John MacDonald of the Ardveg (1933 - 2016)

I just learned of the death of John MacDonald on Christmas Day 2016. I only met John once. It was at the Uig Community Centre on June 29, 2013 for the launch of his book An Trusadh - Memories of Crofting in the Ardveg.

Regular readers will know that the Ardveg is one of my favourite places in the isles. It is so remote, that staying there is akin to a retreat on an island in the sea. I've been privileged to have visited Ardveg on three occasions. On two of those I camped next to the old blackhouses, one of which John lived in before his father built a new house nearby in 1934.

A.A.MacGregor's photo of Ardveg in the early 1930s

Ardveg in 2001

An Ardveg campsite

I can't think of a better island experience that reading John's book An Trusadh (which means the gathering), and then making the long hike in to see Ardveg first-hand. We are fortunate John left a fascinating record of what life was like growing up in Ardveg before he passed.

My condolences to John's family. He was a remarkable man who will be missed. See this Northern Times page for an excellent article about his life, and this link which will take you to posts on Ardveg written over the past four years.

Photo of John MacDonald at Ardveg from the back cover of An Trusadh

The Burma Road to Tamnabhaigh

The long and winding road to Tamnabhaigh is an 8-mile endurance test. But it is worth it. It was hacked out of the hills and bogs between Uig and Tamnabhaigh in the late 1990s to ease the access to Tamnabhaigh Lodge. If this road exisited 100 years ago there would still be communities at Tamnabhaigh, Ceann Chuisil, and Aird Bheg.

GoogleEarth view of the Tamnabhaigh track

From the Uig road the track starts as an easy, level walk. The three hills of Tarain, Tathabhal, and Teinneasabhal, which guard the high pass of Raonasgail, can be seen off in the distance.

Tarain, Tathabhal, and Teinneasabhal in the distance

The track seems to go on and on as it winds its way south, and after a mile you pass the road quarry. If your vehicle can take the rocky track, you might be able to drive this far and leave the car at the quarry. But I don't recommend it, as the track is very rough, especially after any heavy rainfall.

A short way beyond the quarry you will reach the locked gate. It's in a strategic spot; in other words there's no way to drive around it.

The Gate -1

The Gate -2

As you continue along the track you will notice a thick cable running along the roadside. This is probably the world's longest extension cord, which connects to Tamnabhaigh Lodge at the end of the track.

The extension cord

The track seems to take an eternity to reach the pass as it undulates around several lochs and bogs.

The track goes on and on and on and on....

After an hour or so you reach Loch Raonasgail, and the switchbacks up to the pass come into view.

Loch Raonasgail and the hill pass

Starting up the pass

I've walked this road four times now, and it does not get any easier with repetition. Last time I made the walk I had to detour around a couple of heavy duty vehicles being operated by two fellows rebuilding a patch of track that had washed out in a recent rainstorm. The rubble from the washout was threatening a nearby salmon spawning stream. 

Roadworks - 1

Roadworks - 2

Once the pass is reached wide views of Loch Cheann Chuisil and Loch Tamnabhaigh open up. At this point you can choose to leave the track and walk east through some amazing open countryside, or loop to the northeast to conquer the summits of Tarain, Tathabhal, and Teinneasabhal.

Loch Cheann Chuisil

Along the Shore of Loch Cheann Chuisil

After traversing the east shore of Loch Cheann Chuisil the road comes to an end at Tamnabhaigh Lodge. 

The Lodge

Just before the lodge you pass the old keeper's house, which is still in good shape.

Old keeper's house at Tamnabhaigh

From the end of the track you cross the green grass in front of the lodge to reach the footbridge over the Tamnabhaigh River. (In the four times I've passed by the lodge no one has ever been home.) Vague paths can be seen on the far side of the bridge which peter out after a few hundred feet. And from there on it's just bogs, rocks and heather. That said, this little bridge is not a bridge to nowhere. It is a bridge to some amazing walks; make your way south to the 12-chambered beehive of Aird Mhor, or west to the ancient settlement of Aird Bheg, or east to the summit of Beinn Ishobhal, and then on to Crola and Kinlochresort. I will be making my fifth trek through this area in May, and I hope to camp for the night in the shielings of Fidigidh or Loch na Craobhaig. 

The bridge to...

Gateways to Paradise - 1

There are several places in the isles that I can't wait to return to with a pack on my back and enough food for two or three days. Here are two of them. Both are on Lewis, and beyond them lie mile after mile of open terrain; a terrain full of history, wildlife, and some of the most challenging ground a hiker will ever face.

The first photo is of the gate to Morsgail. The tarmac ends a mile down this private road, and then you'll find yourself in the wide open moors. You can head south to Kinresort, or west towards Aird Mhor and Aird Bheag. If you decide to go to Kinresort, another wonderful option is to keep going south through the hills of Harris.

The gate to Morsgail - the front door to the Back of Beyond

The second photo shows the start of the track to Hamanavay, south of Uig. This rocky road traverses several miles of ups and downs before ascending 1000 feet to the highlands of Roansagal. From there you can drop down to the sea and pay a visit to Hamanavay, Aird Bheag, and Aird Mhor; or you can head east to search for the beehives of Bothan Ruadh. Another option is to hike over to Crola and Kinresort, and then head out to the north via Morsgail and the gate show in the first photo.

