Distance : 25.63 Miles / 41.25 Kms
Ascent : 1366 ft / 416 m
Terrain : Tarmac = 100%
Difficulty : Moderate
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/62746393
A few days after the first ride of our holiday on South Harris, I was eager to be back in the saddle to cover the tarmac I had missed. I think that no visit to the Isle would be complete without a visit to the beautiful sands of its most famous beach, at Luskentyre.
Although the route starts from Luskentyre beach car park, I actually rode from Horgabost campsite, as my family were headed for the adjacent beach. I was to meet them back at Luskentyre. In fact, it is only approximately four miles to Luskentyre from Horgabost, so it is an easy reach for anyone staying at the campsite.
After rectifying my error of nearly setting off in a pair of trainers instead of my cycling shoes, I pedalled out of the campsite, heading East towards Seilebost (pronounced Shielebost). A fishing boat lay at anchor in the bay with men busy onboard. Pollock, coalfish and mackerel are often caught in the deeper waters around here, with Flounder, Turbot and Dab caught from the shore.
Again, the skies were blue and the sun shone brightly through wispy clouds as I set off. It was possibly not quite as warm as during my previous ride, but it certainly was not as windy.
Before long I was taking a left turn onto the dead end road to Luskentyre. It may be dead end by name, but certainly not by nature. Either before, or after, your ride you must take the short walk from the car park beyond the dunes and onto the stunning Luskentyre beach.
In warm sunny weather it would be hard not to believe that you are on a carribean island. The fine white sand reaches far and wide, and the water is crystal clear. Across West Loch Tarbert the mountains of North Harris provide a fine backdrop, and Taransay with it’s own Beinn Ra, lies closer still, only two miles across the Sound of Taransay.
The island of Taransay is famous for the BBC “Castaway” television series, a social experiment reality show which aired in 2000, and brought Ben Fogle to fame. Ben later went on to work as a TV presenter for BBC, ITV, Channel 5, Sky, the Discovery and National Geographic Channels.
Riding up and away from the beach car park the road cuts across the machair and follows the shoreline of the bay.
As I looked out across the dunes I glimpsed the two white ponies which have featured on photographs all across the world. They were too far away from the road for me to get a pic, unfortunately, but their pure white manes and tails give them an ethereal look as they wander the sands. They are called Toby and Isla and belong to the MacKay family who live close to the beach.
A little further along the road I watched a guy in his wetsuit attempting to wade to a sandbank not far from the shore. He stopped when the water reached his neck…I didn’t wait to see if he continued his voyage by foot. A paddleboarder sailed slowly along in timeless fashion, as if he had forgotten where he was headed, but had to keep moving or be carried by the current.
Arriving back at the junction with the A859, which runs from Tarbert to Leverburgh, I turned left and began my three mile ascent towards Tarbert. Initially singletrack, the road soon opens out onto the wide new surface. Although this surface was decent, I found efficiency and distraction in riding the smooth white line along the roadside, and soon I was passing the turn to Finsbay, Geocrab and Lacklee. A cycling couple had pulled up by the junction and spurred me on with cries of “not far now”. I smiled and tried to make it look like it was all in a days work! They won’t have seen my grimace as I was propelled on by a growling bin wagon following me over the crest of the hill.
I sat up and caught my breath on the long flowing descent towards the turn for the Golden Road a mile or two from Tarbert. I had made a point to remember to photograph a tiny bus stop with it’s decrepit office chair…how could I forget it. It just seemed to sum up the spirit of Harris…improvisation, utility and enterprise…using all that is available in this remote part of the world. A slap in the face to the consumerist society in which most of us live, yet still a sign that modern technology had arrived here some time ago.
I would be riding back along the coast through Drinisiader, Plocropol, Grosebay and Stockinish, to name a few of the small communities on my route.
Lorna’s Larder food shack was busy with customers, waiting below the raised counter like patient yet eager canines, all set two metres apart. Other diners sat on nearby verges enjoying the gastronomic treats. This is another delight to sample, according to many reviews, and I look forward to it on my next visit. You can’t beat freshly caught seafood, cooked by the locals with passion.
The road dropped towards Miabhag, but I had forgotten just how lumpy this next section of road is. It wasn’t long, however, before my leg muscles adapted to the challenge and my mind accepted that I would need to experience a little pain to reap the rewards of this Golden Road…the road of a thousand passing places.
Riding inland from the pretty harbour at Drinisiader, the road followed Loch Phlocrapoil through Plocropol. I’m sure they are pronounced the same, but maps show them with different spellings.
At the crest of a climb out of Scadabay a duck family paddled quietly across a lochan whilst noisy gulls splashed about at the far edge. It was the perfect excuse to stop for a breather and take a picture.
Very soon I was dropping into Grosebay and passing the Harris Tweed Company Grosebay. No multinational companies here, just good honest local wares. I should also mention Harris Tweed & Knitwear at Plocropol, which is a long-established family run business still hand-weaving tweed in the traditional way. I would love to own a stylish item of Harris Tweed clothing, but the current weather didn’t call for such fabrics. I would have been tempted had it been cold and wet.
I pulled up at a junction. A right turn would take me straight back to the A859, but my route was headed left, towards Cluer, Stockinish and Lackalee. A cheeky climb out of the bay tested my tiring legs, but I knew it would be the penultimate climb from the finish, and the final was my favourite anyway.
I raved about this climb in my previous ride on South Harris, and it is a climb that you would miss if you rode the Golden Road from start to finish. It is one of the reasons that I split the route into two, and it also meant that I would be able to ride it twice. Bonus!
It starts just beyond Lackalee and winds its way between small lochs, through the rugged terrain, back up to the A859. It is a smooth climb, with a few switchbacks and short rolling sections on singletrack road. It’s a delight with amazing views from the top, although you will already know this as you have passed this junction on your way out, should you have had the inclination to look up of course.
As with my previous ride, I turned left at the top and enjoyed the three mile descent back to the right turn for Luskentyre. Back at the beach I strapped the bike onto the car and reentered the busy world of family holidays…dispute resolution and disaster management. Thank god I‘d had a few hours relief to enjoy South Harris in my own slightly masochistic way! Thank you Zoe.