WEEK 1
Holiday weather map.
4 July
Depart Firwood
08.00 hours, with a nice quiet drive through Inverness and down Loch Ness. Very wet drive from Drumnadrochit with waterfalls running from most of the hills through to Inverinate. Loo stop Eilean Donan (left) and lunch on Skye at Kyleakin. Arrive Uig for the Loch Maddy ferry 12.15 hours only to be told that the ferry has yet to leave Loch Maddy! A quick bite of lunch at time for a walk up to the Dunvegan road above Uig. A mile and a bit up the road and the ferry hooter sounds down in the bay! Because of the deteriorating weather situation the ferry has stormed across the 
Minch in the hope of getting back to Loch Maddy by 4pm before the worst of the wind is due. Welcome to the Taylor’s holiday! A bouncy crossing but the ferry arrives early and by 5pm we are at the holiday cottage at Solas being welcomed by Mrs MacLean. Bags unloaded and a cup of tea on the go and a male hen harrier flies by the cottage – it’s good to be back. After dinner the rain eases and dressed against the gale, I head down towards the sand dunes to see what is about. Lapwing and oystercatcher chicks everywhere and 3 pairs of redshanks alarming (right) at me so they also must have bred well. Snipe with food and a dunlin a few metres from the path highlight the quality of this amazing island. A tentative look for the breeding holes of the wee sand dune bee Colletes floralis fails but a nice frog orchid a metre away from a ploughed field is a great alternative. I get back to the cottage just as the next shower arrives, you get the feeling it’s going to be one of those holidays.
5 July
Struggle out of bed about 9am, unheard of for me but that’s how it is in the Uists. No hurry really as the showers keep piling through.
Today’s walk is going to take us past the cottage used by Monty Hall for his recent TV series (left) which was based in the Uists. We found the series content a bit naf but the scenery was great. We decided to park at the end of the track leading to the cottage just as another heavy shower wizzed through so we stayed in the car for 10 minutes. With no camera to hand a female hen harrier passes within 30' before being seen off by an oystercatcher with young nearby. As the sun tries to shine a common blue butterfly and common blue damselfly appear and by the edge of a lochan I manage to photograph a mating pair of blue-tailed damsels – a rarity in Nethybridge. The pig sty is still in the garden at the cottage, no doubt a feature for visitors and a possible selling po
int for the owner letting the cottage. The cottage though is stunningly resplendent in its newish thatch though with none of the views that our cottage boasts. At a group of buildings, some in ruin, a couple of pairs of house sparrows are feeding young in holes in the walls. In amongst the flowers Janet spots a mating pair of six-spot burnet moths, a very different location to those recorded just a week earlier during the orchid count. On the shore a herd of highland cattle with calves make a wonderful picture as they lie on the sandy beach and 3 little terns fly rapidly inland with the wind, never to be seen again. Out to sea we can see a massive shower heading our way so we don waterproofs, get behind a big rock, and wedge ourselves in und
er our umbrellas until the squall is past. The rest of the walk round the headland to the wee pier is uneventful but the fisher-man’s big container comes in handy as the next squall passed by. Back at the car, with camera at the ready while we have a cuppa, the hen harrier fails to reappear. An evening visit to the great sand dunes of the Machair Leathann is rewarded by finding the wee bee at a previously unknown site. Download photos and off to bed. Weather forecast for tomorrow more rain and even windier!
6 July
Weather forecast correct so we head south to check out a few craft shops. A quick detour round the ex island of Grimsay for a pot of fresh crab for lunch. A bit of shopping at Balivanich in Benbecula and lunch at Griminish overlooking an inland loch with arctic terns breeding. Rain starting to get more serious and winds approaching gale-force. We push on to the craft shop at Kildonan where we struggle to open the car doors against the wind. Nice produce but no purchase today. To hell, let’s get wet, so we drive on to Frobost where I make a count of lesser butterfly orch
ids growing by the road. 56 in total. Shelter behind wall to take waterproofs off then dash to car. Brrrr! Detour off main road to Stoneybridge and spot more butterfly orchids. Waterproofs back on – 450 spikes, and a new site to boot. Photograph young lapwings sheltering from weather behind rushes. Back on the main road (with passing places!) we pass two groups of cyclists trying to pedal south in to the gale, poor souls, and then flagged down by a single cyclist flying north with a cape for a sail, asking where the Howmore youth hostel is. The recommendation for a cycling holiday in the Uists is to travel from the south to the north. Despite the weather the male hen harrier is out hunting again by the cottage. Holland 3 Uruguay 2.
