Hike Along the Coast

It is a quiet morning in Stornoway. The sun is shining but I find I need still need my fleece. I'm at the library enjoying the sound of Scottish accents and the light through the windows. A coffee after this post is entirely appropriate.

Yesterday I took a bus up towards the top of the island. There is a hike along the coast and I felt I need the exercise. The driver stopped beyond some pastures. "The Bridge to Nowhere lies up ahead. That's where the trail starts".

Of course it was the kind of adventure I'm always up for. The hike is 10 miles in length and the owner of the hostel had concerns about my shoes and "...did I have a cell phone?"

After crossing the bridge, the trail went up a coastal hill. The beach below and coastline were like some paint scene I once pondered. I bounced on (yes, bounced...that is what it feels like to walk in the bog) until I found myself in complete isolation. I could see across the ocean for many miles and along the north and south coast. There was no sign of people or civilization. My company was the various ferns, mosses and distant bird song.

As I meandered the marked trail, I found myself sometimes above jagged cliff faces looking down on waves breaking far below. Vertigo. The distant bark of seals added to the mystic.

5 1/2 hours later, I found my way out to the main road and caught the bus back to Stornoway. Truly it was a hike to remember.