We hit the road at about 1000 after a late breakfast and headed the 9 miles to the top of Lewis into a strong northerly and plenty of rain - full oilskins from the start. It was not flat and we made some hard yards but arrived at the Butt of Lewis in good heart, a little cold and definately wet. A kind lady got out of her car and offered to take a pic - otherewise it would have been a selfie. It is the windiest place in the Hebredies and a wild coast. The lighthouse is impressive - yet another built by Stevenson.
We headed east for a couple of miles to the Port of Ness, a small interesting fishing village with a maze of harbour walls to give protection to the small fishing boats. We lunched in a great little cafe overlooking the harbour and sands. There were a small pod of minke whales in the bay surfacing every so often and causing excitment to the folk in the cafe. We headed back to whence we came with the wind behind.
This morning was a 0630 pedal out - bad weather predicted with increasing winds from the south by mid morning and rain after lunch. The 20 miles to Stornoway took us just over 2 hours and we checked into our hostel, dropped our bags and tucked into a full Scotish B'fast at 1000 - boy was i hungry.. Twas then off for our final cyle quest - a monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie south of town - what it did not say was that it was a hilly ride - tested my already tiresd legs.
We are now back in our hostel - the wind is howling, the rain pelting down and we are relaxing. Sightseeing tomorrow then ferry back to the mainland and to Aberdeen then homeward bound on Friday.
It has been a challenging tril, some big hills, particularly in Shetland and some fierce weather but as our old school motto says 'Quit Ye Like Men, Be Strong' - we have certainly lived up to that!
The Odo for the trip is 435 miles - it may not be as high as other routes we have travelled but I feel I have pedalled every inch. I have enjoyed Pat's company and it has been a good trip.
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