Category Archives: Overland

Touring The Outer Hebrides

After my boat tour out of Oban i had already decided to go on a tour of the Outer Hebrides. I left Oban and headed for the Isle Of Skye where i could catch a ferry. The ferry network is very good and reasonably priced, its a necessity for people living out there so i believe its subsidised by the government.

Arriving in Uig i managed to buy a standby ticket for the ferry to Stornaway. This was at the end of September so if you do this in the summer definitely book your tickets in advance !

After a 2 hour ferry ride you arrive in the port of Tarbert on the Isle Of Harris. There really isn’t very much in Tarbert apart from a couple of local shops and a small hotel with a bar. You are better off moving on and finding accomodation elsewhere.

Waiting on the jetty for the ferry……
The ferry leaving Uig heading to Tarbert.

Lews Castle is to be found west of the town of Stornoway. It was built between 1844-1851 for Sir James Matheson, a man who had made his fortune from the Chinese opium trade.

Leaving Stornaway i headed north and you don’t have to go far before finding a big golden beach. Take any side road and you will soon find the sea.

There are plenty of spotless golden beaches to be found. You might find you are the only one there !!

As this is Scotland you do find the odd stubborn local. This guy really didn’t want to move !!

The locals really don’t budge for anybody……….

I drover further north up the coast all the way to the Butt Of Lewis lighthouse, on the northern most tip of the Isle of Lewis. Its a very rugged coastline usually getting battered by the weather.

Because of the unpredictable weather you’re never far away from seeing a rainbow, usually more than one in the same day !!

Many lonely roads lead to another beach……

Whilst waiting for the ferry to Barra i went for a little walk on the nearside beach…….

Waiting for the ferry to Barra

Apparently the airport at Barra is the only one of its kind. The tidal beach doubles up as the runway strip ! Obviously the flight times here are controlled by more than the weather !

The beach at Barra
A homestead on Barra
The beach………and landing strip at Barra. Passengers cross the beach to board the plane.

The weather can turn very quickly in the outer Hebrides – especially toward the end of September. The local wildlife don’t seem to mind !

More stubborn locals…….

I stayed in a hostel in Barra for a few nights as the weather got so bad the ferries didn’t run for a couple of days.

The castle in the bay, you can get a small boat to take you there – if the weathers good !

After a great tour of the Outer Hebrides i got the ferry back to the mainland. Arriving back in Uig i was met by the sunshine –

Sunset over Uig whilst staying at the excellent Cow Shed hostel.

Driving down through Skye i went to the small village of Elgol on the south coast. Its here you can go on small boat tours around the local lochs and view the Cuillin Hills. I came here because i was here about 40 years ago on a holiday. Some friends of the family own a house on the neighbouring island of Soay. Sadly the boat trips don’t go over to Soay but i could see it in the distance.

Looking out from Elgol across the the Isle Of Soay…….

I left Elgol and started my drive back home. Wildlife is never far away in Scotland –

I actually did this trip back in September/October last year and forgot to write it up. Apologies if its rather patchy as i can’t remember the exact route i took nor all the details of it !

Hopefully the photos tell you of what a wonderful place it is – you really must go there !

Touring Tuscany

A good friend and old colleague of mine was getting married in Tuscany at the end of May. A good opportunity to add some extra days to the event and tour around some of the region i thought.

I flew into Pisa and took the shuttle train into the town center, it stops right next to main train station. I had booked an AirBnB which was only a few minutes walk from the leaning tower. After finding my accomodation i went for a walk to get my bearings of the city. I didn’t want to see the leaning tower as i had two full days in Pisa and so wanted to see it another day to give me something to do. As i turned a corner i saw a big archway in a stone wall and intrigued i walked through it. There in front of me was the wonkiest building i had ever seen. Damn – i had found it.

The leaning tower was firmed up a few years ago so it no longer gets any worse – its just always going to be at the same angle forever more. Apparantly around 4 degrees. You can pay to go up it but the queue was long and i think you may need to pre-book to ensure you get a ticket.

