Loch an Ath Ruaidh

In May of 2017 I camped for two nights by a beautiful loch in the remote interior of southwest Lewis. I had not planned to camp there. I'd wanted to make it all the way to the Aird Mhor, at the mouth of Loch Reasort. The hike had started at Kinlochrog. But due to the difficult terrain, after eight hours of hiking I'd only traversed ten miles. My legs were shot, and the pack seemed to get heavier with every step. It was getting late, and Aird Mhor was still another two hilly miles west. So I decided to call it a day and find a campsite. 

Circumstances create memories. The campsite I found was absolutely amazing. It was on the grassy shore of a little loch; a loch hidden in a cradle of hills; hills rich with deer, grouse, snipe, and the occasional eagle.  Oh, and one other thing - hills full of shielings and beehive cells.

The name of the loch is Loch an Ath Ruaidh, the loch of the red-stone ford. It is compact, only about four acres in size. Early hunter-gatherers appreciated this site; plenty of game, fresh water, and shelter provided by the surrounding hills. They liked it so much they built six beehive dwellings around the loch. The following photo, taken near a beehive on the north end of the loch, shows the locations of several of the cells.

Loch an Ath Ruaidh remains one of my favorite Hebridean campsites. I was fortunate in 2017, as it was sunny, with just enough of a breeze to keep the midges away. When I returned to the loch two years later, it was a cold, wet, and windy day. I decided to camp in a different location, as I did not want to ruin the memory of what had been a perfect island campsite. 

What follows are photos of Loch an Ath Ruaidh from 2017. My little blue tent shows up in all but the final photo. That one shows the only company I had during three sunny days in the Aird Mhor.

A Walk to the Aird Mhor

In July I made a three-day hike from Morsgail to the Aird Mhor on the far southwestern tip of Lewis. The journey was made to photograph some of the more intact beehive cells and shielings found in one of the most remote places in the Hebrides. The story of the walk, which followed the route shown below, can be found on the Aird Mhor Walk tab.

Beehive cell above Loch Reasort

Tents - Two

I have two tents I use for backpacking trips. One, a tiny Eureka Zephyr, has been with me for nearly 15 years. Aside from a few dozen locations in the Cascade Mountians of Washington State, it has been pitched on St Kilda; seven sites on Lewis (Crola, Ben Isobhal, Aird Bheg, Aird Mhor, Ardroil, Upper Fidigidh, Loch an Ath Ruadh, and Gleann Shanndaig); two sites on South Uist (Glen Corodale and Creag Spuir); Sgail-Saile on the east side of North Uist; and near Dun Ban on the west side of Barra.

Aside from being tiny, the Zephyr has one major flaw; its rain fly acts as a sail, and if the wind hits it side-on it tends to lean over. On one occasion, gale force winds hit in the middle of the night. I'd done a poor job of staking it down and the tent blew over. Then the tent, with me in it, rolled about 15 feet. I had to sit out the rest of the stormy night rolled up in the tent; for if I'd gotten out it would have blown away. That said, it's still a great tent - light and easy to set up - and I now pay extra attention when I stake it down. Here are some photos of the Zephyr in action.

The Zephyr in the moorland above Ardroil (Lewis) - Loch Stacsabhat in the distance

The Zephyr at Crola in 2010 (Lewis)

The Zephyr at Crola in 2018 (Lewis)

The Zephyr at Corodale (S. Uist)

The Zephyr at Corodale
Behind it is the site of the cottage where Prince Charlie stayed for three weeks

The Zephyr atop Ben Isobhal - Kinlochresort below, the hills of Harris in the distance

The Zephyr at St Kilda

The Zephyr at Ardveg (2001)

The Zephyr at Ardveg again (2016)

The Zephyr (and a friend) at Aird Mhor (Lewis) - the scant remains of the 12-chambered beehive are in the beach rocks to the right)  )

The Zephyr at Aird Mhor (just visible at the lower left) - the hill of Taran Mor in the distance

The Zephyr at Sgal-Saile (N. Uist)

The Zephyr near Upper Fidigidh (Lewis)

The Zephyr on the west coast of Barra 

The Zephyr at Creag Spuir (S. Uist) - Maol na h-Ordaig in the distance

The Zephyr at Loch an Ath Ruadh

The Zephyr in Gleann Shanndaig

The Zephyr on the western shore of Blake Island State Park

The Zephyr on the eastern shore of Blake Island State Park

My second tent is an REI Quarter Dome. It is more spacious than the Zepher, but has only seen two Scottish islands: Inchtavannach of Loch Lomond, and Jura. I bought it because, as I got older, I decided the extra weight was worth the added comfort. I now take the Quarter Dome on all my US backpacking trips, but I only took it to Scotland twice, as the smaller Zephyr is easier when I'm flying and luggage space is at a premium. Here are some photos of the Quarter Dome in action.

The Quarter Dome at Jura's Na Rubhachan Dona (the evil headland) - overlooking Corryvreakan

The Quarter Dome at Jura's-Bagh Gleann nam Muc (Scarba in distance)

The Quarter Dome on the north shore of Inchtavannach (Loch Lomond)

The Quarter Dome pitched atop Tom na Clag (the hill of the bell) - Inchtavannach