Planning Your Holiday

A Taster...

To put you in the mood for your Hebridean walking holiday, here is a personal account of a typical walk on the Isle of Harris.

Cuairt Reinigeadail (Rhenigidale Walk)

It was a typical July day in Harris, clear and sunny one minute, cloudy, windy and rainy the next. Starting out at Urgha we were unsure whether we would complete the whole circular walk, or simply walk to Reinigeadal and back. Setting out in the wind and rain we began the steep climb that greets you almost immediately. This is a climb to get the pulse racing! Thankfully we were not as well loaded as the poor Belgian chap that we met on route ... he was making his way to the hostel in Reinigeadal and was carrying a very full rucksack complete with tent and all, he didn’t think that Harris could possibly be so hilly! However, when we reached the top of the hill, the climb was proven to be very worthwhile of the effort as the skies cleared and we were treated to an incredible view out to sea across the loch.

Continuing along the path, we soon discovered that what goes up must go down, and down it went in style! This stony and somewhat slippery path is not for the faint hearted and requires a lot of concentration where footing is concerned. The views on the way down are nothing short of spectacular, out to sea you can see the Shiant Isles, and coming down the valley in the hills you are treated to some enchanting waterfalls. At the bottom of the path is a small wooden bridge set right in the middle of the bottom of the valley, over the waterfall. This is an incredibly picturesque spot with views out to sea and dramatic views of the path which you have just descended! Unfortunately you also get the view of the path in front of you which, as can be predicted, begins to climb up the valley once more!

This path takes you inland, away from the sea for now. Although steep, it is a relatively easy climb, especially when compared with the climb at the start! At the head of this path there is yet another fantastic view of where you have just came from, giving a feeling of pride for getting so far! The path then drops back down towards the sea and soon you cross a bridge and also cross into the boundary of Reinigeadal.

Soon after crossing the bridge, we reached the ruins of the most westerly houses of the township. These ruins are very interesting to have a nosy in and also look completely at home sitting in the hillside. After another climb we reached the new road and strolled down to the small and quaint village of Reinigeadal. At this point I realised that in the past the inhabitants of Reinigeadal must have walked the path we had just left every time they had need to go to Tairbeart without a boat, they must have been incredibly fit!

On reaching Reinigeadal we decided to stop for some lunch. A perfect spot was found, the small harbour below a farmhouse. Here we sat in the glorious sunshine and ate while looking out to sea at the Shiants and debating whether or not it was the mainland we could see further afield. After lunch it was time to decide whether to simply retrace our footsteps and return to Urgha or to go the 7 3/4 mile round trip via Maraig. A combination of will power, enjoyment, and (not least) the memory of the very steep hill we had recently come down helped us to decide to go for the circuit!

The next 4 miles of the walk is over the new road. Having a pair of trainers to change into is a definite advantage for this section as a combination of sturdy walking boots (which are definitely necessary for the first section of the walk!) and a tarmac road is not the easiest on the feet! This is a nice gentle walk, if you are getting tired then there is a fair chance that a passing local will stop and offer you a lift ... it happened to us but we politely refused! The road works its way down to Loch Siophort, a very picturesque loch which looks as good (and in a different way) from beside it as it does from the lay-by on the main road to Tarbert far above!

It really didn’t seem like we had walked four miles when we found ourselves on the last leg of the walk, which leads you over part of the old pack road from Stornoway to Tarbert. This track climbs gently for a good while and when the top is reached you are treated to a beautiful view of Loch Lacasdal, its surrounding valley and just out to sea. This view changes often throughout the descent to the loch side and the walk along the waters edge but is always spectacular. Bring the binoculars along for this section of the walk, as there is plenty of fascinating bird life to have a nosy at!

After a very pleasant stroll along the loch side, the path began to rise again to meet the main road from Tarbert to Scalpay. Soon we could see the car and not much later we were in it, resting our weary legs! A very enjoyable day’s walking was rounded off in style by stopping off for a quick half pint in the Harris Hotel before returning to Stornoway for a good soak in the bath!

Many thanks to Jennifer Dykes for providing this article!