7 July
60 mph winds forecast
for today and yes, they have arrived. Walk to Co-op for shopping to see if they ease – no chance. We drive to Berneray for the day and wrap up against the gale and occasional shower. Passing through the machair we see a family of ringed plovers and as we start the walk we find a well grown oystercatcher chick. Redshank and dunlin also alarm calling close by. For the first part of the walk the wind is behind us and as we reach the village hall at Borgh we find a gang of workers from Marquees of Nairn erecting the framework for a monster marquee. I bet they won’t put the canvass on today! We head across the machair towards the dunes, lots of frog orchids and centaury flowers, need to check if it is seaside centaury, and suddenly there are plants of adder’s tongue ferns everywhere (left), in a slightly damper depression, many only a
n inch high – possibly the rarer small adder’s-tongue, need to check. A single spike of common twayblade also present. Climb over dunes onto beach, far too windy with sand blowing everywhere so back over dunes to see if there are any Collettes bees. Just one found, feeding on an umbellifer flower – no obvious holes though, possibly a bit early? Drive to north end of Berneray, little tern diving at head of bay and new road being cut to possibly renovate a row of old black houses. Another little tern spotted diving at Port nan Long, Janet spots two fledged juveniles being fed on shore (right). Red faces and blown to bits but a good day. Spain 1 Germany 0. Goodnight.
8 July
Windy, but at least the rain has just about stopped and today the first place to visit is somewhere new – Langais and its hotel, otter watching spot in the evenings. There are trees and s
helter with butterflies and dragonflies on the wing and rarities like wren and chaffinch singing in the trees. Red admiral is a new butterfly for the visit, but no otters. Loch Euphort for lunch and a new and interesting craft shop for Janet to visit. With the sun continuing to shine we head off to Paibeil (full name left) an amazingly rich plant and bird area justifying a walk round Loch Sanndaraigh. Meadow pipit feeding y
oung right by the car and a sedge warbler doing the same on the opposite side of the road, redshank, lapwing and oystercatcher also all with chicks and 2 corncrakes were heard rasping away in the fields. Surprise of the day is 6 whooper swans feeding on the loch with 10 mute swans. We head back to Sollas over the moor road but no short-eared owls or hen harriers on this occasion. A quick bite to eat and its time for me to head back to Berneray for the evening to look for a plant I have never knowingly seen – pyramidal orchid (right). I park by the village hall again and relieved to see the marquee has not blown away and folk are inside preparing for a wedding reception on Friday. A half-hour walk follows with no stops – almost unheard of for me, and in the featureless sand dune landscape the search s
tarts. The plant gods are with me and after about 20 minutes of searching the first plant is found in deepish vegetation. Great care needed, more flowers are visible but the site is also full of frog orchids. Using Leki-poles for markers 11 flower spikes are found with an additional spike snapped off.
