Another drab day. Left Lochboisdale and headed up the Uists thru Benbecula. Benbecula is the most inhabited place in the Outer Hebrides next to Stornaway. If I hadn't of read this fact, I would have had no idea as it seemed quite small to me, but I guess it is more spread out. We stopped at a few shops before getting to Benbecula including the Salar Smoked Salmon Company. We hadn't tried their salmon before but we thought we'd check it out. It was a bit of a drive off the main drag but well worth it. Excellent salmon. We tried some samples than walked out with a few small packs for us and a large pack for Xmas. The lady told us it will last for several days during our travels (which it did) and would freeze well for 6 months. Once we arrived in Benbecula we decided to have lunch before heading to the ferry.
The middle Isles are mostly connected via causeways. The only way from Barra to Eriskay is via ferry. Once you arrive in Eriskay there is a small causeway that connects it to South Uist. South Uist is then connected to Benbecula by a causeway, Bencecula connects to North Uist via causeway and North Uist connects to Berneray via another causeway. To reach the next Isle, isle of Harris you must take a ferry ride. The Isle of Harris and Lewis look like they are the same isle, but are detached in some form to make two separate isles.
It only took about an hour and a half to travel from Lochboisdale to the ferry to go to Harris. The isles are not large by any means! It is definitely a different world. It's hard to explain really. I definitely felt like I was in a far away place and somewhat disconnected from the world. The isles are very peaceful where no one is in a hurry, but it is hard to enjoy when the weather isn't cooperating. I really wanted to try kayaking while in the Outer Hebrides and there were so many hills/little mountains to climb. We had also taken our camping gear to hopefully camp out on one of the beaches, but we would have been soaked doing so. Basically we enjoyed the Hebrides by driving and sight seeing. Not very exciting really being stuck in the car just looking at everything.
We decided that we really needed some life so we made a plan to go to Stornaway since it's the most populated town - we figured we'd feel less remote and we're anxious to see some liveliness. We caught our ferry in Berneray, then travelled another hour to hour and a half up Harris and arrived in Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis around supper time. We're in a city! Yay! You would never guess once you arrive in Stornaway that you're on an island, let alone the remote Hebrides! This is a bustling small city - a welcome surprise for us. We checked into our fancy B&B then headed out for supper. We walked around town and found a tapas bar where we had a variety of appetizers and drinks.
Another drab day. Left Lochboisdale and headed up the Uists thru Benbecula. Benbecula is the most inhabited place in the Outer Hebrides next to Stornaway. If I hadn't of read this fact, I would have had no idea as it seemed quite small to me, but I guess it is more spread out. We stopped at a few shops before getting to Benbecula including the Salar Smoked Salmon Company. We hadn't tried their salmon before but we thought we'd check it out. It was a bit of a drive off the main drag but well worth it. Excellent salmon. We tried some samples than walked out with a few small packs for us and a large pack for Xmas. The lady told us it will last for several days during our travels (which it did) and would freeze well for 6 months. Once we arrived in Benbecula we decided to have lunch before heading to the ferry.
The middle Isles are mostly connected via causeways. The only way from Barra to Eriskay is via ferry. Once you arrive in Eriskay there is a small causeway that connects it to South Uist. South Uist is then connected to Benbecula by a causeway, Bencecula connects to North Uist via causeway and North Uist connects to Berneray via another causeway. To reach the next Isle, isle of Harris you must take a ferry ride. The Isle of Harris and Lewis look like they are the same isle, but are detached in some form to make two separate isles.
It only took about an hour and a half to travel from Lochboisdale to the ferry to go to Harris. The isles are not large by any means! It is definitely a different world. It's hard to explain really. I definitely felt like I was in a far away place and somewhat disconnected from the world. The isles are very peaceful where no one is in a hurry, but it is hard to enjoy when the weather isn't cooperating. I really wanted to try kayaking while in the Outer Hebrides and there were so many hills/little mountains to climb. We had also taken our camping gear to hopefully camp out on one of the beaches, but we would have been soaked doing so. Basically we enjoyed the Hebrides by driving and sight seeing. Not very exciting really being stuck in the car just looking at everything. 
We decided that we really needed some life so we made a plan to go to Stornaway since it's the most populated town - we figured we'd feel less remote and we're anxious to see some liveliness. We caught our ferry in Berneray, then travelled another hour to hour and a half up Harris and arrived in Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis around supper time. We're in a city! Yay! You would never guess once you arrive in Stornaway that you're on an island, let alone the remote Hebrides! This is a bustling small city - a welcome surprise for us. We checked into our fancy B&B then headed out for supper. We walked around town and found a tapas bar where we had a variety of appetizers and drinks. 
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