Leaning tower of pisa

Leaning tower of pisaThe leaning tower is actually dwarfed by the impressive  cathederal  next to it –

The city of Pisa is divided east to west by the river Arno –

River Arno

Whilst staying with my AirBnB hosts they told me about a place on the coast not far from Pisa, easily accessible by train. It was described as a smaller version of the Amalfi coast. The place is called Cinque Terre and is a series of five small coastal villages built into the rugged coastline. Cinque Terre is yet another UNESCO World heritage site,  apparantly there are more sites in Italy than any other country !! The five villages consist of – Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. All are accessible by a train than runs between all the villages. The main train from Pisa to La Spezia takes about an hour. If you are feeling fit you can hike between some of them high up in the steep slopes. Some of the hikes  are ninety minutes or more so be careful as its blisteringly hot here at times.

I started at the furthest village first Monterosso, this was the odd one out as it had a sandy beach beach . Its actually two villages really as there is the old town and a new town.

Monterosso

Monterosso

Next stop was the town of Vernazza. This has the only real harbour out of the five villages. The buildings are tall and very colourful, its amazing how many properties they can squeeze into such a small space.

The middle of the five villages is Corniglua. If you arrive by train then you have to climb the 365 steps (one for each day of the year) to reach the top. Or you could wait for the bus.

Corniglua

Corniglua is the oldest and smallest village of Cinque Terre –

It was hot and very busy – time for a break. You can’t go to Italy and not enjoy the fabulous gelato available from virtually every street corner !!Gelato

When you arrive by train into Manarola you may have to go underground from the platform to get into  the town. This place has no beach or harbour so it’s all perched on the rocks next to the sea.

Manarola

Last but not least was the town of Riomaggiore. Built into a very narrow crevice it has plenty more colourful buildings !You can see all five villages in one day if you start early and use the train. But be warned it gets VERY busy ! It was only May but by mid morning it was already getting very busy so what its like in July/ August i wouldn’t like to think.

You could easily spend a few days here and enjoy the hikeing and maybe stay in every village for a night to get a real feel for the place. I got the train back to Pisa and back to my AirBnB, it had been a long, hot day.

My time in Pisa was up so i returned to the airport to get my hire car. I headed south east and visited the 13th century medieval town of San Gimignano. in the province of Siena. This Italian hill top town is encircled by these high walls.

San gimignano

It is known for its skyline which features many medieval towers –

San gimignano

I drove through the area known as Val D’Orcia , a very picturesque  area of Tuscany, on my way to see Monticchiello. Monticchiello is another medieval town but much smaller then San Gimignano.

monticchiello

monticchiello

monticchiello

Monticchiello is a lovely town to visit if you want some peace and quiet. There were hardly any tourists and it mainly seemed to be residential. There were only a couple of places to eat one of which was just outside the stone walls.

monticchiello

My evening stop was next to Lake Trasimeno in the center of Italy west of Perugia. It is the fourth largest fresh water lake in Italy. I had booked another AirBnB and was drawn in by the photos showing a fantastic view from the terrace. It certainly lived up to my expectations with a great view from the room and also from the large terrace where you can have breakfast. The family owned house was recently renovated, it was nice that the house had been kept in the same family as it was built by the current owners father. It had to be one of the best AirBnBs i have stayed at, great value and just look at that view !! There will also be a pool to use in the summer months. Francesco and his wife made me feel very welcome, i wish i could have stayed for longer.

Lake Trasimeno –

Lake trasimeno

You can have breakfast either on your own balcony outside your room or on the main balcony –Airbnb lake trasimeno

Sunset over Lake Trasimeno –

I left Lake Trasimeno as i had to head back into the heart of Tuscany for the wedding in Il Castagno. On the way back was the town of Cortona, yet another medieval hill top town !!

Always great views from these hill top towns !!

Cortona is famed for its steep narrow streets.

It was a quick visit to Cortona as i needed to find my accomodation in Il Castagno. Only a couple of hours drive through the Tuscany countryside was my accomodation for the next 3 nights. A converted farm house made into seperate villas with a communal pool outside.

Just what i needed as the weather was hot, hot, hot !!

Touring tuscany

It was a nice but all too short break in Tuscany. You could spend days just driving around and admiring the countryside and views. You will of course find many, many medieval hill top towns to stop and admire so i don’t think you really need to plan which to see.

Arrivederci Italy !!