08.00 hours, with a nice quiet drive through Inverness and down Loch Ness. Very wet drive from Drumnadrochit with waterfalls running from most of the hills through to Inverinate. Loo stop Eilean Donan (left) and lunch on Skye at Kyleakin. Arrive Uig for the Loch Maddy ferry 12.15 hours only to be told that the ferry has yet to leave Loch Maddy! A quick bite of lunch at time for a walk up to the Dunvegan road above Uig. A mile and a bit up the road and the ferry hooter sounds down in the bay! Because of the deteriorating weather situation the ferry has stormed across the 
Minch in the hope of getting back to Loch Maddy by 4pm before the worst of the wind is due. Welcome to the Taylor’s holiday! A bouncy crossing but the ferry arrives early and by 5pm we are at the holiday cottage at Solas being welcomed by Mrs MacLean. Bags unloaded and a cup of tea on the go and a male hen harrier flies by the cottage – it’s good to be back. After dinner the rain eases and dressed against the gale, I head down towards the sand dunes to see what is about. Lapwing and oystercatcher chicks everywhere and 3 pairs of redshanks alarming (right) at me so they also must have bred well. Snipe with food and a dunlin a few metres from the path highlight the quality of this amazing island. A tentative look for the breeding holes of the wee sand dune bee Colletes floralis fails but a nice frog orchid a metre away from a ploughed field is a great alternative. I get back to the cottage just as the next shower arrives, you get the feeling it’s going to be one of those holidays.5 July
Struggle out of bed about 9am, unheard of for me but that’s how it is in the Uists. No hurry really as the showers keep piling through.
Today’s walk is going to take us past the cottage used by Monty Hall for his recent TV series (left) which was based in the Uists. We found the series content a bit naf but the scenery was great. We decided to park at the end of the track leading to the cottage just as another heavy shower wizzed through so we stayed in the car for 10 minutes. With no camera to hand a female hen harrier passes within 30' before being seen off by an oystercatcher with young nearby. As the sun tries to shine a common blue butterfly and common blue damselfly appear and by the edge of a lochan I manage to photograph a mating pair of blue-tailed damsels – a rarity in Nethybridge. The pig sty is still in the garden at the cottage, no doubt a feature for visitors and a possible selling po
int for the owner letting the cottage. The cottage though is stunningly resplendent in its newish thatch though with none of the views that our cottage boasts. At a group of buildings, some in ruin, a couple of pairs of house sparrows are feeding young in holes in the walls. In amongst the flowers Janet spots a mating pair of six-spot burnet moths, a very different location to those recorded just a week earlier during the orchid count. On the shore a herd of highland cattle with calves make a wonderful picture as they lie on the sandy beach and 3 little terns fly rapidly inland with the wind, never to be seen again. Out to sea we can see a massive shower heading our way so we don waterproofs, get behind a big rock, and wedge ourselves in und
er our umbrellas until the squall is past. The rest of the walk round the headland to the wee pier is uneventful but the fisher-man’s big container comes in handy as the next squall passed by. Back at the car, with camera at the ready while we have a cuppa, the hen harrier fails to reappear. An evening visit to the great sand dunes of the Machair Leathann is rewarded by finding the wee bee at a previously unknown site. Download photos and off to bed. Weather forecast for tomorrow more rain and even windier!6 July
Weather forecast correct so we head south to check out a few craft shops. A quick detour round the ex island of Grimsay for a pot of fresh crab for lunch. A bit of shopping at Balivanich in Benbecula and lunch at Griminish overlooking an inland loch with arctic terns breeding. Rain starting to get more serious and winds approaching gale-force. We push on to the craft shop at Kildonan where we struggle to open the car doors against the wind. Nice produce but no purchase today. To hell, let’s get wet, so we drive on to Frobost where I make a count of lesser butterfly orch
ids growing by the road. 56 in total. Shelter behind wall to take waterproofs off then dash to car. Brrrr! Detour off main road to Stoneybridge and spot more butterfly orchids. Waterproofs back on – 450 spikes, and a new site to boot. Photograph young lapwings sheltering from weather behind rushes. Back on the main road (with passing places!) we pass two groups of cyclists trying to pedal south in to the gale, poor souls, and then flagged down by a single cyclist flying north with a cape for a sail, asking where the Howmore youth hostel is. The recommendation for a cycling holiday in the Uists is to travel from the south to the north. Despite the weather the male hen harrier is out hunting again by the cottage. Holland 3 Uruguay 2.7 July
