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Alice McInnes BARRA TO HARRIS ROAD TRIP

Terrain: The Outer Hebrides are a good place to start for someone new to cycle touring. Relatively flat and compact, you can cover as much or as little distance you want to and still be rewarded with a change of scenery round every corner.

Distance: This trip lasted 9 days, six days cycling, two travelling and one rest day, averaging 30 miles per day with 12kg of luggage on a MTB with slick tyres.

Maps: OS Maps: 31, 22, 18, 14

Accomodation: There are many places to stay, ranging from hotels and B and B's, to hostels and camping. The B and B's can be booked a few days in advance from the Tourist Information Centres. There are also several hostels which are a first come first served basis, but can usually accommodate everyone, and beautiful wild camping spots can be found all over. The main hostels are at Howmore (Gaitliff Trust) on South Uist, Balivanich on Benbecula, Lochmaddy on North Uist and Bernerey (Gaitliff Trust), Leverburgh and Drinishader on Harris.

Food: The main food shops are in: Castlebay, (Barra), Daliburgh (S. Uist), Creagorry (Benbecula), Clachan and Lochmaddy, (N.Uist), Berneray. Leverburgh (Harris).

Route: Leave the train or car at Oban and get the ferry to Castlebay, Barra. Barra is the most southerly of the main islands of the Outer Hebrides, and after the 5 hour ferry journey you feel a long way from home. Cross the causeway onto Vatersay to sample the first a many stunning beaches. Explore all-round Barra before hopping on to the small passenger and bicycle ferry which runs from north Barra to Ludag on South Uist. Times and bookings can be made at the Tourist Information Centre in Castlebay.

The road runs north, with a detour east to Lochboisdale, the main village and ferry port. Campers can stay behind the Tourist Information Centre, next to excellent public toilets and showers. There is a great café at the harbour area, open until 9pm. Nowadays the mostly single-track road runs all the way north to Berneray crossing several miles of causeways which join up all the smaller islands. You can cover this distance as quickly as your legs and the weather permits. Berneray is a island with about seven miles of coastline and beautiful beaches, machair, and a great hostel, well worth recharging your batteries here.

Take the ferry across to Harris (see Hary Heniker's route for the west coast route) and take the eastern coastal route north to Tarbet. The first part of this is called The Peats Road, and is easy to see why as you wind around lots of freshwater lochans and peat cuttings. You then hit the East coast, and weave in and out and up and down many tiny sea inlets, this section is called The Golden Road. The hills are frequent but small, and the views to the mainland are spectacular.

This route turns South now and heads down the West coast of Harris, past the most stunning beaches in the world. If the weather is fine, take your time, and allow yourself to take a break from your saddle to climb the 1000ft Chaipavel (near Northton beach) to catch a glimpse of St Kilda. You can choose now to retrace your steps to get the ferry to Oban, or take the ferry from Lochmaddy to Uig on Skye.