Iain Robertson Rambles

With 100 miles of the Hebridean Way conquered, Iain is at the halfway point on his 200-mile adventure.

Arriving off the ferry in Leverburgh on Harris, Iain and Molly are now on their ninth island out of ten. However, Iain is a little daunted by the prospect of the ten miles that lay ahead of them on today's leg of the journey, noting that besides the change in weather, the walking is more demanding than on the previous islands.

Jumping over torrents of streams, Iain and Molly trek forward against the rain to reach Horgabost Township, where Molly takes a well-earned rest by the fire and Iain mentally prepares himself for the 11-mile trek to Plocropool the following day.

Looking down over Luskentyre Beach, Iain contemplates throwing in the towel, but he manages to make it to the Coffin Road, where crofters who were moved off the fertile western land on Harris to the barren lands in the east, were carried by pallbearers back west, where they were laid to rest. Finding the path much easier underfoot, Iain brings the day to a close at Plocropool.

Heading on towards Tarbert, Iain is surprised to find that a miscalculation means that and he and Molly have a shorter day of walking than anticipated. Iain is joined in Tarbert by Ross Hyslop, a therapist friend who regularly counsels on the hills, as he sees a great connection between the outdoors and good mental health. Iain is even persuaded to take a dip in the freezing cold waters at Luskentyre, which he finds to be a surprisingly invigorating experience.

Passing through Glen Lacasdail, Iain and Ross make it to the foot of Clisham Hill, where they plan to set up camp before climbing the hill the next day. At 629 metres, Clisham is not quite a munro, but is nonetheless a challenging hill.

On receiving a call to confirm they can reach St Kilda, Iain once again diverts from the path to visit the archipelago that lies 44 miles west of Harris.