A Walk to Cravadale - 2

Last time I was on my way to Cravadale, and had just reached the misty top of the path from Hushinish known as 'The Stiomor' (possibly an Old Norse word for 'path'). Visibility was about 50 feet, and from the top of the foggy pass I slowly descended to the shore of Loch na Cleavag. The lone house of Cravadale soon came in sight on the southeast shore of the loch.

Cravadale House on Loch na Cleavag

To give you a full view of the Cravadale area here is a photo taken from the top of Scarp. You can see the white house of Cravadale on Loch na Cleavag to the right of centre. The long beach in the foreground is Traigh Mhuelein, Loch Cravadale (a sea-loch) is at the far left, and Loch a' Ghlinne can be seen in the distance, which goes about a mile up into Glen Cravadale.

Cravadale seen from the top of Scarp

There was a village at Cravadale, but the people were cleared off. All that remains is what had been a keeper's house. The house is still occasionally used, but no one was home. There had been a Side School here at one time. 

House at Cravadale

From the house I walked a short way east to the beach of Loch Cravadale. It was a beautiful spot and I had it all to myself. Just around the corner was the large Loch a' Ghlinne, which covers most of Glen Cravadale.

Beach of Loch Cravadale

Just above the beach lay a cluster of shieling ruins set next to a field of abandoned lazybeds.

Shieling ruins above the beach

All too soon it was time to return to the car. One option would be to walk a mile up Glen Cravadale to the head of Loch a' Ghlinne, then continue another three miles along a path through Glen Leosaid to Amhuinnsuidhe on the Hushinish road. I would have done that, but it also requires a six mile road walk back to Hushinish, for a total loop walk of 12 miles; too much when you also consider the long car journey. So I retraced my footsteps to Loch na Cleavag, and then climbed up into the mist to follow the path back to Hushinish. If you are looking for a great hike on Harris, this one is hard to beat.

A Walk to Cravadale - 1

Last June I hiked from Hushinish to Loch Cravadale; something I'd wanted to do for many years. Loch Cravadale lies at the remote northwest corner of Harris, and although the walk is only four miles round trip, it requires a long drive to the end of the road at Hushinish.

On the day I walked to Cravadale I had planned to climb The Clisham, the highest mountain on Harris. But the weather was not great, and the summit of Clisham was shrouded by clouds. A walk to the top would not be very scenic, so I decided to stay low and visit Cravadale instead. So after making the long, but very interesting drive to Hushinish, I parked my car in the small sandy car park above the beach. From there I walked across the machair to Hushinish jetty (first photo). Due to the fog I could barely see the island of Scarp (off in the distance to the left).

The well-built path quickly ascended the hillside above the Kyles of Scarp. From there I had a good view over to Scarp Village, which you can see in the next photo. The renovated church is in the centre, and the derelict schoolhouse can be seen to the right of it.

The path then rounded the shoulder of Husival Beg. The next photo was my last look back to Hushinish before the path turned east around the hill.

The path remained level for a while, and then started climbing very steeply. As I walked along the only wildlife I encountered were a few scraggly sheep.

After an hour or so the trail climbed to a pass completely shrouded in fog (last photo). But the worn path was easy to follow up through the mist. Next time we'll descend the other side of the pass to visit the beautiful beach of Loch Cravadale.

The Adventures of Hjalmar Bjorge - Season 5, Episode 2

The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar Bjorge

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Isay to Scarp

Exploring the Isles of the West Cruise    April 18-May 2, 2022

After our exploration of Isay we steamed across the Minch under cloudy skies. After passing through the Sound of Harris, Charlie took us up past Taransay and into the Sound of Scarp. As we passed Huisinis, on the Harris side of the Sound, we could see the Stiomar cutting across the Harris slopes. It is a thrilling, steep path, that leads from Husinis over to historic Cravadale. (For a description of that walk see this link: Cravadale Walk). Most who take the path do not go to Cravadale, as a side trail halfway along branches off to Traigh Mheilein, one of the most stunning beaches in the Hebrides. 

When I'd hiked the path in 2013 I did not take the detour to the beach, as I was exhausted. Little did I know that we'd be visiting that glorious beach the following day, and in doing so encounter the most surprising thing I've ever seen on a remote island beach. In the following photo you can just barely see the Stiomar path halfway up the hillside.

We anchored for the night just off the Scarp settlement, which saw its last full-time residents in 1971. The following morning we were greeted with sunshine and mostly clear skies that would be with us for several days. 

After landing on Scarp I led the group through the blackhouse settlement of North Town, and then to the old shop, post office, and burial ground.  

We then hiked up to the old schoolhouse, which is still in the process of falling down. When I first visited Scarp, in 2004, the roof was intact. But instead of scholars, a large class of sheep was sheltering inside. A while back the owners put a bit of money into the structure, complete with flush toilets. But they did nothing to improve the roof. Needless to say, winter winds took the roof, and the building won't last much longer.

Before leaving Scarp we stopped in to see Brian and Shiela Harper, who have been spending their springs and summers on the island for many years. They are a lovely couple, and it was a delight to see them again over a cup of tea. (See this link for more on Scarp and the Harpers: Scarp Posts.)

Brian then told me something surprising: a wedding was going to happen that afternoon on Traigh Mheilein beach, just opposite Scarp on Harris. So when Charlie offered to run us over to the beach for a couple of hours, some of the group decided to come along.

Magnificent does not come close to describing Traigh Mheilein: a mile-long stretch of blinding-white shell sand. What few visitors it does see, have to climb the Stiomar from Huisinis, a mile-long hike along that path that climbs 300 feet as it hugs the steep slopes of Huiseabhal Beag. (Most are not as fortunate as we were to be set ashore from a boat.) The following photo shows the view from the path looking down to Huisinis.