The track to Hamanavay - the back door to the Back of Beyond

Both these places are gateways to a hiker's paradise; to places where you can sleep in beehive cells, or pitch your tent near old crofts and lonely shielings. Or you can chose to sleep high atop the hills overlooking Loch Reasort, or nestled in a hidden glen. And the best part is that no matter where you go, the chances are that you'll not see another soul.

A Three Loch View

Here is a sight you can only see from one place. It is of the three grand sea-lochs that penetrate the remote southwest corner of Lewis. To the far left is Loch Tamnabhaigh, left of centre is Loch Tealasbhaigh, and to the right is Loch Reasort. The once occupied Ardveg penninsula lies between Tamnabhaigh and Tealasbhaigh, and the Aird Mor peninsula lies between Tealasbhaigh and Reasort. So where is it that you can see all three of these lochs at once?

The Road to Tamanavay

I walked the Burma Road to Tamanavay on the 2nd. To drive it you need a key to open its gate, and a high clearance 4x4 vehicle to traverse the rocky track, neither of which I have. I've travelled this road on foot several times over the last 10 years, but this was the first time I'd walked it in and out on the same day. But it was well worth the effort, for this seemingly endless road from hell leads to a heavenly assortment of hiking opportunities. On this walk I was in search of some old shielings and beehive cells that dot the terrain above Loch Tamanavay. It was a full day, as the round trip totaled about 16 miles.

The photo shows a section of the track that zig-zags alongside Loch Raonasgail before ascending 700 feet to the narrow gap of Bealach Raonasgail.

Journey to Ardveg

It was only nine days ago I was in the Ardveg. Now I'm home, 4279 miles away (or so my GPS tells me), and have finally readjusted to Pacific Time, eight hours behind AST (Ardveg Standard Time). On Saturday, June 29, I attended the book launch of An Trusadh - Memories of Crofting in Ardveg, by John MacDonald. I've read the book over the past few days and it is wonderful.  

After the launch, which was held in the Uig Community Centre, the plan was to visit the Ardveg by sea. But the boatman decided the sea was a bit rough and the boats were cancelled. So it was time for Plan B. A fleet of 4x4 vehicles was assembled and we set off along the Burma Road to Hamanavay. I have walked this hellish road three times now, so it was nice to be driven its nine miles of agonizing curves, bumps, and ups and downs. 

But more work still lay ahead of us, for Ardveg lies a trackless hard mile from Hamanavay. So a parade of some 40 souls set out to cross the wet, grassy hillside to Ardveg. It took a strenuous half hour hike to get there, but it was well worth the effort to reach this place; to see it knowing that its story was now captured for posterity in John's book. Another special part of the visit occured after we'd been there an hour. For it was then that John Macdonald's sister Ina showed up, having managed to make the walk to see the house where she was born. 

We had a marvelous time, and the place looked just as it had when I camped there in 2001 (see May 23rd post for some photos from that trip). After spending two hours exploring we hiked back to the cars. Just as we reached them the heavens opened up. But the rain did not dampen our spirits, for it had been a special day for all. What follows are a few photos of our day in Ardveg. If you want to see what Ardveg looks like from space you can find it on GoogleEarth at the following coordinates: 58.06487, -7.03338.

Main Fireplace in the original Black House

Roadway built by John's father that leads down to the jetty

Jetty - the whale rib-bones once used to roll the boats up are long gone

Beautiful stone Boathouse (left) built by Andrew Miller-Mundy, a resident of the new house long after the Macdonalds left

This ugly scar on the hillside is the Burma Road to Hamanavay (but we would not have been able to get to Ardveg that day without it)

Rowan tree and the walled garden - John writes of having a swing in the tree

The house built by John's father to replace their blackhouse (which can be seen in the centre distance)

John's sister Ina (in black coat) at the house she was born in

Original blackhouses. John's family lived in #1 (to the right)

Close up of the original #1 Ardveg

The nearby mill on Abhainn Grunavat

On the way back as a misty rain moves in - the foot bridge over the Hamanavay River - Hamanavay Lodge in the distance

Off to Ardveg

I will be off-line for two weeks. I am spending some time on Scalpay, Harris and Lewis. On June 29 I hope to attend an Islands Book Trust event at the Uig Community Centre, where they are launching a book called An Trusadh - Memories of Crofting in the Ardveg, by John Macdonald. If the weather is obliging it will be followed by a boat trip to remote Ardveg, where I camped a decade ago (book 2, chapter 21). I also plan to hike around the hinterlands of Lewis and Harris in search of beehive cells, and to walk the old path to Renigidal and Molinginish. I hope to have some interesting photos to share when I return.

Ardveg - Photo by A A MacGregor

Aird Bheag

It seems so long ago, just a few months before 9/11, that I hiked in to spend the night in Aird Bheag, the true back of beyond of the Hebrides. (See chapter 21 of book 2.) I am looking forward to returning there next month with the Islands Book Trust. They have arranged a visit to remote Aird Bheag in conjunction with the launch of An Trusadh - Memories of Crofting in the Ardveg, by John MacDonald.

There was only space for one photo in the story of my night in Aird Bheag, so here's an assortment of other photos from 2001.

Aird Bheag viewed from the slopes of Mullach na Aird Bheag

Inside one of the ruins

The Walled Garden

The track from the settlement down to Loch Hamanavay

A campsite to remember

A soggy, but happy camper

The way in, and the way out: The Burma Road to Hamanavay climbs to the fog shrouded pass of Bealach Raonasgail