THERE is no better way to get a real feel for a landscape than to walk in it. And there are few other landscapes like that of the Outer Hebrides for evoking real feelings of freedom, time, place and wonder.
The inauguration of the Hebridean Way Walking Route, therefore, opens a gateway to getting far away from the rat-race, to feeling the wind on one’s face and the scrunch of ancient soil and stones beneath one’s feet.
Taking in 10 islands, six causeways and two ferry crossings, through a landscape sometimes described as “ritualistic”, this is a journey of the soul as well as the soles.
No need to do all 156 miles at once. If you rush it, you don’t get it. Try a byway, go off the beaten track, take time out, come back later. From the beautiful beaches of Vatersay in the south, through Barra, Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist and Berneray to the lochs and lochans of Lewis in the north, the visitor has every chance of seeing red deer, golden eagles and sea eagles, while the ear catches the air-cracking call of the corncrake and the solitude-enhancing piping of lapwing and oystercatcher.
It should be said that this Walk on the Edge, developed by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar with support from the European Regional Development Fund and Scottish Natural Heritage, will prove a boon for locals as well as visitors. Anyone experienced in the islands knows that jumping everywhere in the car can easily become an engrained habit, and the idea of walking anywhere seems almost counter-intuitive.
But walking is always well worth the effort, and this new, dedicated trail of waymarked routes, old tracks, new paths and quiet stretches of road points the way to a healing and healthy experience that leads from flower-filled machair towards majestic mountains, through archaeological sites and the remains of ancient castles – there’s nothing like a good ruin walked – to dramatic coastlines.
It may have just opened, but this route feels good already and it is to be hoped many will come to enjoy the experience.
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