60 mph winds forecast
for today and yes, they have arrived. Walk to Co-op for shopping to see if they ease – no chance. We drive to Berneray for the day and wrap up against the gale and occasional shower. Passing through the machair we see a family of ringed plovers and as we start the walk we find a well grown oystercatcher chick. Redshank and dunlin also alarm calling close by. For the first part of the walk the wind is behind us and as we reach the village hall at Borgh we find a gang of workers from Marquees of Nairn erecting the framework for a monster marquee. I bet they won’t put the canvass on today! We head across the machair towards the dunes, lots of frog orchids and centaury flowers, need to check if it is seaside centaury, and suddenly there are plants of adder’s tongue ferns everywhere (left), in a slightly damper depression, many only a
n inch high – possibly the rarer small adder’s-tongue, need to check. A single spike of common twayblade also present. Climb over dunes onto beach, far too windy with sand blowing everywhere so back over dunes to see if there are any Collettes bees. Just one found, feeding on an umbellifer flower – no obvious holes though, possibly a bit early? Drive to north end of Berneray, little tern diving at head of bay and new road being cut to possibly renovate a row of old black houses. Another little tern spotted diving at Port nan Long, Janet spots two fledged juveniles being fed on shore (right). Red faces and blown to bits but a good day. Spain 1 Germany 0. Goodnight.8 July
Windy, but at least the rain has just about stopped and today the first place to visit is somewhere new – Langais and its hotel, otter watching spot in the evenings. There are trees and s
helter with butterflies and dragonflies on the wing and rarities like wren and chaffinch singing in the trees. Red admiral is a new butterfly for the visit, but no otters. Loch Euphort for lunch and a new and interesting craft shop for Janet to visit. With the sun continuing to shine we head off to Paibeil (full name left) an amazingly rich plant and bird area justifying a walk round Loch Sanndaraigh. Meadow pipit feeding y
oung right by the car and a sedge warbler doing the same on the opposite side of the road, redshank, lapwing and oystercatcher also all with chicks and 2 corncrakes were heard rasping away in the fields. Surprise of the day is 6 whooper swans feeding on the loch with 10 mute swans. We head back to Sollas over the moor road but no short-eared owls or hen harriers on this occasion. A quick bite to eat and its time for me to head back to Berneray for the evening to look for a plant I have never knowingly seen – pyramidal orchid (right). I park by the village hall again and relieved to see the marquee has not blown away and folk are inside preparing for a wedding reception on Friday. A half-hour walk follows with no stops – almost unheard of for me, and in the featureless sand dune landscape the search s
tarts. The plant gods are with me and after about 20 minutes of searching the first plant is found in deepish vegetation. Great care needed, more flowers are visible but the site is also full of frog orchids. Using Leki-poles for markers 11 flower spikes are found with an additional spike snapped off. A slightly wider search reveals 1 more spike 12 met
res away. It’s 8.30pm, just time for another half-hour of searching more of the dunes. 3 pieces of black plastic silage wrapping picked up. 2 more spikes are found before heading for the car, out to sea a sunset is trying hard to develop. Stop briefly to photograph frog orchid (left) and adder’s tongue fern (right) in the setting sun. Not a bad day.
res away. It’s 8.30pm, just time for another half-hour of searching more of the dunes. 3 pieces of black plastic silage wrapping picked up. 2 more spikes are found before heading for the car, out to sea a sunset is trying hard to develop. Stop briefly to photograph frog orchid (left) and adder’s tongue fern (right) in the setting sun. Not a bad day.9 July
Steady rain is falling so we vi
sit the craft shop in Loch Maddy. On the way Janet spots a short-eared owl sitting on a fence post, close to the road, looking quite damp. A bit like buses, another one is found a mile along the road, the first 2 we’ve seen since arriving. On the way back for lunch a few lesser butterfly orchids are spotted in a field at Ath Mor – an old site re-found. 1.30pm and the sky is clearing and the sun might shine so off to Berneray for a beach walk, without a free sand-blasting this time. Colletes bees seen at 4 sites and a re-check of the mini-adder’s tongues shows them to be the “standard” species but just growing very small. Start to pack for move tomorrow to Harris and Lewis. Hugely relieved to hear that police have managed to surround the gunman Raoul Moat. Week 2 will follow very shortly.
Enjoy the read
Stewart & Janet
Berneray sunset
All photos © Stewart Taylor
