Tuesday 26/07/05

Weather remains unchanged in the morning, still fairly sunny if cool. Set off on the bust to Cameron Terrace, Liurbost, for a walk back to Stornoway. Fifteen minutes later, at 1155, I'm dropped off and I head into the filling station for some sandwiches. After that, I go up the road, north, for a few hundred yards. It's fairly busy, and the verge is not suitable for walking in. I finally reach a gate, which leads to a peatroad. I follow this to the shore of Loch Sanndabhat. After a quarter mile, I leave the loch and head for higher ground. Have to cross some barbed-wire fences. View very nice, back to the lonely clutter of buildings around Cameron Terrace, the Harris and Uig hills to the south and west, the Lochs hills just about visible. Also Eitsal, Stacaseal, Beinn Bragar, Barvas Hills and over to Point and Stornoway. The Lochs road can be seen snaking north thorugh the moors, but I should not be following its course. So, I shift my bearing from Cellar Head to Tiumpan Head. Pass to the north of Loch Ard Airigh A'Ghille Ruaidh (Loch of the High Shieling of the Red Lad). Walk down a steep slope and head towards the next two lochs, Loch nan Laogh and Loch Airigh an t-Sagairt. The eastern end of the latter is marshy and covered in reeds. A river flows out of it, going east. Cross a tributary coming out of Loch Beag na Craoibhe. After that, it's a straightforward if tussocky walk to the Grimshader road, which I reach at 1.10, 70 minutes after leaving Cameron Terrace. Have some fun with a sheep and her lambs before settling down on the top of a nearby hill. There are myriads of flies about, but the wind keeps them at bay. Eat my sandwiches and a cuppa soup. Resume the walk at 1.40, going up the road to the Loch Orasay pumping station. From there, a short peattrack leads back into the moors. There are few reference points, but the trick is to head into the river valley, and follow the water. Loch Innseag can be seen to the south. Allt na Craoibhe veers sharply around a rocky outcrop. There is no path, but it's best to follow the river northeast, right up to the point where it changes course southeast; it's the Abhainn Leireabhagh. It's very green and pleasant. A flock of sheep run off. Cross the river at a shallows with boots off, even if it isn't really necessary to do so. Take a 60 minute break on the top of a hill. It's still sunny and warm, and the flies are a pest. Cross the line of a fence at 3.30, and head just east of north. I get myself fairly high up Cnoc Arnish, and catch sight of the monument to Bonny Prince Charlie's visit here. The cottage he stayed at was burned down just before the yard was built in the 1970s. The sheds of the fabrication yard and the lighthouse peep across the rim of the hills, being lower than my current position. Have some problems with escarpments, which I have to circumvent. Finally come out on the road at GR 420309. The route into town is the one I normally take out of Arnish: through the Castle Grounds. Most of the storm damage has been cleared, but one path is still blocked. Can see evidence of the festival concerts in the grass of the Castlke lawn. Only the metal fences remain. Return to Newton at 5pm, as planned. Later in the evening, I note that we have lost 30 minutes of daylight since the solstice.