Welcome!

This is NOT a guide to 'The Hebridean Way'!  Its an account of walking The Western Isles, South to North, 'My Way'.

I had decided to walk from Heilinish Point, the southern tip of Vatersay, to the Butt of Lewis. I then reseached and discovered about the Hebridean Way - learnt a lot from the detail, and decided that was not what I wanted. I wanted to walk from southernmost tip to northernmost tip, seeing sea on both sides when I could, following the highest ground as far as I could manage and walking off road wherever practicable.

Heilinish Point, the southern tip of Vatersay, to the Butt of Lewis - 200 km "as the crow flies", but 400 km "as my boots walked"

Whenever I read a guide, I find unanswered questions in my mind. So it might take you that long, or that is the distance, but how old and fit are you? Were you hurrying? How much faster is your walking speed than mine? What did you feel, hear and see? Where did you stop, get fascinated, rest? What did you actually wear, carry, eat? How did you organise a one way walk with or without carrying food for several days, or without getting someone to taxi you to your start or from your finish points? And could I do this on a frugal budget with time to meander, mouch about, absorb the atmosphere and take photos?  So I'll abandon guidance and advice, and I'll let you into the (unnecessary?) details of what I did and what my experience was like.

I left Gloucestershire in a small campervan on 4th May and arrived home on the 31st, having spent £500, plus food costs at supermarkets and local stores. (I couldn't price up the food since I took food from our pantry and on return had a lot of spare, non-perishable food left to return to the pantry.) I'd spent £280 on fuel; £101 on ferry fares; £98 on campsite fees, and £18 on bus fares.

My tale is a personal one, containing idiosycratic, planned as well as spontaneous, choices. The journey taken when aged 63, a hillwalker for almost 60 years. Well experienced in map-reading, using compass bearings, navigating in mist and cloud, triangulating my position from bearings off identifiable features on a map; I hadn't yet adopted the use of GPS and electronic maps, and I carried a whistle and the lightest weight mobile phone in case of emergency. My policy when walking solo on remote hills is to travel with care and caution - moving slowly without getting tired, particularly when assistance might be far away. I carried two sticks for off-track walking - a pair of lightweight Fizan poles, 160 g each, which have a combined weight comparable with one heavy duty walking pole. These are invaluable to ease the pain in a damaged knee-joint when descending, but also aid balance and safety, as well as allowing smoother and more efficient use of muscles when ascending. I also wore a knee brace with aluminium spiral stays and, using a variety of foot-arch supports, I swapped between a pair of Brasher Hillmaster GTX boots, with rather worn soles, and a pair of Meindl Bhutan's, ideal for difficult terrain but too heavy and clunky for long distances on road or firm trails.  Only once did I resort to walking on a road in running shoes - much lighter and softer, but I prefer to protect my feet from the inevitable rain and bog-water.