Tuesday 9 September 2008

The Butt of Lewis

Arriving at the Butt of Lewis (or less amusingly in Gaelic, Rubha Robhanis) provides a small sense of achievement for the cyclist who has come all the way from Bagh a'Deas, Bhatersaidh.

It is the end of a long dead-end road, with people watching intently as you ride past the strip villages, Barabhas being the most characteristic. As this is a dead end road, nobody comes up here without coming back, and the locals want to check you out.

Seacliffs at the Butt of Lewis:


With a strong headwind in prospect, we didn't want to cycle all the way back to Stornoway, so took the bus from Eoropaidh. The buses in the Western Isles have space for a few bikes, a great improvement on public transport on the mainland. We waited for the bus on the superlative beach, half a kilometre of dunes leading to pristine honey-coloured sands, the surf crashing in and gulls feeding at the tide line.

Traigh Shanndaidh, Eoropaidh:

13 comments:

Paul McMc said...

Lovely. L and I went to the Butt of Lewis on honeymoon and I think we visited that very stretch of beach :)

Robert Craig said...

Like most on Lewis, it's a fine beach!

Billy said...

Dont you have a photo of the road sign?

Seen the cock of Arran?

Robert Craig said...

>>Dont you have a photo of the road sign?

The road sign is in Gaelic - Rubha Robhanis. Very disappointing. But there is a shop nearby with a sign 'Butt View Stores'

>>Seen the cock of Arran?

I don't frequent your kind of clubs...

Billy said...

But there is a shop nearby with a sign 'Butt View Stores'

Got any photos? You should do a post of funny names - like twatt and thre ardgay filling station etc.

Maybe one day I'll grow up, but till then, I still regret my camera not working then I stumbled upon the Jobbi clinic in Tanzania

Rune said...

Been on that beach, Robert.

It's interesting that everyone that I've met who's been to Stornaway has found it disappointing.

The rest of Lewis is fine.

I was speaking to this guy who was telling me about the moth that had eaten most of the trees on the island.

"Must have been a big one, eh?"
I said.

He looked at me as if I was fucking stupid.

Islanders.

Robert Craig said...

Billy - you can still go down to Birmingham. No word of a lie, there is a doctors there with a big sign outside saying "Sarehole Surgery"

Rune - Stornoway isn't that great, you're right. I thought it was the wind that got all the trees?

Dave said...

Have you read "Peeping in the Showers" by Seymour Butts?

Billy said...

Wasn't he warden at the glen nevis youth hostel in the early 90s?

Billy said...

Come to think of it, there was some old guy who offered to take Alistair back to his place for a shower. As they say in Spanish chaparron dorrado

Robert Craig said...

If I post this Billy will you be satisfied?

[img src="http://www.hootsmon.com/images/twatt.jpg" /]

Billy said...

couldnt open that link, but this one will do http://www.hootsmon.com/archive/060104.html

Go on, post the twatt church - go on go on go on.

I actually use that as an avatar.

Robert Craig said...

Billy - maybe I'll do an Orkney post later. I still have new pictures from last summer I haven't put on loveofscotland.com yet!