It was a windy but dry(ish) night. I had to double tie all my guy ropes (a trick I learnt in Iceland), as the constant buffetting loosens the guy sliders, leading to a saggy leaking tent in the night. I slept well, and everything was standing in the morning. The site guy said that last night wasn’t windy, but the winds were coming. I’m currently camped on an exposed coastline and have nailed my tent down with everything I have.

For the first morning, I made porridge, I’m getting a bit low on meths, so I used the camp kitchen. It didn’t have a hob, so I made my aeropress coffee using the kettle and started the porridge with boiling water before heading back to the tent to simmer it. There was a microwave, but I’ve never done more than heat up a coffee at work when the boiling water boiler broke. I should learn how to do porridge, but I expect my aluminium pot would have caused a bit of an issue! I started cycling north across Benbecula. If I’d thought that South Uist was flat, Benbecula is as flat as a pancake with barely a hill.

For my fourth real day of cycling (although with a maximum of 60km it’s hard to call them “days of cycling”) I was feeling good, I suspect with the help of a tail wind. I stopped in a little town of Balivanich as it had shops. I mainly needed meths and a dressing for my arm (which is healing well, but blisters have formed, and I’m trying not to knock them). The first shop, MacLennans, was much like a co-op and had nothing of any practical use. I then passed the Lovats shop, which looked derelict, but I couldn’t be sure. Just next door was a petrol station, which is always worth asking for meths, but as normal didn’t have any. I decided to check back on Lovat. Aroundd the back was a tiny clue in the form of a battered Walls ice cream sign. I parked up, an automatic door opened, and I was in a very large deserted shop, with pretty much anything anyone could need. Well, it had meths and a triangular bandage.

Opposite Lovats, according to open street map, was a bakery. It said it was a Cottage Bakery, but must have been set up in one of the houses on a small estate. Balivanich must be the capital of Benbecula as it has both a hospital and an airport. The mind sort of boggles at the logistics of how patients get to hospital or any emergency call outs can reach anyone. That said, later in the ride, I came across an unmarked police car and a monument to a family of doctors who had served their community for over 70 years. So it seems to work.

I needn’t of worried about the bakers, as I soon came across a big bakery selling direct to the public, with a butchers thrown in. I had to queue, so was clearly popular. The queue allowed plenty of time to peruse the wares, and I bought so many things I had repack the bike. I had enough for three lunch breaks, supported by Irn-bru, now that I’ve found it fits my drinks holder.

I had my first lunch stop (bacon & egg sandwich) on the causeway onto Grimsay. I thought the Hebridian Way made a brief circumnavigate of the island, but I didn’t see any signs and followed a much longer causeway to North Uist. This was just after a most impressive Distillery, with the copper in a glass lighthouse – very Thomas Hetherwick (I don’t know if it is him).

I think I started to pick up a head wind, as sometimes it was desperately hard to pedal, especially on the rolling hills. I took my second lunch break (sausage roll) at Clachan. This is where my Garmin was trying to send me the wrong way (or probably the quickest way). I was heading to Clachan Sands, which was still a long way to go. On this part of the islands, there seemed to be more traditional Crofters Cottages. Some in a poor state of repair but others restored, to what I would think, a far greater level than when they were new.

I had my third lunch (ham salad roll) outside a Coop near Clachan Sand. I wasn’t hungry, but needed to clear room for more shopping. The campsite is pretty much a formalised wild camping area, with just water and a bin, so I needed bring anything I wanted.

The site is spectacular, right on a beautiful white sand beach, and with the sun out was amazing. Unfortunately, the sun wasn’t out much, and when it wasn’t, it was very windy. Which made putting the tent up a nightmare. I had a walk on the beach in glorious sun, follow an hour later, sheltering in the tent during a rain squall. You get plenty of weather on the Hebrides.

There were mainly camper vans at the site, although a couple of cyclists, Billy who I had crossed paths a few times – pretty sure he was the person who hurried me up to the Eskrey Ferry, and Ian, who has broken his wheel rim (but had luckily found the support of friends in a camper van).

It was really nice, almost ideallic, cooking dinner overlooking the sea. Although, the wind took the edge off (although you can’t see that in the pictures).

It was quite hard to decide when to turn in, with the view, but in the end, the cold wind won.