It was an entrancing walk along the beach to its north end, from where an easy hike over the dunes led to Loch na Cleabhaig. In the following photo the lone house of Cravadale can be seen on the far side of the loch.

From the high ground above the beach I had a birds-eye view over the Sound of Scarp, with Hjalmar Bjorge resting peacefully at anchor.

When I returned to the beach I had a vision: A lovely young woman in a flowing white dress slowly walking across the white sands, accompanied by a tall man in a kilt. (As it turned out, she'd injured her leg on the hike out.) From a discrete distance, I took a photo of the wedding party before Charlie came to return us to Hjalmar Bjorge. While he was ashore, Charlie was approached by someone from the wedding party, who asked if it would be possible to return the bride to Huisinis in the RIB, so that she would not have to make the strenuous return hike with a bad leg. Charlie was happy to oblige. Hjalmar Bjorge, a former rescue boat, had come to the rescue once again.

Back on the ship, we sat on the deck to watch the ceremony, which took a very long time; a drone flying around to take photos of the event: Charlie patiently waiting on the beach for over an hour.

All in all, it was one of the most unusual, and delightful, Hebridean days I've ever had: I'd seen old friends, showed off one of my favourite islands, and witnessed a beach wedding. We spent the night anchored in the sound, and in the morning set off for the Flannan Isles.

Three men alive on Flannan Isle,

Who thought on three men dead.

Afoot on Scarp

On May 24 we got an early start from the Monachs to make the 40 mile trip north to Scarp. Unfortunately the wind was out of the north, which made the usual Scarp anchorage, on the north side of the sandbar between Scarp and Harris, unworkable. So we motored around the south of Scarp and turned left off the jetty at Huisinis to enter Caolas an Scarp (Kyles of Scarp). Passing Huisinis gave us a good view of the Stiomor, the steep path that leads up and over from Huisinis to Cravadale (see the December 31, 2013 post for a description of walking the Stiomor).

The Stiomor climbing the steep hillside to Cravadale

After dropping anchor in Caolas an Scarp we went ashore to explore the village. There used to be a Gatliffe Trust hostel here, but access to the island was (and still is) so very iffy, that it was only in business for four years (1966-1970). The island was mostly abandoned by 1971.

Scarp village

Hjalmar Bjorge anchored in Caolas an Scarp

We ended our tour of the village by taking a look at the sad remnants of the school, and on a brighter note, going inside the beautifully redone church.

Inside the school

Inside the redone church

I wanted to lead some of the guests up and over the hills to see the two Norse Mills on Allt a' Mhuilinn. But the first priority was to say hello to Brian and Sheila Harper, who live on Scarp for most of the spring and summer every year. I first met them six years ago, and no visit to Scarp is complete without stopping to have tea with this lovely couple.

After tea we set out to climb the hill pass between the two peaks of Beinn fo Tuath, and then on to the summit of the higher peak. As you can see in the photo below, on a sunny day the view west to Lochs Resort, Tealsavay, and Hamanavay is amazing.

The view to Loch Resort, Tealsavay, and Hamanavay

From the summit of Beinn fo Tuath a gentle descent was made west into the rocky interior of Scarp. I was leading Clare and Nigel to see the Norse Mills, but I led them astray at one point, and we had to backtrack a bit to find the stream that flows out of Loch a Mhuilinn (Mill Loch). Halfway between the loch and the sea we found the mills, their millstones still in place. For more photos of the Scarp mills see the March 16, 2013 post.

Mill

Next up was a walk down to Mol Mor. Its Gaelic name means big pebbly beach, but it's better known as Treasure Beach, for the occasional treasures that wash ashore. We found no treasure on our walk, just a trove of colorful plastic flotsam.

Mol Mor (AKA Treasure beach)

There was hardly a cloud in the sky as we made our way back to the vllage by walking around the south tip of the island. At one point we made a brief detour up the hillside to take a close look at Carn Choinnich Shaoir (Kenneth's Cairn). A rusting plaque on the cairn reads:

THIS CAIRN WAS BUILT BY

THE REV. DR. KENNETH MACLENNAN  BA. B.D. M.A. PhD

(COINNEACH SAOR) WHEN HE WAS A BOY IN SCARP

BORN IN TARBERT 21ST JUNE 1867

GRADUATE OF McGILL UNIVERSITY, TORONTO

AND WOOLSTER UNIVERSITY, OHIO

MINISTER OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF CANADA

THE UNITED FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

AND THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

MISSIONARY IN HONAN, CHINA 1893-1897

DIED IN TORONTO 11 JUNE 1943

"CUIMHN IS IOMRADH MAITH"

Kenneth's Cairn

I am not sure what 'Cuimhn is Iomradh Maith" means: perhaps 'Remembrance and good account'. If anyone has a better translation please let me know.

We were soon back at the village, and after saying goodbye to Brian and Sheila we boarded the inflatable to return to Hjalmar Bjorge for the night. Unfortunately, the forecast ruled out making a dash out to the Flannans the following morning. It was a disappointment, but one I'm used to. Out of five attempts to get to the Flannans over the years, only one has been successful. On next year's guide-trip we'll make another try.

In the morning we set course to two of my favorite islands in the Sound of Harris: Pabbay and Boreray. My visits to those islands in the past were on shallow draught boats, so the question was whether we'd be able to find a decent anchorage for the 91-ton Hjalmar Bjorge in the shallow water near those islands. Fingers crossed, we set out to take a look.