Luskentyre bay. This led me on round the west coast of Harris, a superb landscape of broad sandy bays, interspersed with black rocky points and all backed by the rugged mountains inland. I made my gentle way along here, pausing in particularly attractive spots to study the geology or write a postcard, and at the restaurant at Na Buirgh for a welcome ice cream sundae.

Gradually, as the afternoon wore on, I came round the southwestern corner of the island and had a long run down to Leverburgh, or An-t-Ob (The Bay)as the current fashion for calling everything by its gaelic name regardless of history insists. I was pleased to be in time for the shop there and as well as a paper I was able to buy some extra goodies for dinner. This I had just a little later, after cycling inland from the village to Loch Langabhat, a marvellous clear blue lake between the white rocky hills of the interior. There was no wind at all, and I stopped on a grassy bank of the loch, stripped off and plunged in - gorgeously refreshing. Once I had dried in the warm air, it was out with the gaz burner and on with the seafood paella, which tasted all the better for being eaten in such superb surroundings.

After dinner I continued to follow the road through the classic Harris "moonscape" - white rocks interspersed with blue lochans - until I joined the eastern coastal road. Here I again turned south, heading back to Leverburgh. First, however, I stopped just above the little village of Roghadal and walked out to a beautiful grassy promontory, overlooking a clear blue bay and with views beyond to Skye. I had, I decided, found my campsite for that night.

First, however, it was a short ride back into Leverburgh to phone home. We had a pleasant chat and I then turned to go back to Roghabal. Trying to be clever, however, I took a little road along the shoreline, planning to link up with the main road along a track marked on the map. It was indeed a delightful road with splendid views of little harbours and islands in the evening sunlight. Unfortunately, when within half a mile of my destination, the planned track turned out to be a footpath, complete with several stiles. Not really suitable for a heavily laden bicycle. Thus it was back to Leverburgh once more and back to Roghabal the way I had come! Pleasant though the road was, I was getting to know it a little too well! As a reward for my additional exercise, I made a mug of hot chocolate on eventually arriving back at my planned camp site, which I drank on the rocks, sketching the nearby promontory, before going to bed.